All My Pasts Remembered!

After revealing that she has known that Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for years, Mary Jane Watson takes Peter to Central Park so he can tell her about her own deep secret. Peter considers trying to convince her that she is wrong, worrying about if he can trust her with his biggest secret, particularly because she acts so flakey. Mary Jane reads Peter like a book and assures him that she can trust him, that the happy-go-lucky girl she has portrayed for years was an act. They stop at a lake where she admits that she has had a habit of running away from responsibility, something she learned from her parents. She then begins to tell Peter about her family life.

Mary Jane's mother, Madeline, met her father Philip while they were in college. Her father was studying literature, while her mother was in drama. After they graduated, Madeline wanted to go to New York to pursue an acting career. Philip had other ideas, they were soon married and eight months later, Mary Jane's sister Gayle was born. Mary Jane was born four years later. While Madeline raised the kids, Philip worked as a college professor while he tried to write a novel that would make them rich. However, with each failure, Philip became angrier and took out that anger out on his wife. Philip moved them from town to town, and while Mary Jane became a class clown, her sister focused on ballet. Things took another turn on the night that Philip struck Gayle. This was the final straw for Madeline, who took her two daughters and left her abusive husband. Mary Jane dealt with this by adopting her happy-go-lucky attitude. They moved from relative to relative. Most didn't care for Madeline or her children, however, Mary Jane took a liking to her Aunt Anna. Anna was the person who first introduced Mary Jane to May Parker. Mary Jane finishes her recollection by reminding Peter of how their aunts first tried to set them both up. Peter and Mary Jane continue their walk, and Peter admits that he intentionally avoided Mary Jane, and regrets not meeting her sooner.

Elsewhere, at a secret gambling den hidden within a rail car, the illegal casino is smashed by the Hobgoblin. The villain demands that the owner give him 10% of the revenue the illegal casino generates. However, the owner already gives part of the take to the Kingpin and questions why he should give money to the Hobgoblin as well. The masked villain tells the man to consider it, lest the Hobgoblin returns, driving his clientele away.

While back in Central Park, Mary Jane continues to tell Peter about her troubled childhood. She explains that her father moved to Oregon not long after her mother left him. She attempted to keep in contact, but he never responded to her letters, so she eventually stopped. Meanwhile, Mary Jane's mother finally found them some semblance of stability by moving in with her cousin Frank Brown. However, Frank expected Madeline to slave over him and his three unruly children. By this time Gayle started attending high school where she met and fell in love with football star Timmy Byrnes. During this period, Gayle continued to focus on her dancing, while Mary Jane took up an interest in acting. Things got heated when Gayle and Timmy announced that they were planning on getting married after graduating from high school. Madeline protested this, warning Gayle that she was throwing her future away, but they were married anyway. Timmy went off to learn pre-law in college while Gayle worked to support them. Soon, Mary Jane and her mother were invited to visit her sister. When they arrived they discovered that Gayle had just given birth to a son. While this was a momentous occasion, Mary Jane couldn't help but notice that Timmy look as though he felt trapped in the relationship. Peter interjects, telling her that Timmy loved her sister. Mary Jane explains that Timmy couldn't even finish college, and expresses her opinion that love was good for nothing.

Meanwhile, not far away, inside a confectionary store, a backroom sports betting room is crashed by the Hobgoblin. Like the illegal casino earlier, the masked villain demands that they pay him 10% of their take. The men inside try to overpower the Hobgoblin, but he is too powerful for them. He leaves, warning the owner of the gambling operation that if he doesn't pay up, he will die.

After taking a break to collect her thoughts, Mary Jane continues her story. She tells Peter how while she was busy with high school, her sister's marriage disintegrated. Timmy couldn't handle the pressures of being a father. Gayle stood strong and soon announced that she was pregnant again. When Madeline and Mary Jane went down for a surprise visit they discovered that Timmy left her, as he couldn't handle supporting a family. Her mother invited Gayle back to cousin Frank's place to stay with them. However, her health continued to deteriorate and Madeline Watson soon died. After the funeral, Gayle tried to console her sister, telling Mary Jane that they can make it together, raising her children on their own. However, Mary Jane would have none of it. She points out how both her mother and Gayle gave up their dreams and Mary Jane would not let herself fall into the same trap. She ran away from her sister and never looked back. With her story over, Mary Jane tells Peter that she attempted to keep in touch with her sister, but Gayle never forgave her from walking out on her during her time of need. This causes Peter to think about the rift he currently has with his Aunt May and hopes that he can sort things out with her before it is too late.

Mary Jane thanks Peter for listening to her pour her heart out, remarking how great a listener he is. Mary Jane realizes that she still cares about Peter and has resisted the urge of running away from him as well. She makes a point to stress that she cares about him, but doesn't want a romantic relationship. This is fine with Peter and looks forward to their newly open and honest friendship. Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, the She-Hulk has finished carrying equipment into Mister Fantastic's lab. There, Reed's preoccupied with the alien costume that he has contained since Spider-Man brought it to him for examination. He explains how the costume is alive and he has been attempting to communicate with it, to no avail. She-Hulk finds the idea of the creature being capable of feeling emotions like love and hate absurd. As they walk away, the costume continues its attempts to break free from its confinement. Across town, the Hobgoblin returns to the penthouse of the Rose to report back on his progress. When the Rose reminds the Hobgoblin that he agreed to help take down the Kingpin, the Hobgoblin promises that he will. However, he wants to deal with a vendetta of his own by going after Harry Osborn and his wife Liz. A few hours later, Peter Parker returns home to his apartment after his outting with Mary Jane. He realizes that he still has feelings for her, but decides against following them since he is currently in a relationship with the Black Cat.

Inside, Peter turns on the news and watches a report about the Hobgoblin's recent activities. This comes as a shock to Peter, because he assumed that the Hobgoblin was dead after their last battle. Deciding to bring the villain to justice, Peter goes into his closet and pulls out his web-shooters, signal belt, and lastly his original red and blue costume. Putting on these familiar trappings, Spider-Man is ready to go out and take down the Hobgoblin once and for all.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson, Hobgoblin, The Rose, Mister Fanatastic, She-Hulk, Philip Watson, Gayle Watson, Aunt May, Anna Watson, Frank Brown, Timmy Byrnes, Tommy Byrnes

Continuity Notes

• Mary Jane revealed that she has known that Peter Parker was Spider-Man for years. The details of this discovery and further exploration of her troubled childhood are detailed in Marvel Graphic Novel #46 and Untold Tales of Spider-Man #16.

• Peter recalls how he once proposed to Mary Jane, although she turned him down. This happened in Amazing Spider-Man #183.

• As explained in Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #3, the Hobgoblin who is active here is Roderick Kingsley.

• Aunt May is currently angry at Peter for dropping out of grad school. Something he told her he had done in Amazing Spider-Man #253.

• Mister Fantastic explains how Spider-Man got the alien costume from Battleworld, as seen in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8. Reed took it into his possession during last issue.

• Spider-Man thought the Hobgoblin had perished at the end of their battle in Amazing Spider-Man #251.