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For those who don’t know, there was a time when Dr Octavious stole Spider-Man’s body and replaced Peter Parker’s mind with his own. Doing so gave him a new perspective on ethics, but also introduced him to some titillating opportunities. For example, having the chance to have sex with Spider-Man’s wife. So this begs the question, was Mary Jane raped? It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time a villain pretended to be Peter in an attempt to sleep with her. The Chameleon pulled this stunt after capturing Spider-Man and unmasking him. However, Mary Jane knew it wasn’t Peter when they kissed, as she sensed the difference. She also beat the crap out of him with a baseball bat, so I guess sparring was never Chameleon’s strong point.
We can see the situation unfold from Amazing Spider-Man 700. Doc Ock’s mind, now in Peter Parker’s body, wants to be a better Spider-Man. He wants to succeed in every way that Parker failed, and one of those things is getting back his girl. He uses Peter’s memory to give her the perfect opportunity to fall back in love with him. While sitting on the couch together, she remarks how he picked out her favorite movie and made her favorite meal. She can see through his intentions and is wondering if they are beginning to get back together. Now Doc Ock’s mind is gloating, thinking that he will get what has been out of reach for Peter. However, Mary Jane is apparently not one to be quickly seduced.
So would Mary Jane have been raped if he succeeded? It’s a rather awkward question to answer, since Doc Ock’s mind is technically in the body of the man she loves, Peter Parker. In fact, he had seemingly become all that was left of him. (Except for Peter’s mind that remained buried out of sight, which leads to his inevitable return.) To Mary Jane, this is the man she used to be with. The problem, however, is the deception. If she were to sleep with him, it would be because of what she knew about Peter in the past, as well as the present. This means that Doc Ock taking advantage of the situation would be based on her not knowing that he had drastically changed mentally, to the point of being someone different on the inside. Since deception would have been used to effect her decision-making, the answer to the question seems like “yes”. If Doc Ock were to tell her who he really was, despite being in Peter’s body, she may be quick to refuse his advances.
The reason why this topic had been so controversial is because of the way it was presented. Doc Ock’s narration was commenting in a creepy, diabolical way. He had a goal, and saw his conquest as a prize. This was hard to ignore, and drew question marks above the heads of readers. There is a lot to read about in Amazing Spider-Man 700, which is why you should pick it up (Affiliate Link) and read it cover to cover.