Culture

Mary Jane Furiously Defending Peter Parker Has Become The Internet’s New Favourite Meme

Tobey Maguire's 'Spider-Man' is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

by Michelle Rennex  8 September 2021
Mary Jane Defending Peter Parker He Said Spiderman Meme

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There’s been a lot of Spider-Man talk in recent weeks with the long-anticipated trailer for No Way Home finally dropping last month.

But even though we’re currently waiting for the next installment of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, the latest Spider-Man meme is here thanks to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.

Much like the ‘Green Goblin’s Fat Ass’ meme that emerged from the original Spider-Man last year, the ‘Mary Jane defending Peter Parker’ meme is simple. You just pair a screenshot of Kirsten Dunst’s angry Mary Jane defending Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, along with a caption that says “HE SAID/SHE SAID”.

The shot itself comes from the scene in 2002’s Spider-Man, where MJ and Peter run into each other as MJ is leaving work. The exact “he said” moment is actually when MJ yells back at her boss, Enrique, who shouts that she counted the change at the diner incorrectly before finishing her shift.

“Yes, Enrique. OK, I get you,” she shouts while trying to hide the fact she works at a diner from Peter.

But of course, the meme itself has nothing to do with incorrect money counting. Instead, it’s been used to show MJ standing up for Peter in a number of situations and as a way to correct people who get things wrong about him.

In fact, the first ‘Mary Jane Defending Peter Parker’ meme that was posted on August 26 by @lillieswamp focused on the classic “He Asked For No Pickles” joke people make about women speaking up for their partners who can’t do it for themselves.

Since then, similar jokes revolving around MJ defending Peter’s actions and decisions have popped up all over the internet — from his career choices to his pronouns to his sexuality.

But over the last week, the meme has evolved even more as people have begun to Photoshop other characters over Peter Parker to have MJ stand up for them, too.

So here are all the best ‘Mary Jane defending Peter Parker’ memes to help you pass the time until Spider-Man: No Way Home finally comes out:

You can catch Spider-Man: No Way Home in cinemas on Boxing Day.