Notable Spider-Man love interests like Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy take center stage in most of the wall-crawler’s projects. However, Peter Parker is quite the active dater when he isn’t married or spending his free time web-slinging and crime-fighting as a friendly neighborhood superhero.

Spider-Man’s love interests and romances don’t always reach their normal conclusion or last beyond a few dates. Thanks to his dual life, Peter Parker’s girlfriends have a complicated love life that includes heroic responsibilities, tragedies, and even demonic manipulations. Thankfully, Parker never stopped trying to find the right woman in his civilian and superhero identities.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on July 14, 2024: Spider-Man’s current love life is controversial, if nothing else. While most fans agree that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are the endgame, Marvel Comics seems intent on keeping the two star-crossed lovers apart. Nevertheless, Peter Parker’s love life includes many other characters besides MJ. This list has been updated to include additional information and to meet CBR’s current formatting guidelines.

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Liz Allan Was Peter Parker’s High School Crush

First Appearance

Amazing Fantasy #15 (June 1962) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Stan Goldberg, and Artie Simek

Peter Parker went to high school with Liz Allan, though she was dating high school bully and football star Flash Thompson. However, Peter Parker helped tutor Liz, which kicked off a crush on the “bookworm.” Liz and Flash had a double date with Peter Parker and Betty Brant, though nothing developed romantically between the high school classmates. Eventually, Liz married Harry Osborn, who later died as the Green Goblin, but not before the two had a son named Normie, after his late grandfather.

Liz Allan has a long and dark history with Peter Parker and Spider-Man. After learning about the return of Red Goblin, Allan used the resources of Alchemax to create a powerful new symbiote that she bonded with to become Misery to protect her family. While Peter Parker and Liz Allan never actually dated, they have never been closer.

Betty Brant Was Peter Parker’s First Real Girlfriend

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #4 (June 1963) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen

In its latest reader-submitted question, CSBG reveals what, exactly, Spider-Man sees when using his Spider-Sense

The first love of Peter Parker’s life, Betty Brant, debuted as J. Jonah Jameson’s assistant and later became a star Daily Bugle reporter. The two quickly noticed each other while working together at the Bugle despite Peter’s young age.

Their friendship started immediately, and they soon explored their romantic attraction in Amazing Spider-Man #9 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, leading to Peter asking Betty to his high school prom. However, Peter’s attraction to his classmate, Liz Allan, and the arrival of another beautiful but mysterious woman in his life eventually led to a strictly platonic friendship with Betty. Moreover, Betty found that she couldn’t reconcile with whatever Peter was hiding from her. His life as Spider-Man eventually led to the termination of the relationship.

Mary Jane Watson And Peter Parker Were Married

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #42 (August 1966) by Stan Lee, John Romita, Sr., and Sam Rosen

Artists kept Mary Jane Watson’s face hidden from readers until she arrived at Peter’s doorstep for a dreaded blind date set up by their aunts. Of course, Peter had unknowingly “hit the jackpot,” and they went on their date in the next issue. MJ’s lifestyle was initially too much for Peter, causing them to separate.

They found each other again and married in 1987’s The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 by David Michelinie, James Shooter, Paul Ryan, Vince Colletta, and Bob Sharen. During “One More Day,” Mephisto erased their marriage, but the couple recently reunited during Nick Spencer’s run before separating once more during Zeb Wells’s run. The relationship between Mary Jane and Peter Parker has been adapted in multiple other mediums, including Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy and the MCU’s Spider-Man franchise.

Gwen Stacy Died Before She And Peter Could Continue Their Romance

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #31 (September 1965) by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Sam Rosen

While Peter Parker is best known as the Amazing Spider-Man, there are a few multiversal variants like Eath-65’s The Lizard who didn’t become a hero.

When Peter first met Gwen Stacy at Empire State University, they weren’t exactly fond of each other and had feelings for other people. However, they found similar interests as Gwen’s character made more appearances and developed under John Romita, Sr.’s visual storytelling.

Peter and Gwen started dating in Amazing Spider-Man #53 by Lee, Romita, and Mike Esposito when they attended a scientific demonstration together. Their relationship continued to grow, and they prepared for a long life together. Unfortunately, Gwen was tragically killed during an epic battle with the Green Goblin in “Turning Point” and “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” While she would eventually return as a clone, Peter always missed the original version of his lost love. Next to MJ, the relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy is the most popular of Spider-Man’s romances and was adapted in The Amazing Spider-Man.

Cissy Ironwood And Peter Parker’s Relationship Ended Quickly

First Appearance

Marvel Team-Up #80 (January 1979) by Chris Claremont, Mike Vosburg, Gene Day, Petra Goldberg, and Denise Wohl

One of the short-lived, oft-forgotten Spider-Man girlfriends was Priscilla “Cissy” Ironwood. Peter and Cissy enjoyed a successful date night attending a play. However, a werewolf who Spider-Man later discovered to be Doctor Strange interrupted the play, cutting their first date short.

A Soviet general later kidnapped her scientist father and Cissy Ironwood to further establish her character. Cissy and Peter would go on a couple of dates during their relationship, though Cissy seemed to fizzle on Peter and his busy lifestyle. She was quickly replaced by his new flirtatious friend, Glory Grant, though the pair never actually dated.

Debra Whitman Had Personal Troubles That Ended Her Relationship With Peter Parker

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #196 (June 1979) by Marv Wolfman, Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, Jim Mooney, Bob Sharen, and John Costanza

Debra Whitman debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #196 but appeared more frequently in Spectacular Spider-Man, where she and Peter began to date after issue #46 by Roger Stern, Mike Zeck, Bruce Patterson, and Petra Goldberg. While their romance was brief, Deb appeared as a recurring character in one of the best Spider-Man cartoons.

Unfortunately, Whitman’s tragic past with an abusive husband, along with growing instability and suspicions about Spider-Man’s identity, ultimately led to their break-up and caused her to leave New York. After Civil War revealed Peter’s secret identity, she released an exaggerated “tell-all” book about their relationship.

Felicia Hardy/Black Cat Only Cared About Spider-Man

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #194 (April 1979) by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, Frank Giacoia, Ben Sean, and John Costanza

Some of Marvel’s best creators helped craft well-written villains like Norman Osborn and Doc Ock to challenge Spider-Man in the comics and beyond.

Black Cat was the first romantic interest in Peter’s life that he originally met as Spider-Man. While they dated and even became costumed partners, Spider-Man initially hesitated to return Felicia’s affection due to her criminal past as a cat burglar.

After Black Cat’s injury in Spectacular Spider-Man #76 by Bill Mantlo, Al Milgrom, Jim Mooney, and Bob Sharen, he revealed his secret identity to Felicia. Their relationship grew as Black Cat gained powers to fight alongside Spider-Man. However, Felicia was more interested in Spider-Man than the Peter Parker personality, eventually causing a schism in their relationship. Nevertheless, Peter and Felicia have shared a close, on-again, off-again relationship that has recently returned to the comics.

Captain Jean DeWolff Fostered Romantic Feelings For Spider-Man

First Appearance

Marvel Team-Up #46 (March 1976) By Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, Dave Hunt, Janice Cohen, and John Costanza

Peter Parker’s wall-crawling alter-ego didn’t always have the best relationship with the police. However, he developed a close friendship with Captain Jean DeWolff after they worked a few cases together. Unfortunately, Sin-Eater murdered DeWolff to kick off his killing spree in one of Spider-Man’s darkest stories.

Spider-Man investigated DeWolff’s apartment, hoping to find a clue about the Sin-Eater. Instead, he discovered a drawer of clippings that included a picture of him with his former partner, Black Cat, cut from the photo. He learned of DeWolff’s feelings for him too late, leaving Spider-Man to imagine a potential relationship with his lost friend.

Jill Stacy Never Really Got Her Chance With Peter Parker

First Appearance

Spider-Man #76 (November 1996) by Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Richard Starkings, Liz Agraphiotis, and Comicraft

Gwen Stacy wasn’t the only member of that family who got close to Peter Parker. Gwen’s cousin Jill Stacy returned to New York and started taking classes at Empire State University with Mary Jane. When a stalker kidnapped MJ and staged her death, Jill got closer as she tried to help Peter Parker with his grief.

While the two went on several dates, Peter Parker never fully accepted that Mary Jane was dead, and the romance fizzled. Jill kept attempting to initiate a relationship with Peter but backed off after MJ resurfaced. Jill disappeared shortly after.

Sarah Rushman/Marrow Had A Short-Lived Relationship With Peter Parker

First Appearance

Cable #15 (July 1994) by Jeph Loeb, David Brewer, Will Conrad, Keith Champagne, Matt Banning, Marie Javins, Richard Starkings, and Comicraft

While Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 is the most popular wall-crawler from the future, there are a few other heroes who carried on Spider-Man’s legacy.

Spider-Man encountered the X-Man known as Marrow a couple of times in costume, and the two characters unknowingly got a bit closer in the Spider-Man/Marrow one-shot by Scott Lobdell, Ale Garza, Pierre-Andre Dery, and Steve Buccellato. S.H.I.E.L.D. brainwashed Marrow to hunt Life Model Decoys, which created the civilian cover identity of Sarah Rushman.

She met the recently single Peter Parker while in this brainwashed state, and the two hit it off and went for coffee. However, Spider-Man eventually discovered the truth about Marrow’s S.H.I.E.L.D. programming and helped free her from their control. This ended her time as Sarah Rushman and their fledgling relationship.

Ultimate Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat Was An Underrated Love Interest

First Appearance

Ultimate X-Men #21 (October 2002) by Mark Millar, Adam Kubert, Danny Miki, Dave Stewart, and Chris Eliopoulos

While the Ultimate version of Spider-Man began his relationship with MJ Watson much earlier in the new continuity, they separated. Peter dove into his superhero role to forget about his troubles. He teamed up with the Ultimate X-Men several times, where Kitty Pryde developed a crush on the wall-crawler.

They went on their first date in Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, Scott Hanna, Dave Steward, and Chris Eliopoulos. Kitty Pryde even created a new masked costume, allowing her to adventure alongside Spider-Man. Kitty was one of the more popular superpowered Spider-Man girlfriends, and many fans wish she had stayed with Peter.

Michele Gonzales And Peter Parker Had A Love-Hate Relationship

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3 (March 2009) by Marc Guggenheim, Fabrizio Fiorentino, Pat Olliffe, Kris Justice, John Livesay, Serge LaPointe, Chris Chuckry, Allen Passalaqua, and Rus Wooton

After Mephisto mystically erased Peter Parker’s marriage, he was once again unleashed on the dating world with a few new love interests. However, none were quite like his roommate Michele Gonzales because they didn’t really like each other.

Michele was initially critical of Peter, but a drunken one-night stand still happened in Amazing Spider-Man #601 by Mark Waid, Mario Alberti, and Andres Mossa. Further manipulation from a disguised Chameleon led to a brief romantic (mostly one-sided) relationship. Peter’s refusal to accept the relationship led to a painful breakup several issues later.

Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel Briefly Dated Spider-Man

First Appearance

Marvel Super-Heroes #13 (December 1967) by Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Paul Reinman, Stan Goldberg, and Sam Rosen

All the multiversal web-slingers in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has fans dreaming about solo comics starring alternate versions of Spider-Man.

While it never really became a romantic relationship, Spider-Man and the future Captain Marvel began to develop a flirtatious attraction toward each other while serving together on the New Avengers. Peter Parker and Carol Danvers went on their first civilian date in Ms. Marvel #47 by Brian Reed, Mike McKone, Rob DiSalvo, Derec Donovan, and Chris Sotomayor.

Peter and Carol followed it up with a costumed team-up but never felt the romance on their date. However, when the Venom symbiote briefly bonded with Carol Danvers (in her Ms. Marvel alter ego) during the Siege event, it taunted Spider-Man with Carol’s feelings for the wall-crawler.

Carlie Cooper Was Peter Parker’s Love Interest During Brand New Day

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #545 (September 2007) by J. Michael Straczynski, Joe Quesada, Danny Miki, Dean White, Richard Isanove, and Chris Eliopoulos

Peter Parker first met Carlie Cooper after her friend Lily Hollister (the supervillain Menace) began to date Harry Osborn. Due to her work as an NYPD forensics technician, she soon became involved in Spider-Man’s activities.

Peter and Carlie’s first date occurred in Amazing Spider-Man #642 by Mark Waid, Paul Azaceta, and Javier Rodriguez, and they officially started dating several issues later. Carlie eventually broke up with Peter after deducing his identity after Spider-Island. She remained a close ally to Spider-Man and even became friends with Mary Jane after leaving New York for a brief period.

Silver Sable Almost Had A Great Relationship With Spider-Man

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #265 (March 1985) by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Josef Rubinstein, Bob Sharen, and Phil Felix

While Silver Sable and Spider-Man worked together for years, their relationship was strictly business for most of their career. However, after planting a kiss on Spider-Man as a reward from the country of Symkaria during a mission to stop a nuclear device from destroying the embassy, things changed. Silver Sable developed feelings for Spider-Man but kept them to herself.

When they faced certain death at the hands of the Sinister Six during the “Ends of the Earth” storyline, Silver Sable attempted to reveal her true feelings to Spider-Man. Unfortunately, he got close to MJ again and politely cut Sable off before she said too much.

Anna Maria Marconi Was The Superior Spider-Man’s Girlfriend

First Appearance

Superior Spider-Man #5 (March 2013) by Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, John Dell, Edgar Delgado, Antonio Fabela, and Chris Eliopoulos

When Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus took over Peter Parker’s body and stole the show as the Superior Spider-Man, he also found a new love in fellow Empire State University student Anna Maria Marconi. She appeared as his tutor before their first romantic date in Superior Spider-Man #10 by Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Cam Smith, and Edgar Delgado.

Their relationship continued to grow and ultimately helped redeem Otto. After Green Goblin resurfaced and kidnapped Anna Maria, Otto relinquished Peter’s body back to him so the original Spider-Man could save her. Marconi continued to work alongside Peter even after she discovered the man she loved had truly been Otto.

Cindy Moon/Silk Was Strongly Attracted To Spider-Man

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (April 2014) by Dan Slott, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Chris Eliopoulos

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Another of Peter Parker’s romantic interests that never quite developed into a full relationship was Cindy Moon, who was transformed by the same spider that bit Peter, leading her to become the costumed crime-fighter Silk. Their shared venomous blood caused Cindy and Peter to be irresistibly attracted to one another, even before they really knew each other.

After her first full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man, Peter and Cindy discovered an animalistic attraction that developed into uncontrollable passion when they were near each other. The pair never let their spider-based connection develop further, choosing to remain friends and allies during the original Spider-Verse comic event.

Lian Tang Betrayed Peter Parker

First Appearance

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (October 2015) by Dan Slott, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, Marte Gracia, and Joe Caramagna

After Parker Industries was created, Peter and Spider-Man went “worldwide,” and he began operating out of his new headquarters in Shanghai. While there, he dated scientific designer Lian Tang, who helped him design a new Spider-Mobile.

However, it was eventually revealed that she was covertly working for Zodiac to gain help for her sick mother’s treatments. Spider-Man eventually forgave Lian for her betrayal, and she came to his assistance as Spider-Rider near the fall of Parker Industries, but their short-lived romantic relationship never recovered.

Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird’s Relationship With Spider-Man Was Cut Short

First Appearance

Astonishing Tales #12 (March 1972) By Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Buscema, Neal Adams, John Romita, Dan Adkins, Jon Costa, and Sam Rosen

During Peter Parker’s time as a wealthy CEO, he developed a few business relationships with S.H.I.E.L.D. that required Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird (wearing a new uniform created by Parker) to serve as a full-time superhero liaison. As Spider-Man and Mockingbird worked closer together, their mutual attraction developed into what looked to be a promising romantic relationship.

Spider-Man and Mockingbird shared their first kiss in Amazing Spider-Man #789 (October 2017) by Dan Slott, Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Marte Gracia, and Joe Caramagna. Peter’s fall from grace following the collapse of Parker Industries forced the couple to live together prematurely, and they soon broke up after discovering little in common besides their work.

Spider-Man (Characters)

Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider as a teenager, granting him spider-like powers. After the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter learned that “with great power, comes great responsibility.” Swearing to always protect the innocent from harm, Peter Parker became Spider-Man.

NAMESpider-Man (Peter Parker)
AliasCaptain Universe, Dusk, Hornet, Prodigy, Ricochet, Bombastic Bag-Man, Poison, Pestilence, Spidey, Wallcrawler, Webslinger, Web-Head, Your Friendly Neighborhood, Spider-Man, Spider-Kid, The Human Spider
FIRST APPAmazing Fantasy #15
Created ByStan Lee , Steve Ditko