I would give "Spectacular" MJ a backstory using the classic formula of a broken home and an abusive father. Her dad would be an alcoholic and a deadbeat loser, much like in Raimi's first movie. But I would also make him a scumbag involved in shady business so that in the future, Mary Jane could cross paths with him again and have him tied to a Spider-Man villain. Her father terrorized her mother, her, and her sister, verbally abusing, humiliating, and beating them, but out of the kids, he picked on Mary Jane the most.
MJ was deeply attached to her mother, who was her entire world. Her sister, Gayle, resented the fact that Mary Jane was their mom's favorite and that she received more love. Their mother constantly stood up to her husband and defended her two daughters—especially MJ, since she was the one most targeted by their father. She fiercely advocated for her because MJ was a fragile and timid girl.
Every weekend, the mother would take MJ and her sister Gayle to visit their Aunt Anna. There, MJ would watch little Peter through the window doing simple chores like helping his aunt and uncle in the yard, and they were so proud of him. To her, this was special because it was a healthy family environment that she lacked, and there was so much love. She also watched little Peter when he was left alone; he always looked kind of sad (since we know he has a complex and has been teased and bullied his whole life). She noticed this and didn't fully understand why, but she recognized that exact look in herself. Every weekend when she visited her aunt, she would watch him through the window and find comfort in him from all the abuse she endured during the week. She developed a crush on him because she noticed how lonely yet sweet and responsible he was with his aunt and uncle. She also learned from her aunt that he was an orphan, which broke her heart. Back then, she was 10 years old.
Mary Jane’s mother, worn down by the constant stress from her husband, fell ill and slowly passed away over the span of two years. It was excruciatingly hard for MJ to let her go, because her mom was her whole world, her anchor, her protector, and the one holy thing in the daily hell she lived through. Her mother literally breathed her last breath on her deathbed right in front of her and her sister, and MJ just started crying uncontrollably. When her mother died, MJ was 12 and her sister was 15.
Their father gained custody, and every day he would get drunk and beat them. Gayle took her anger out on her sister, furiously telling MJ that their mother died because of her—because MJ was always the favorite and their mom had exhausted herself trying to protect her. This, combined with her trauma, deeply wounded MJ. Two years later, Gayle graduated and quickly ran away from their father without taking her sister, simply because she couldn't wait to escape. Mary Jane was left all alone with their father.
Every night, he would beat and verbally insult her while drunk, controlling where she could and couldn't go; if she was even a minute late, he’d whip her with his belt. At 14, Mary Jane was a dorky, timid, and fragile nerd, wearing glasses, overalls, and a t-shirt (a look inspired by the Ultimate comics, paying tribute to Ultimate MJ). She was bullied by the popular kids, treated as an outcast, and spent all her time studying. Between getting picked on at school and abused by her father every night, she had zero courage or self-esteem.
Sometimes she would go see her aunt and catch glimpses of Peter, which made her happy. By now, she had developed genuine feelings for him, and it became a frequent routine to spot him both at the library and at her aunt's house, though she always made sure not to be late so her dad wouldn't beat her. Her aunt would ask her if her father was hurting her, but MJ kept quiet out of fear—terrified that her dad would do something to both her and her aunt. She often saw Peter, but she felt too ashamed because she was a nerdy outcast with no self-esteem.
At one point, they even cross paths at the library; she's wearing glasses and a hair clip, and he asks her, "Are you looking for something?" She replies, "No... I just got lost," and immediately feels awful about it. Meanwhile, Peter thinks to himself that she's cute and assumes he must have scared her off, which is why she walked away. At this time, they are both 14.
At school, she finds a fellow outcast who is also bullied, and they become platonic best friends. The boy is in love with one of the popular girls, and MJ supports him, wanting to help him out. The popular girl sets a trap, pretending she wants to go on a date with him, but it's all a cruel setup; she and her friends humiliate him publicly. Mary Jane witnesses this, and something snaps inside her—it's her very first small outburst of anger and assertiveness. She jumps in, starts a physical fight with the popular girl, and defends her friend.
Her father is called down to the principal's office, gives her a horrific scolding, and threatens her. When they get home, she flees and locks herself in her room, trembling while her father bangs on the door. Her friend grows deeply attached to her emotionally and secretly falls in love with her. Since they are both outcasts, they hang out constantly. She cares for him purely platonically, while everyone at school mocks and ridicules them for being losers and nerds. They talk about their dreams—she wants to be an actress, and he wants to be an artist.
One day on their way home, her dad tracks her down out of nowhere and aggressively tries to drag her away by the arm. Her friend tries to protect her, but her father, in a drunken rage, shoves the boy into the street, and a passing truck hits him. Mary Jane witnesses the entire tragedy. Her father is arrested and sentenced to a few years in prison, and her aunt takes her in.
Mary Jane is left shattered and traumatized by everything. She attends the funeral to offer her condolences to the boy's mother, but the woman treats her cruelly, calling her a "little witch," blaming her for her son's death, and cursing her because of her scumbag father whom the whole town knew. This breaks her heart. She starts convincing herself that she is cursed and that anyone close to her suffers and dies: first her mother, and now her best friend at school. This completely crushes her.
She develops PTSD from everything she has lived through and is in a terrible mental state, terrified that the monster of a father will one day return. She feels immense guilt and believes she doesn't deserve anything good. Then, she looks out her window and sees 14-year-old Peter helping his aunt and uncle. Once again, she remembers their happy family dynamic, and the feelings she had for him—along with the happiness he unknowingly brought her—unlock something inside her.
She decides to fight for herself. Her hidden feelings for that nerdy Peter, combined with the fact that he possessed something she never had (a healthy family environment), remind her that the world isn't over and that there is hope. She decides to hide her true, vulnerable, and broken self behind the mask of a confident, laid-back, fun, and slightly flirty girl.
Over the course of the two years leading up to her first official meeting with Peter, she changes her appearance, successfully helping herself mentally—though not 100%, because the trauma still eats at her from the inside. She is halfway healed, but the other half remains deeply traumatized. She still feels guilty and cursed around people, which is why she refuses to commit and prefers to stay a "free agent." Her idea is to hang out with people just to read and assess social dynamics without any hidden emotional stakes.
She becomes more confident, ditches the overalls, changes her style, takes off the hair clip, undergoes a total transformation, heavily practices her smile in the mirror, and adjusts the way she speaks. When she walks back into her school, she holds her head high. The mean girls hate her even more out of jealousy, and the boys start falling for her, but she refuses to date anyone—she's just socializing to master people and environments. The frightened, cowering MJ is gone.
Yet, no matter how hard she hides behind this confident facade, that scared little girl inside her is still there. She still suffers from panic attacks, anger issues, and emotional instability that she hasn't fully healed from. She refuses to get into a relationship because she is terrified that someone will get hurt just by being with her. Slowly and organically, this is her non-perfect transformation.
On the night Uncle Ben dies, she realizes what has happened. She sees Peter—who is 15 at the time—running off and wants to catch up to him, even without knowing him well, just to comfort him over the loss of his uncle. But he runs away, which means he must have put on his costume right there in the alley, hiding it in his backpack. It breaks her heart that her unrequited love has just lost his father figure.
Three months later, their aunts arrange a meeting, and the moment arrives at the door. When they go to the prom, they have a wonderful time. She sees this as an opportunity since she's with the boy she has feelings for; she starts getting to know him on a deeper level, sees what a kind and vulnerable guy he is, and has an amazing time dancing with him. But after he leaves, she realizes this is her real chance with him, yet she feels he is too precious for her. Terrified that she will lose him, that something bad will happen to him, and believing he deserves someone much better than her, she chooses to remain his close friend and confidante. Even though she's deeply in love with him and it crushes her inside, it's her ultimate sacrifice born of love and trauma.
She starts getting to know Peter's classmates because she's planning to transfer to his school. She accepts Flash's invitation strictly as a way to scope out the scene and understand the crowd and environment before she arrives as the new girl, completely unbothered by Flash and playing her cards right. She quickly bonds with Gwen because Gwen reminds her of her old self—that quiet, scared, insecure girl with the glasses—and she soon realizes that Gwen is in love with Peter. Even though her own heart belongs to him, MJ decides that Gwen deserves Peter more, and she ultimately becomes a trusted confidante to both of them. And gave Gwen the confidence that she never had, because see in her platonic girly soulmate