Usually known as the wife or girlfriend of Spider-Man, Mary Jane Watson has graced many magazine covers and billboards as a popular fashion model. At one point, however, her likeness became the look for a new superhero – one based on the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch. Even more amazing? It happened in the real world!
Back in the 1980s, Marvel was laying the groundwork for an animated series that would become the popular show Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (now streaming on Disney+). Originally, the creators had planned for Spidey’s friends to be the X-Men’s Iceman and the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch. However, licensing problems made the Torch unavailable, inspiring the show creators to dream up a new superhero…
A Firestar is Born
Originally called “Heatwave,” this new female hero possessed the Human Torch’s ability to fly and manipulate fire. Rather than make her a female version of Johnny Storm, however, legendary Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr. chose to base “Heatwave’s” look on Spider-Man’s love interest Mary Jane Watson. The character, later renamed “Firestar” had Mary Jane’s face and traditional long red hair (which became brighter and curlier when she transformed into her superhero identity). Instead of bringing MJ onto the show, however, Firestar was Angelica Jones, a college student at Empire State University.
Voiced by actress Kathy Garver, Firestar quickly became a fan favorite on the animated series, which had her renting a room at Aunt May’s house, allowing her to go on adventures with May’s nephew, Peter Parker/Spider-Man and fellow boarder Bobby Drake/Iceman. Amusingly, Bobby Drake was designed to resemble Spider-Man’s “frenemy” Flash Thompson. To make the link even more obvious, Flash Thompson was also a character on the show – and played by Iceman voice actor Frank Welker (who later became famous for playing Megatron on Transformers).
Interestingly, the idea of Peter Parker’s friends becoming superheroes later made it into the comics, with Flash Thompson bonding with the Venom symbiote to become Agent Venom. Ultimate Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis even crafted a modernized version of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends by having his Ultimate Peter Parker team up with the Ultimate versions of Iceman and Firestar. Instead of making Ultimate MJ Firestar, however, Bendis chose to give the flame powers to Peter’s other high school classmate Liz Allan.
Firestar Comes to Marvel Comics
The “Spider-Friends” enjoyed a one-shot comic, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, which was basically an adaption of the episode “Triumph of the Green Goblin.” Firestar proved too good a character to remain out-of-continuity, however, and Marvel eventually decided to bring her to the mainstream universe.
Angelica Jones first appeared in-continuity in Uncanny X-Men #193 and later got her own miniseries. This Firestar had a much rougher time than her animated counterpart. Where the original Firestar had her friends to lean on, her comic book version was manipulated by the X-Men’s (then) enemy the White Queen into joining her team the Hellions. Angelica eventually broke free, however, and went on to serve as a member of the New Warriors, the Avengers, and the X-Men.
Unfortunately, Firestar continued to experience regular bouts of bad luck in the comics. She fell in love with fellow New Warrior Marvel Boy (later renamed Justice) and even planned to marry him, but they broke up shortly after becoming engaged. Later, she discovered her microwave powers were giving her cancer, forcing her to take chemotherapy treatments. While her cancer did eventually go into remission, she wrestled with the idea of staying a superhero – especially after learning her microwave powers could render her sterile.
Firestar vs. Mary Jane Watson
Oddly enough, Firestar rarely met Spider-Man in the comics. She bumped into him (apparently for the first time) during a New York blizzard in Web of Spider-Man #75 (and just missed a potential team-up with Iceman). Later, the three all teamed up in the story “Amazing Friends” and fought Video-Man and the Beetle (two villains featured in the animated series). In a hilarious twist of meta-fictional proportions, Mary Jane Watson became jealous of Firestar after she saw a news broadcast of Spider-Man and Firestar fighting together. She made Peter sleep on the couch until Spider-Man decided to play matchmaker and set up Firestar and Iceman. After a few weeks, however, the two decided they couldn’t stand each other and broke up.
Firestar later joined the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning as an instructor, which had her working alongside Iceman once again. The two even had another brief team-up with Spider-Man in Amazing X-Men #7 while taking care of an alien baby. In contrast to their easy chemistry and usual lighthearted banter from the animated series, the three were considerably more argumentative in the comics, showing they probably wouldn’t be working together on a regular basis.
Mary Jane also had a much different take on Firestar in the out-of-continuity series Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, which reimagines the entire Spider-Man cast as teenagers. Although initially jealous of Firestar, when Spider-Man starts dating Firestar, MJ becomes very supportive of their relationship. Spider-Man even confides in MJ about his nervousness when Firestar attempts to share her secret identity with him, prompting MJ to reassure Spider-Man that he’ll do the right thing. Spidey ends up breaking up with Firestar after confessing he’s in love with another redheaded girl. Firestar takes this in stride – and later gets hit on by a passing Iceman.
Still, as mixed up as Firestar’s luck has been in the comics, at least she didn’t suffer the (possibly) grim fate of her original animated counterpart. In one of the early scenes of Dan Slott’s dimension-spanning Spider-Verse event, readers follow the murderous Inheritors as they go from alternate universe to alternate universe devouring Spider-Totems.
One of these universes ends up being the world of Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, prompting the Inheritor Morlun to murder Iceman and Firestar, before finally draining Spider-Man of his life force. The scene disturbed many fans of the show (and is hopefully just an alternate version of the cartoon and not the real animated series), but showed how emotionally attached fans have become to Firestar – who’s become far more than just a Mary Jane-inspired version of the Human Torch, but a character in her own right.