Spider-Man: Homecoming has already been filming for quite some time now, and with all the cast additions it has had its hard to remember a time when Tom Holland was the only person confirmed to star in this movie. That was of course until it was announced in March that Disney Channel star Zendaya would be joining the movie as a character named "Michelle". Despite director Jon Watts seemingly confirmed that this would be the name of Zendaya's character at Comic-Con, many still remain suspicious of the character's true identity. Well it seems the skeptics may have been on to something, because apparently the actress is playing someone much more iconic.
According to The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez, Zendaya will actually be playing Peter Parker's famous love interest Mary Jane Watson in the upcoming film. According to the site, several sources close to the film have stated that Zendaya is Mary Jane but the studio was hoping to keep that secret as a surprise for audiences. I guess its too late for that. This wouldn't be the first time a director uses a different name to keep an iconic character's identity hidden until the movie hits theaters, as its been a tactic used several time by Christopher Nolan such as with Talia al Ghul.
The decision to cast Zendaya as Mary Jane has of course already caused uproar amongst the internet, with many siting the actresses race and appearance as a reason for their frustration. Zendaya would be the first black actress to ever play the role, and while she doesn't have the traditional red hair the character sports in the comics she may die it at some point in time. Regardless her appearance shouldn't be an issue especially considering the fact that Zendaya is actually a model just like MJ in the comics. We've also known for some time that director Jon Watts wanted to go with a diverse cast of characters to give an accurate representation of a school in Queens, so not having Mary Jane be white makes sense in that regard.
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| Fan-art of Zendaya as Mary Jane by BossLogic |
As I stated above, although Zendaya may be the first black actress to play the role of MJ she isn't the first. Many fans will remember Kirsten Dunst portrayal of the iconic character opposite Tobey Maguire in the original films, which had a mixed response from fans since she was more of a damsel in distress type then her traditional comic book counterpart. The character was also to be played by Shailene Woodley (Divergent) in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but her scenes were ultimately cut from the film. Zendaya will definitely be bringing us a unique and creative take on the character that hopefully is closer to the more independent MJ of recent comics.
So how do you feel about Mary Jane being played by Zendaya? Does it matter to you that she doesn't look the same as the character in the comics? Let us know below!
