Spider-Man’s closest confidant has finally figured out how painfully true the Web-Slinger’s biggest trope really is.

“Team-Up: Part 2” by writer Zeb Wells and artist Todd Nauck finds Mary Jane Watson, aka Jackpot, fighting tirelessly against the threat of the malevolent Die-Chromator. Thankfully, she isn’t alone, and together Jackpot and Spider-Man are more than enough to take the villain down. Unfortunately, doing so means spending far more time out on the battlefield than they had intended and before long, Mary Jane is learning exactly why Peter Parker can never make it to a date on time.

• Written by ZEB WELLS and JOE KELLY
• Art by JOHN ROMITA JR., ED McGUINNESS, TODD NAUCK, PAOLO RIVERA, PATRICK GLEASON, and MARK BUCKINGHAM
• Inks by SCOTT HANNA and MARK FARMER
• Colors by MARCIO MENYZ, RACHELLE ROSENBERG, and EDGAR DELGADO
• Letters by VC’s JOE CARAMAGNA
• Main cover art by JOHN ROMITA JR., SCOTT HANNA & MARCIO MENYZ
• Variant covers by ADAM HUGHES, STEPHEN PLATT & DAVE McCAIG, ALESSANDRO CAPPUCCIO & MATTIA IACONO, and PATRICK GLEASON & MARCIO MENYZ

Peter Parker’s habit of running late or missing dates entirely is one of the longest-running tropes in the entire Spider-Man franchise. On countless occasions, Peter’s duties as Spider-Man have led to awkward, painful, and even heartbreaking moments. In fact, this trope was recently acknowledged directly by none other than Spider-Man himself in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #55, which saw Peter eschew his costume altogether when confronting a pair of villains whose battle in the streets of New York City threatened to ruin his date with current love interest, Shay Marken.

When it comes to love interests, Mary Jane Watson is one of Peter’s oldest and most beloved partners, though their relationship was far from a sure thing when she made her first full appearance all the way back in 1966’s Amazing Spider-Man #42 by Stan Lee and John Romita. Initially, Mary Jane’s place in Peter’s life was often overshadowed by the likes of Gwen Stacy. Following Gwen’s tragic demise, the dynamic between Mary Jane and Peter Parker shifted demonstrably, kicking off one of pop culture’s most iconic romances.

Mary Jane made her debut as Jackpot in Amazing Spider-Man #31 by Zeb Wells, Dan Slott, and Kaare Andrews, marking a major turning point for the character. Previously, Mary Jane had been trapped for years within an desolate, post-apocalyptic alternate dimension alongside Paul Rabin, the son of the villainous Emissary who had trapped her there in the first place. While Spider-Man fought tirelessly to free Mary Jane, she and Paul developed a superpowered gauntlet that she now wields as Jackpot, not to mention a hard-fought romance that has shaken Peter Parker to his core.

Amazing Spider-Man #60 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics

Spider-Man

Since his first appearance in 1962, Spider-Man has almost always been Marvel Comics’ most popular character. Known for his sense of humor and bad luck as well as his selflessness and super-strength, Spider-Man has helmed countless titles over the years, Spider-Man’s most prominent comics include The Amazing Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Peter Parker was the original Spider-Man but the Spider-Verse has become an important part of the character’s lore in recent years. Multiversal and future Spider-Men include Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Miguel O’Hara and Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham. This provided the premise for the popular Spider-Verse film trilogy, which makes Miles its primary hero.

Spider-Man is also the basis of several live-action film franchises and numerous animated television series. He is one of the most recognizable characters in the world. While he’s changed a lot over the decades, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee gave the world an unforgettable hero when they created Spider-Man.