When it was first announced that actress/singer Zendaya had joined the cast of Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, reports indicated that she’d be playing someone named “Michelle.” Many assumed this must be a minor love interest of Peter Parker’s from the comics, Michelle Gonzales, but apparently the young star is actually going to be a new incarnation of a much more prominent character: Mary ‘MJ’ Watson.
The news comes via The Wrap, who reckon they’ve managed to confirm this through a couple of well placed sources – but, we should keep in mind that there’s still nothing official from the studios.
Mary Jane is by far the most iconic female character in Spider-Man lore, so it does make sense that they’d want to feature a new interpretation of her in this latest reboot. Kirsten Dunst played MJ in Sam Raimi’s original trilogy, and Shailene Woodley almost got the chance in Marc Webb’s Amazing Spider-Man flicks before her scenes were cut.
So, will Zendaya end up playing Peter’s most prominent love interest? Time will tell. For now, though, we know that Spider-Man: Homecoming also stars Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr. and the recently announced Michael Chernus. The movie is set to swing into theaters on July 7, 2017.
