One of the most famous romances in comics history is that of Mary Jane Watson, a couple destined for each other since MJ first arrived on the scene to tell Peter Parker that he had "hit the jackpot." Little did Mary Jane know at the time that this iconic claim would become the biggest lie of Peter's life.
In The Amazing Spider-Man #46 by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr., Peter returns home from visiting MJ on a movie set in California. Peter reflects on the misadventures of the previous week, which included him leaving things unresolved with Mary Jane, with who he's become estranged. He then learns that, during his time in California, his weekly lottery numbers were selected for a $30 million jackpot - a payout that went unclaimed, since Peter forgot to buy a ticket due to his attempts at reconciliation.
Spider-Man Lost Millions by Chasing MJ
By missing out on winning the lottery the one week he failed to buy a ticket, Spider-Man once again falls victim to his historically terrible Parker luck. The Parker luck is an often-visited concept in Spider-Man lore, with Peter Parker's bad luck tending to ruin his personal life, while often also giving him the opportunity to save others. Many people close to Peter either die or turn into supervillains in a constant cycle of punishment in his career as Spider-Man. This luck has many times made Peter consider if it's even worth continuing his crime-fighting ways, though he always puts his responsibility over his personal happiness in the end. However, while this money would have changed Peter's life overnight, it's still hilarious that he literally failed to hit the jackpot because he was away trying to win back MJ.
The Parker Luck Keeps Spider-Man and Mary Jane Apart
By seeing his lucky numbers come up on an unclaimed lottery, Peter shows that the Parker luck has an almost supernatural amount of malevolence in store for the Wall-Crawler. It seems that nearly every time Spider-Man is presented with an opportunity for happiness, some absurdly bad luck keeps him from capitalizing on the chance. Nowhere is this more true than with Mary Jane Watson. When MJ entered his life, Peter truly hit the jackpot by meeting the love of his life. Even so, the two can never seem to stay together long enough for this happiness to last. A superhero double life, otherworldly forces and a literal deal with the devil have kept Spider-Man and MJ separate long enough to keep their romance from ever truly being forever in Marvel's main continuity.
Interestingly, there is some suggestion that Peter's luck might be supernatural in nature. When he visited the multiversal council of Spider-Men in Amazing Fantasy #1000, it turned out that the thing they all had in common was suffering - because putting themselves on the line for others could only result in pain, even while it was the right thing to do. With Spider-Man caught up in the Web of Life and Destiny and pre-destined 'canon events' shaping his life, it's possible his luck is real, and meant to keep him on a specific heroic path.
Just as random happenstance caused Peter to miss out on a $30 million payday after beating infinitesimal odds, Spider-Man and Mary Jane have long seemed to be just as doomed as they are perfect for each other, with a string of terrible circumstances keeping the couple apart. No matter how many times Peter Parker beats the odds, the universe always finds a new unlucky way to make him suffer. Between Mary Jane Watson, a radioactive spider and a literal lottery, Spider-Man has 'hit the jackpot' many times in his life, but ultimately only walks away with more reasons to suffer.
