I see a lot of people comparing Ned and MJ from the MCU to other Spider‑Man supporting characters from the TASM and Raimi films, saying they’re basically one‑dimensional and that we know nothing about their lives outside of Peter. And while I get what some of you mean, it’s not really their fault. Ned and MJ from the MCU exist under entirely different circumstances than Mary Jane and Harry from the Raimi films, or Gwen from the TASM movies. Honestly, most MCU supporting casts suffer from this exact problem—not just Ned and MJ. They exist within a larger universe that doesn’t revolve around Spider‑Man.

In the TASM and Raimi movies, the writers only have to juggle four things: the protagonist, the side characters, the villain, and the main plot. In the MCU, they have to juggle six: the protagonist, the side characters, the villain, the story, a guest‑starring MCU character, and any plotline from the larger MCU that can affect the story. Because that’s too much for the runtime of a single movie, something has to be pushed aside or cut so the story can be told without the film becoming bloated.

So the question becomes: do you prioritize giving a side character an arc—which, yes, would be effective and help you connect to them, but wouldn’t impact the larger universe—or do you develop plotlines and characters tied to the MCU’s bigger world that will matter in future movies? The writers pick the latter because, well, it’s the MCU, and they have to keep expanding it and making money.

With Raimi and TASM, the universe revolves around Spider‑Man and his story alone. There were no other movies or characters that needed setup for future non‑Spider‑Man films. The movies had far less to juggle, which meant they could focus on other things—like giving the supporting cast arcs and stories outside of Peter/Spider‑Man. Because the MCU doesn’t have that luxury, Ned and MJ take the consequences of existing in a much larger universe. And by extension, most supporting characters in other MCU movies suffer from the same thing.

What do you know about Pepper’s life outside Tony? What do you know about Peggy’s life outside Steve? What do you know about Shuri and Nakia’s lives outside T’Challa? It’s basically the same issue: the characters exist in a larger universe, so they’re turned into plot devices for the protagonist so the movies can juggle MCU‑wide storylines and develop the main hero.

And before you say, “But Shuri in Black Panther 2”—  

1. Her story was still tied to T’Challa’s death, not a struggle outside of him.  

2. Had the late Chadwick Boseman not passed away, she would’ve continued serving her supporting role just like in the first movie.

So while I understand the criticism of Ned and MJ, it’s not really fair. They exist under different circumstances than the supporting characters in previous Spider‑Man incarnations. The reason they get more heat than other MCU supporting casts is because there’s a bar for them. You don’t walk into an Iron Man movie with expectations for what an Iron Man supporting cast should be like. Same for Captain America or Thor—they only have one mainstream live‑action incarnation each. But Spider‑Man already had two prior versions, so we do have a bar for what his supporting cast should be. Of course they’re going to be compared to their counterparts from older movies.

To be fair, the MCU movies do a good enough job making you care about Ned and MJ by showing their relationship with Peter and why he’d want to be close to them specifically.

And before you say, “But in the comics”—comics are an entirely different medium with different limitations. You can only make one Spider‑Man movie every few years with a limited runtime, while comic issues can be released monthly and as many as needed to tell whatever story the writers want. That’s something else entirely.

In defense of Ned and MJ not having arcs outside of Peter in the MCU