The Marvel Cinematic Universe is designed with the potential to deliver a constant stream of crossovers and team-ups, both of the inevitable and unexpected variety. That being said, not every actor to sign a multi-picture contract with Kevin Feige’s outfit is obligated to show up outside of their own franchise, with Spider-Man stalwart Zendaya indicating that her days may be numbered as part of the shared mythology.
The actress was just on the cusp of breaking out as a major star when Homecoming first hit theaters in the summer of 2017, and it would be an understatement of epic proportions to say that her popularity has exploded since then. She’s now viewed as one of the fastest-rising young talents in the business with an Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actress under her belt thanks to a knockout performance in Euphoria, while she also gained strong notices for Netflix drama Malcolm & Marie. Sci-fi blockbuster Dune will be coming in October, a matter of weeks before Spider-Man: No Way Home swings onto the big screen.
Tom Holland’s contract expires after his third solo outing hits theaters in December, although he’s admitted he’ll stick around for as long as Marvel will have him. That presumably means that both Zendaya and Jacob Batalon’s deals are also set to run out, and in a new interview the actress commented on her long term future as part of the Marvel machine.
“We were all just absorbing and taking the time to just enjoy the moment, being with each other and being so grateful for that experience. It’s pretty special to have grown up all together. Is it just gonna be three and done? Like, kind of normally you do three movies and that’s pretty much it.”
Holland is almost certainly remaining on board as Peter Parker for at least a good few years yet, but Zendaya’s MJ is an entirely different question. As her star continues to rise, the 24-year-old might be increasingly reluctant to commit to a recurring role in the MCU at the expense of other opportunities, but it’ll be a while before we find out for sure.
Published: Jul 10, 2021 04:23 pm