By the time the credits rolled on Spider-Man: No Way Home, the world had forgotten who Peter Parker is. That included the girl he loves, MJ, and if their final scene together is any indication, he has no plans to remind her of their shared history.
Spider-Man 4 is thought to be in the works, and we'd bet on the webbed wonder getting a new love interest in that movie. MJ was essentially a newly created character (or Marvel Studios' very different take on Mary Jane Watson), but moving forward, it would be fun to see one of Peter's many significant others from the comic books brought to the big screen.
In this feature, we highlight seven female characters who would a) make for a compelling romantic partner for Spider-Man and, b) have the potential to add something new to the franchise. They're all great characters in their own right, though some of the names here may be more unexpected than others.
To take a look at who we believe are the top contenders, simply click on the "Next" button below!
7. Mockingbird
With Peter Parker now a wealthy CEO of his own company, Parker Industries (not something we're keen on seeing adapted), Spider-Man found an unexpected romantic partner in Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird. The S.H.I.E.L.D Agent served as his superhero liaison, but their working relationship soon blossomed into something more.
Things initially looked good, but the collapse of Peter's business forced them to live together sooner than either of them would have liked, and they soon realised they didn't have that much in common when they weren't suited up and fighting crime.
It's highly unlikely Adrianne Palicki will return as Bobbi after playing the character in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so Mockingbird being rebooted for the MCU feels like a given (even if it would somewhat contradict that big Hawkeye reveal with Laura Barton). She'd need to be brought closer in age to Peter, of course, but there's potential here to explore a whole new type of romance for Spidey by giving him an unexpected partner to swing into battle with.
6. Kitty Pryde
In the Ultimate Spider-Man Universe, Peter only briefly dated Kitty Pryde, but it's a romance that resonated with fans at the time. The two teen heroes had a lot in common and, honestly, made a surprisingly cute couple. They eventually parted ways (unwillingly) to protect the wall-crawler's secret identity, but this is a relationship that could work in the MCU on a number of levels.
We're guessing Spider-Man 4 will be released long before the X-Men reboot. Despite that, the hero finding love with a girl who literally can't be harmed because she phases through solid objects would be a good way to address any concerns Peter might have that his next girlfriend will end up being hurt the same way MJ was during that battle at the Statue of Liberty.
Her being a mutant is bound to complicate things, though, and Spider-Man 4 could quite easily serve as an origin story for Kitty. The movie exploring what it means to be a superpowered mutant teenager prior to her being enlisted to Professor X's cause would be fun, as would these two fighting crime together.
5. Betty Brant
Peter had a complicated relationship with Betty Brant in the comic books, but she was his first love in many ways. The fact he was Spider-Man made things extremely difficult over the years, and they'd eventually part ways (becoming close friends given the benefit of time).
While they met at The Daily Bugle, the MCU's version of Peter and Betty have obviously attended high school together. Unfortunately, Doctor Strange's spell means she no longer remembers him, but that could open the door to an unexpected romance that blossoms when they cross paths at TheDailyBugle.net...where Peter is now providing JJJ with pictures footage of Spider-Man.
Where things could get really interesting is when Ned Leeds comes back on the scene. He was always Peter's love rival on the page, and now he no longer remembers his former best friend, it would be a lot of fun two see these two butt heads over Betty's affections.
4. Cindy Moon
Sony is still thought to be hard at work on that Silk TV series, but we're still not convinced it's even going to come to fruition given how long it's been in development. If that is the case, Spider-Man 4 could present them with the perfect opportunity to bring Cindy Moon into Peter's chaotic life.
However, we'd immediately scrap Dan Slott's creepy idea of having these two unable to resist each other sexually due to their pheromones (a concept he's since expressed regret over). Instead, them bonding over being bitten by the same spider has the potential to show Peter he's not alone in a world that's forgotten he exists and that there is someone out there who can relate to him.
Throw Morlun into the mix here as the villain and you have all the makings of a great movie. Their comic book "romance" was short-lived, too, so Marvel Studios can take a lot of liberties with the source material to come up with some fresh ideas. Sony, meanwhile, gets a great new female superhero.
3. Debra Whitman
A secretary in the biophysics department of Empire State University, Debra Whitman and Peter started dating while he was a student there; it was not a good relationship. In fact, Debra became downright infatuated with her new boyfriend and a mental health condition soon saw her become convinced he was Spider-Man.
Believe it or not, Peter took advantage of that to throw off her suspicions (it didn't play out quite as bad as it sounds), and these two didn't last. We're sure there's a way to modernise this story so that the dynamic here isn't as toxic, and Debra could make a good temporary love interest until the wall-crawler finds his way back to MJ. Like that character, Debra could be totally overhauled, something that might appeal to Marvel Studios as they look to avoid using familiar characters.
Peter landing a girlfriend who becomes convinced he's Spider-Man could make his life infinitely more complicated in the next trilogy, and that feels wholly appropriate given that typical Parker Luck.
2. Felicia Hardy
The world may no longer know who is beneath Spider-Man's mask, but we're sure many people are still convinced he killed Mysterio. The rest are no doubt being poisoned by J. Jonah Jameson's constant ramblings, so when Spider-Man 4 begins, Spidey is likely going to be perceived as a "menace" by the wider public.
That might not be easy for the web-slinger to accept given everything he's been through and sacrificed, so it probably wouldn't be too difficult to push him down a dark path. There, he could encounter Black Cat, a bad influence who can take care of herself and is interested more in Spider-Man than Peter. Given recent events, that could be just the romance the hero is looking for.
We wouldn't necessarily expect these two to go the distance, but the start of a beautiful friendship could certainly begin with a brief fling. It would be no bad thing for Marvel Studios to shake things up and have them date each other across the entire trilogy, but Felicia Hardy's big screen debut is long overdue and the MCU feels like the right place to make it happen.
1. Gwen Stacy
With the Amazing Spider-Man's mention of losing "Gwen" no doubt ringing in his ears, something tells us Peter would initially be reluctant to fall for a girl named Gwen Stacy he meets in college. However, as she is the true love of his life, these two finding each other in the MCU could be inevitable.
There's something poetic about Peter losing MJ in tragic circumstances and then finding Gwen, as that's the opposite of what happened in the comic books (similar to Aunt May's death being what inspired him to become the Spider-Man we all know and love). Marvel Studios could make some big changes to Gwen, of course, and ditching Captain Stacy wouldn't be the worst idea.
That's been tackled in two different movies already, but as long as the core of the character remains, more Gwen on the big screen would be welcomed. However, we have one request: give these two a happy ending and don't have their romance end in any sort of tragedy. We can't take that again...