In the past several years, Gwen Stacy has become an iconic Marvel hero in her own right, but for decades, she was best known as Stan Lee, once put it, MJ became the love of Peter Parker's life because the character was simply irresistible.

In the lead up to Peter Parker and Mary Jane's wedding in 1987's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 – written by Jim Shooter and David Michiline, with art by Paul Eyan – Stan Lee wrote in an editorial column about the creative decision-making behind the romantic subplot of the longrunning series.

Lee explained that Mary Jane was never intended to be more than a minor character in Spider-Man lore, but that she asserted herself to "star" status – and with the dramatic death of Gwen Stacy, that status became permanent.

Stan Lee On How Mary Jane Watson Became Essential To Marvel's Spider-Man Franchise

Lee On MJ's "Star Quality"

This late '80s Stan Lee column is a fascinating insight into Marvel Comics of yesteryear; Lee writes in his patented patois, asg idiosyncratic nicknames to his collaborators – here, legendary artist John Romita Sr. becomes "Jazzy Johnny," while elsewhere in the column, groundbreaking Marvel writer and editor Jim Shooter is rendered as "Shorty Shooter" – while using a rush of descriptive language to explain what makes Mary Jane Watson (soon to be Parker at the time of publication) such a memorable character.

According to Lee, Mary Jane was always meant to be a brief distraction from Peter's true love, Gwen Stacy, but MJ soon proved to be the more exciting character. He wrote:

Years ago, John Romita and I used to marvel (no pun intended) at the way Mary Jane seemed to be calling all the shots. You long-time Spideyphiles may when Petey was in love with Gwen Stacy. That's the way Jazzy Johnny and I planned it. MJ was just an incidental character, a gal we threw into the series to have some fun with.

That's when the spooky stuff started.

No matter what we did, we couldn't give poor Gwendolyn as much personality as MJ. We couldn't make her as appealing or as exciting as that zingy, zany, curvy, crimson-haired, fascinating female dish of dazzling dynamite who had a personality and a charisma that just wouldn't quit.

Being stubborn yahoos, Jazzy Johnny and I kept trying to push MJ into the background, to make her settle into the role of second banana which we had planned for her. But no way! This gorgeous hunk of femininity whom we had created (or so we thought) had the kind of star quality that just couldn't be snuffed out. So we stopped trying.

Lee's hyperbolic language is fascinating in its own right, but for hardcore Spider-Man fans, the focus here will certainly be on the context it provides for the history of Peter Parker's romantic life. It is also a wonderful, if quirky, insight into the behind-the-scenes creative process at Marvel Comics, which highlights how great characters often exceed their creators' expectations.

"The Spooky Stuff": How Mary Jane Watson Came To Life On The Page & How The Led To Gwen Stacy's Death

Creative Plans Change; Spider-Man Lore Could Have Been Very Different

Stan Lee amusingly refers to "the spooky stuff" in his description of how Mary Jane "asserted herself" to a more important role in the franchise, but what he is really talking about is the organic element of storytelling. Good stories can be elaborately constructed, but great stories grow into themselves – and great creators allow them to, adapting their plans and preferences as the story dictates it. This is especially true with long-form serial storytelling, a medium that Stan Lee was integral to shaping the modern understanding of.

The decision to kill off Gwen Stacy, in arguably the most dramatic moment in Spider-Man history, was only enabled by the creative team's recognition that Mary Jane was too vital a character not to focus more attention on.

Gwen Stacy was meant to be the love of Peter Parker's life – but Mary Jane proved to be such a dynamic character that she complicated this plan. Consequently, "poor Gwendolyn," as Stan Lee calls her, became expendable. While Lee doesn't state this outright, it can be inferred that the decision to kill off Gwen Stacy, in arguably the most dramatic moment in Spider-Man history, was only enabled by the creative team's recognition that Mary Jane was too vital a character not to focus more attention on.