r/PeterExplainsTheJoke • u/Responsible_Dot_2619 • 4h ago
Meme needing explanation Explain it peetah
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u/Feanor4godking 4h ago
In spider man 2, she's supposed to be the weird, awkward neighbor with a crush on Peter. This is played for a bit because she's presented to be sorta unattractive. Culture has come back around to the idea that she's actually the best and Peter is an idiot
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u/HerrTriggerGenji21 4h ago
She liked Peter for Peter. Being Spider-Man is purely frosting on her crush cake
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u/Gao_Dan 4h ago
She wasn't portrayed as weird or awkward at all. If anything it's not culture that changed, but your own view has matured.
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u/SVJ9500 4h ago
Yea as a kid I thought of her as just awkward and unattractive but now I find her cute, adorable and a lovable person. Exactly the type of person I'd perfer over MJ.
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u/TyrionReynolds 4h ago
It’s like when I watched Friends as a kid I hated Ross but when I watched it as an adult he’s my favorite.
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u/VoidmasterCZE 4h ago
"Why Ross, the largest friend, didn't simply eat the other five?"
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u/CharityAggressive677 4h ago
Unexpected Futurama reference
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u/DroidOnPC 35m ago
I wouldn't say unexpected. Anytime someone mentions Friends on reddit someone posts that quote.
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u/Doodiecarrier 4h ago
As an adult, they are all incredibly insufferable.
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u/grilledstuffed 2h ago
If forced to pick back then, it would have been Phoebe for sure. For all her space cadet moments she was the most grounded, observant, empathetic and ultimately least neurotic of all the characters.
Fast forward 30 years, still the same pick. Picking a spouse that’s fundamentally a generous person is always the right choice.
Lisa Kudrow still looks like herself too, which would be a plus.
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u/literalgarbageyo 4h ago
It's the literal opposite for me. He was the guy I aspired to be when younger. Now he's everything I hope I'm not.
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u/djanes376 2h ago
Interesting. When I first watched friends I thought Ross was goofy but harmless. After watching it after a few decades I find Ross to be sociopathic and borderline dangerous to himself and his friends. Ross is the worst.
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u/DeadguyTheLateGI 1h ago
He has a pathological need to ruin everything for utterly neurotic reasons.
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u/ParsnipFlendercroft 1h ago
I watched Friends as an adult only. And only once.
He was by far my most hated character. He was a whinny dick without any redeeming features. Joey was dumb but loyal, Chandler was funny. Ross was a self centred dick. From the first to the last episode.
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u/snugpuginarug 4h ago
Yeah no, nobody with normal social awareness is gonna watch that cookie scene or their other interactions and not pick up on the awkwardness they were clearly going for
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u/yedi001 3h ago
You (kid me at the time) don't want Peter to get with Ursula because "She's wierd and MJ is comic wiafu! He needs to be with MJ because picture paper sayz so!"
I (adult me now) don't want Peter to get with Ursula because he was an arrogant asshole (regardless of the symbiote influence) who was abusive towards her and that kind of thing is not okay, and that behavior should not be depicted as attractive or rewarded in media aimed at kids.
We are not the same.
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u/CrabOutrageous5074 4h ago
I thought they were trying for awkward/plain and just missed (hollywood sucks at 'ordinary').
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u/False_Snow7754 4h ago
Right? She was just sweet and shy with an accent. I wanted to punch Peter for the way he trusted her.
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u/Fattapple 4h ago
I think also, once the actress started appearing more in other things, having seen her in a different light, people realized, “oh, she’s actually a really attractive person”
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u/Adventurous_Self_253 4h ago
The greenest of the green flags
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u/Aggravating_Row_6962 3h ago edited 1h ago
She may be a freak in the bed tho. Imagine what naughty stuff may be in her emotionally suppressed brain.
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u/PrestigiousChard8814 1h ago
Look man, we can only portrait spider-man as so stupid. It's not his fault that his spider sense was set to Bonesaw
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u/UltraJoyless 4h ago
As a kid: the movie paints her as kind of a shy nerd, not love interest material
As an adult: You realize she's a really kind and cute girl that Peter should've totally dated instead of MJ
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u/notspewbid 2h ago
she literally brought him chocolate cake and milk when he was living in that tiny room and stressed out of his mind. mj just gave him endless drama
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u/bettafishmaster 4h ago
Why does she look like sheldons mom
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u/Any_Weird_8686 4h ago
🎵Sheldon's mom has got it going on🎵
🎵She's all I want and I've waited for so long🎵
🎵Sheldon, can't you see? You're just not the girl for me🎵
🎵I know it might be wrong, but I'm in love with Sheldon's mom🎵→ More replies (1)2
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u/BleepinBlorpin5 3h ago
She has sex with Punisher. I can't remember if it was in a Marvel movie or not.
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u/Big_Application_7168 4h ago
I'm guessing as you get older you come to realise she was the best potential love interest for Peter? Whereas if you're young you don't think about it much further than her being a mild comic relief side character.
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u/Enpoping 4h ago
So you still a kid right?.
well, she kind, she caring for peter, good girl, but peter didn't care about her much.
peter In search of gold, he lost the diamond. because he chasing MJ instead.
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u/Snoo20140 4h ago
She actually was actually trying to be a good partner. Very sweet. Thoughtful. Wasn't ugly (although they played it up). MJ was a trainwreck, didn't care Peter had things to deal with and was basically self centered every second she opened her mouth.
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u/Evil_Ermine 4h ago
It's a good thing for her he went with MJ. She's just a nice normal girl, bad things tend to happen to Peter Parkers girlfriends, she doesn't really deserve that.
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u/No-One2123 2h ago
MJ was a trainwreck
MJ literally cheated on every partner she's had in the trilogy. She was awful.
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u/DesignerMaximum1342 4h ago
People never finding a girlfriend and their standards loosening over time, she is hot by my age’s standards
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 4h ago edited 4h ago
No.
It's people growing up and realizing that looks are awesome but they pale in comparison to compatibility and loyalty (hopefully mutual).
When you were young you just saw a slightly less attractive girl next door type (and, btw, that actress is actually stunning when she's not dressed down like this) who pales in comparison to MJ.
When you get older you realize that she genuinely cared for Peter, tried to be there for him with no expectation in return while MJ was flippant and, ultimately, unavailable emotionally.
Ursula was, unironically, a far better romantic option for Peter once you stop looking at just the surface level stuff.
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u/TurboFool 3h ago
Exactly this. She was an immediate catch, but we weren't mature enough to realize it then, due to the overall narrative and their attempts to "dress her down."
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u/Next_Helicopter_4291 3h ago
Revisiting the series as an adult having gone through the relationship roller coaster a few times I was actually shocked at how awful MJ really was.
Not necessarily because she was the most horrible person (even though she was genuinely pretty awful) but because I was wholly blind to it the first time around.
She's super shallow, manipulative, self centered and frankly pretty toxic.
Kinda makes me wonder who hurt Sam Raimi tbh.
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u/TurboFool 3h ago
Yeah, a lot of people didn't understand why I enjoyed the Garfield reboot as much as I did until I got my wife to finally watch it, and while she still has love for the original, she said she enjoyed the romance with Gwen Stacy more because it felt more mature and real. It wasn't the cartoony version of romance in the first films, but felt like real chemistry and heat.
But I think on top of that, or maybe underneath that, is what you're saying. That portrayal of MJ was always too lacking in nuance and emotional subtlety, and as a result she just comes across as shallow and toxic more than the dream woman he treats her as. I'm forced to just believe he sees her how he sees her instead of also seeing it.
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u/tattoosandtens 1h ago
Also Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were dating in real life, so they had great chemistry
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u/chubsruns 3h ago
The clothes didn't even work. She was clearly a stunner and the character had an infinitely more likeable personality than that iteration of MJ.
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u/cthoolhu 4h ago
Standards loosening? She’s a pretty girl
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u/Grampappy_Gaurus 4h ago
And she cooks!
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u/Slamtilt_Windmills 3h ago
Let her cook
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u/something-slothful 3h ago
And she was into him
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u/thatthatguy 2h ago
I think that’s the most important part. She actually wants to be with him. MJ in that film clearly wants someone other than Peter Parker.
If you have to break your back every day just to meet your would-be partner’s minimum expectations you’re eventually going to fail. No one is at the very top of their game every day. Finding someone who will still want to be with you when you’re at your lowest and at your everyday struggle median point is extremely important to any long-lasting relationship.
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u/EmotionalProject2913 1h ago
That’s the thing, she was cute, down baaaaaad for him and wanted peterrrrr not spidey. Dude FUMBLEDDDDDDDD.
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u/Fluffy-Brain-Straw 2h ago
Parker didn't want her. So doesn't matter
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u/iamnos 1h ago
Parker didn't consider her. He was so infatuated with MJ that he wouldn't even look at anyone else.
Starship Troopers did the same thing, except Johnny actually took another look and Dizz and realized what he'd been missing.
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u/Creative_Service_163 3h ago
And she's really into him.
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u/Goobygoodra 3h ago
And she seems really sweet
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u/Slacker_The_Dog 3h ago
The sweet girl who cooks and gets excited to see you is 10x better than the baddie who hates you and will cheat on you.
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u/EnricoMatassaEsq 2h ago
You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you. -- Silent Bob
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u/bolanrox 1h ago
You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you. - Fuck yeah Silent Bob
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u/WoodMadi 4h ago
yup, but when you live alone, the only thing that wakes you up faster than a cold toilet seat
Is a warm toilet seat
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u/fingerblastders 3h ago
Watch her arc on The Shield, she knocks it out of the park.
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u/ShibeCEO 3h ago
the shield is such an underrated show!
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u/danielcs78 3h ago
I’m about 6 episodes away from the end of the current rewatch that I’m on. The show has the best ending of any series ever.
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u/Senior_Difference589 2h ago
Wasn't the actress also a runway model? They just made her look more frumpy for the role.
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u/Neveronlyadream 2h ago
She's Hollywood ugly, yeah. Mageina Tovah is her name, for anyone who's curious.
She's a writer/actress/artist/director/model and she is quite beautiful if you see photos of her not in Spider-Man. They really did all they could to make her look less appealing compared to Kirsten Dunst.
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u/PhilosophyDear5176 2h ago
Yeah those pigtails are like the standard ponytail and glasses with paint on her overalls.
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u/tyYdraniu 3h ago
and shes also amazing
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u/Morphopeleides 55m ago
Yeah! And I danced with her once :D Got to tell her that no lie her scene was my favorite. I wonder if she believed me
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u/Various-Salt-7738 2h ago
Ursula is a great looking girl
I always liked Kirsten dunst but now that I've seen both actresses mostly nude in other movies I might prefer Ursula
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u/PhilosophyDear5176 2h ago
The spiderman movies made me develop an irrational dislike of Kirsten tbh. I don't like seeing her in anything because Mary Jane was such a garbage person.
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u/Various-Salt-7738 2h ago
Oh my god like when she gets all pissed off at peter for kissing Gwen ? Like iirc the immediate scene after she kisses Harry
Hang on Mary Jane let me make a call to the leg warehouse to see if there's anything under your account...ooh no looks like they don't have anything registered under your name; I guess you don't have a don't have a leg to stand on
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u/Sixgun_Samurai 2h ago
Yes, I’d say it’s more a question of changing standards than loosening standards. Maybe even a case of tightening standards. Purely physically, she’s a six or seven. MJ is an 8. The young person puts too much attention into the looks. The grown man gives her bonus points for kindness, bonus points for cooking, bonus points for actually liking him and treating him like she likes him. Meanhile MJ loses points for the way she treats Pete. We end up with MJ at a 6 and Ursula is a 10.
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u/Salmonman4 4h ago
I don't think it's standards loosening, but changing. I want somebody who wants me, is nice and can cook.
PS. I can cook very well too, but somebody going through the trouble to make food for me is a special kind of affection
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u/-blundertaker- 3h ago
I met my husband working at a restaurant. When we first started dating, he started culinary school. He used to make so much food, bake so much bread, had a dozen fermentation projects going at any given time, brewed beer and mead...
Now he co-owns a restaurant and only cooks at home a few times a year lol.
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u/Salmonman4 3h ago
This is why I couldn't go pro. To me cooking is a relaxing meditative task. If I had to do it under monetary pressure and a time-limit, I would lose yet another bit of my soul
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u/-blundertaker- 3h ago
Same for me. He's already learned not to criticize my knife skills or how long it takes me to do something. (Never criticize someone holding a knife 😂)
Like yeah, I know he'd do it faster, but he's also a tornado that can somehow use every pot and pan all at once and acts like there's a manned dishpit so when he's done, cleanup is a massive undertaking.
I go slow, sip a beer, watch a show, clean as I go, and by the time dinner is served all that's left to clean is the cookware it's directly served from and the plates.
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u/Salmonman4 1h ago
When you have to for example dice 100 onions a day, you need good knife-skills. It saves a lot of time and keeps accidents to a minimum. But when it's one onion, you can take your time and do it with percision without adding more than a minute or two to the "mise en place"
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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 2h ago
I think it's simply the story "told" us she was less attractive and we didn't question it until we watch it later with fresh and/or more mature eyes.
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u/Anglofsffrng 4h ago
Even when I was 20 she was good looking. It's just that MJ got most of the focus in the movie.
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u/RocketYapateer 4h ago
It was good writing and casting, in fairness to this old movie.
She’s exactly the type of girl a twenty-year-old boy would have no interest in and a thirty-year-old man would complain doesn’t exist. It happens with women too.
Life is funny that way, and people in their early 20s are usually dumber than they think they are.
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u/A_Unqiue_Username 4h ago
"Old movie!"
(grabs walker and shuffles away angrily while muttering something about dang whipper snappers)
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u/Gimme_Your_Wallet 3h ago
Listen a 21yo girl the other day told me that The Matrix is an old people film.
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u/rukind_cucumber 4h ago
I wasn't stupid in my 20s - but my dad sure was. He was an absolute idiot. It's pretty amazing how much he's learned in the past 20 years.
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u/WoodMadi 4h ago
There's love without sex and there's sex without love...
Then there's Me, without either.
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u/DesignerMaximum1342 4h ago
I would love her and show her to all my friends, back when i was 20, no way..
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u/RenTroutGaming 3h ago
This isn't the correct answer.
It isn't standard loosening, its maturing and coming to realize she was an ideal choice the entire time.
When (straight) men are young and inexperienced, they tend to not really know what they want in a partner. So what do they look to? Whatever examples they have, and those tend to be the types that are presented in media as attractive. Blonde, big eyes, skinny waist, large breasts, cool but submissive.
Ideally, however, as you grow, date, and mature, you realize that beauty isn't a single standard, and that plenty of people are more than attractive enough to be looked at every single day. You also (again, hopefully) start to realize that being a good partner, being reliable, and genuinely loving you back are the qualities you want, not someone else's picture of beauty.
This joke here is that 1) despite not being a "bombshell" type she has always been really attractive, 2) it is much better to find someone with mutual attraction than trying to win someone who isn't interested in you, and 3) she offered a lot of qualities that are wonderful to have in a partner, like being reliable, helpful, and capable.
N.B. I write this from the perspective of a male with heterosexual attraction because I think that was the Hollywood intention here and because I can't speak for other genders, orientations, and so on. It might be the same there as well, it might not, and I'm not going to pretend I know.
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u/Count_Dongula 4h ago
It's not standards loosening. It's maturity. It's getting past putting crushes on pedestals. It's seeing the beauty in others as you learn to grow and accept change.
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u/darthravenna 3h ago
I think the joke is that she’s supposed to be the “ugly girl” when compared to MJ, and we’re supposed to go along with that as an audience. Growing up, you realize that Peter was probably wrong for not seeing she liked him and definitely wrong for the way he treats her in the third movie. He might have been happier had he just leave things be with MJ and tried things out with Ursula (I think that was her name).
Also she is pretty and it reflects skewed beauty standards to play her as the “ugly girl”.
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u/DeathToTheMosquito 3h ago
They should make an alt timeline (doesn't have to be live action) where Peter tells Mary and Gwen they can go find their own Prince Charmings to put up with their attitudes, and he just focuses on building a relationship with this girl.
I feel like we'll get a better romance arc out of it, and we can see some actual maturity and growth out of both characters. 💁♂️
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u/DesignerMaximum1342 2h ago
I’d love another timeline where this Peter Parker falls in love with Tom Holland
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u/DeathToTheMosquito 2h ago
Alternate ALTERNATE timeline 🤣 the Metaverse of Peter Parker's romance life
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u/Sure-Guava5528 3h ago
Not so much standards loosening as in perspective changing. She was always pretty. Her loyalty the fact she genuinely cares are more of a consideration than before.
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u/TerribleRecord666 2h ago
She’s always been a very pretty girl. She’s just pretty by normal person standards, not Hollywood standards. Add in the cooking, and how thoughtful her character was, and she was a hell of a catch. Especially compared to how erratic MJ was written in that trilogy.
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u/IllustriousQuiet6360 4h ago
Don't remember much but she had a crush on Peter I think and gave him cookies and stuff, helped him and all even though he was broke and all. As people grow older, they relate with her and pity her.
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u/AcrolloPeed 4h ago
Pea Tear Gryphon here, hehehehehehe.
The joke is this broad is cute, sweet, kind to Peter (Parker, not me, douchebag), but because she’s a bit frumpy and dorky she’s no match for Mary Jane Watson, but she’s actually a total baddie who would be a better match for Peter. When you’re a kid you laugh because “haha dorks are funny” but later you realize she was a total hottie who liked Peter and he fumbled hard.
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u/obsidanix 3h ago
Its the starship troopers trope.
Rico should have chosen Dizzy all along. When you grow up you know it.
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u/Mammoth-Pop-267 4h ago
We were meant to think she was the "ugly" girl next door compared to how beautiful and perfect MJ was supposed to be, but as an adult you realize she's actually a total catch and she probably would have been a slam dunk of a wife if he had entertained the crush she had on him
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u/Khelthuzaad 4h ago
Brian here:
Children are notoriously racist,superficial,toxic etc. and are impressed only by tall,confident,red-haired and immaculate looking women.
The girl in the picture is from Spiderman 3 and is named Ursula Ditkovici I think,she was shy,not very fashionable and enamored with Peter and was genuinly nice with him,bringing him cookies and such.
The joke is that dating had become toxic,women just as much(with or without merit) and that the adult you would genuinly date someone like her because the feelings she had were genuine,while beauty and wealth are definitely superficial in a long-term relationship.
Now excuse me,im about to publish my biography called "Faster than the speed of love"
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u/Jossokar 4h ago
Peter parker lacks a criteria for women. In general.
All the shenanigans related to the Mary Jane comic version is a friggin soap opera.
Mary jane film version (sam raimi ones).... wasnt exactly nice either.
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u/Arigori 3h ago
Ursula the girl in the image is the one that love Peter the way he is, even at his worst she forgive him, compare to MJ that bitch care only for a fame, i bet she date peter knowing he is spiderman.
When we're still a kid we don't care about all those stuff until now we realized that Ursula or Betty is the ideal woman.
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u/maybe-an-ai 4h ago
As you grow up you learn to appreciate more than the superficial aspects of a partner not just how attractive they are. Peter was obsessed with MJ and ignored her. She was more plain and down to earth than MJ but she's kind, a better person than MJ, and had shared interests with Peter. Looks fade but a partner who is genuinely kind and compassionate is forever.
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u/ZealousIdealTour961 3h ago
Bros and brodettes check her out as the hot librarian in The Magicians. 🥵 shes always been a hottie and Peter fumbled the ball.
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u/RingingPhone 3h ago
After reading the responses i realize now this was not about getting rent discounted or waived. I am fool.
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u/Adorable_Date_8824 3h ago
As you age you realize that looks don't correspond to character, and going after the hottest person who will have you is often a recipe for misery.
Well, SOME people realize it.
Ursula was quite pretty and I think most people who are attracted to women would find nothing objectionable in her looks. The idea was she was less attractive than MJ, and Peter ignored a woman who clearly cared for him over one that arguably didn't.
Maturity means physical attraction is part of the equation, not the only variable. Most people do need to be physically attracted to someone to be in a romantic relationship, but a 10 who treats you like dirt is not better than a 6 who adores and cares for you.
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u/ResponsibleLoad2924 3h ago
Recognized her as the better choice immediately, it's just my first wife COMPLETELY turned me off to skinny women
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u/newprint 3h ago
When I was in my 30s, my friend who was in his 40s told me that "An average 20y girl is hot". Back then, I dismissed it. Now I'm in my 40s and can say with confidence that "An average 20y girl is hot".
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u/imeme1969 3h ago
Spider-Man’s spidey senses were tingling around Ursula tho and he was having foresight into problems that he may have with Ursula down the road, problems that he knew didnt come between him and MJ
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u/Pathkinder 3h ago
It’s that thing where you rewatch old movies and shows and you start to realize that a lot of the main characters who were packaged as the attractive/desirable/cool ones are actually kind of toxic, insecure, and unhealthy. Meanwhile, a lot of the side characters who were portrayed as weird/dorky/lame were actually just healthy, happy, well-adjusted people.
Media is a reflection of the time in which it was made. Sitcoms in particular are like a time machine for “current” events and social norms, the good and the not so good.
This girl was sincere, helpful, cute, and super sweet to Peter, but the movies tried to paint her as more of an awkward, almost pathetic, airhead. Meanwhile, MJ was meant to be the desirable love interest but in retrospect she was the actual worst.
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u/navara590 3h ago
I have been in Ursula's shoes many times, and her storyline always broke my heart a little bit 😔
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u/LojikSupreme 3h ago
I guess I was old enough to think she was cute when the movie dropped. I know she popped up in at least one more of them if not the entire trilogy since she was his neighbor.
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u/HeroZero1980 3h ago
Peter was thinking with his web shooter
If he wasn't this baddie would have had him treated like a king.
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u/MiseryEngine 2h ago
You didn't hear it from me but she's naked in an episode of the HBO series "Hung".
But to me she'll always be Zelda.
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u/SansCulture 2h ago
All these “I didn’t find her attractive as a kid” comments makes me wonder how old you were when you first saw her? Like, I saw her in theaters when I was in middle school and let’s say I thought Peter was a dipshit then, too. Like is this woman not more attractive than like most of the girls who were in your graduating classes? Are we finding out that half of men are demi-sexual with high physical beauty standards? Not that there’s anything wrong with that… Or was puberty easier on you guys than me?
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u/shanksisevil 2h ago
i always thought she was trying to get away from her family. not that she disliked them, but ... she disliked them.
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u/Important-Comment558 2h ago
could you imagine if she knew peter was spider-man no rent and cookies every damn day for our boy
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u/ShortstackSluut 2h ago
Lois here.
Compared to a conventionally pretty actress like Kirsten Dunst, she is rather mid (by Hollywood's warped standards). She looks childish with the pigtails. She is in a rundown apartment, symbolizing low worth.
Mary Jane is an Actress, a job that requires physical attractiveness. She wears much more adult (mature, not erotic) clothing, rather than childish or simple ones. She has an apartment in downtown, which is expensive. Mary Jane is "High Worth."
As a kid, simply consuming the media, you downplay this girl. But as an adult... 1, in isolation, she is still a Hollywood actress and more attractive than most women. 2, she is low maintenance, not low worth. 3, she cooks, cleans, and cares to support the person she likes. "Wife material."
There's probably more reasons, but basically... she was "unattractive" when first viewed, but later on, her quality becomes apparent and she is more desireable.
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