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Mary Jane Watson’s life just keeps getting more complicated and now X-Men villain Moira MacTaggert is adding to the absurdity.
In Amazing Spider-Man #1, it's revealed that in the six months since MJ and Peter got back together, she's seemingly started living with a man named Paul and his two kids, who comfortably and surprisingly call her 'Mommy.' Now, MJ's status – and identity – are being further called into question thanks to Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men #1, released to participating comic book shops on May 7.
In 'Let’s Talk About Krakoa…' writer Gerry Duggan, artist Matteo Lolli, colorist Rain Beredo, and letterer Clayton Cowles follow MJ and her aunt, Anna, to a cable news show where they talk about how Krakoan drugs have all but reversed Anna’s dementia. The pair are named as brand ambassadors for Krakoa's "miracle medicines," and MJ talks up their affordability and effectiveness. The interview feels relatively boilerplate, but it's framed in vaguely ominous narration from an unnamed character – who reveals themself at the end of the story, and it's the long-time X-Men ally and even Professor X love interest Moira MacTaggert in her new villainous role.
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After MJ tucks her aunt into bed and Anna requests that MJ say hello to Tony Stark at the upcoming Hellfire Gala, Mary Jane heads downstairs and encounters a home intruder. The shadowy figure reveals herself to be the robotic incarnation of Moira from Omega-Wolverine's timeline, who's hellbent on destroying mutantkind once and for all.
As we say, this Moira is also the narrator of 'Let’s Talk About Krakoa…' which puts some things in perspective, namely her hyper-fixation on mutants finding a solution for death and their historic battles with the Avengers.
Elsewhere in the FCBD special, it's seemingly revealed why mutants may now be considered Deviants from the Eternals' POV: mutants have solved death. That's the 'deviation' that might be the game-changer behind the upcoming Judgment Day showdown between them.
But back to Moira, who intends to 'wear' MJ' (in keeping with the fashion theme) to infiltrate the upcoming second annual Hellfire Gala. This moment begs the question: What's really going on with Mary Jane?
One possible explanation for her sudden status as seeming stepmom to Paul's kids in Amazing Spider-Man #1 is more manipulation by Mephisto, but depending on timelines (remember, Amazing Spider-Man #1 jumps ahead six months), it seems equally possible that Moira is somehow involved. Given MJ's obvious ties to the Avengers through Peter, Moira may hope to use her likeness to trigger the next major crossover event between the two factions. Right now, nothing is clear.
But we can say that the worlds of Spider-Man and the X-Men are colliding. In one of Marvel's other FCBD titles - Spider-Man/Venom - it's revealed that Ben Reilly, AKA new Spider-Man villain Chasm, is teaming up with fellow clone and X-Men villain Madelyne Pryor, AKA the Goblin Queen, to menace the Wall-Crawler in the upcoming storyline 'The Dark Web.'
We'll see if the MJ-'Mommy', MJ-Moira, and the Chasm-Goblin Queen storylines are all on different tracks by different creative teams, or are somehow interconnected.
Chasm, Titan, and Moira - meet the new wave of Marvel heroes turned villains.
