10 Best Moments From Spider-Man The Animated Series
1. Mary-Jane's 'Death' - Episode "The Return Of Hydro-Man Part Two”, Season 5
A show so cruel, they did it to us twice. Some may have expected a different entry to be at the top of this list, but with the emotional context and maturity in the writing for this scene, there could be no other choice.
It's the well-developed relationship between MJ and Peter, and what it leads up to that gives this moment gravity, along with the double twist of both revealing that this is not the real Mary Jane Watson and her impending fate. Once again the writers, directors, and performers need to be given immense credit for this.
It's an admirable demonstration of the closest thing this show got to showing an on-screen death. Barnes and Sara Ballantine (voicing MJ) deliver some tear-jerking performances here: the panic and heartbreak in Peter's voice and MJ's calm acceptance of her fate.
Her final words to Peter, accompanied by the couples theme music, are what get the waterworks truly going though: "If any part of me is anything like the real Mary Jane Watson, she loves Peter Parker more than anything in the world. More. Than. Anything."
Mary Jane and Peter Parker are one of the most legendary couples in comics, and this scene takes that knowledge, subverts expectations and delivers the most emotional moment in the show's run.