It’ll be some time yet before Marvel circles back to address Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s end-game twist.
In the build-up to release, Zendaya’s character Michelle was the topic of much debate online, when a number of fans believed that the rhetoric being pedaled by Marvel was simply smoke and mirrors to conceal the truth: Michelle was merely a codename for Mary Jane Watson, the long-time love interest and friend to Peter Parker. Turned out Homecoming was playing with our expectations all along, as it was revealed during the movie’s grand finale that Michelle prefers to go by the nickname “MJ”. Wait, what?!
But before we all get carried away, it’s worth keeping in mind that Marvel boss Kevin Feige has gone on record before to state that Homecoming‘s twist is setting up a “very different thing.” Fast forward to now and in the aftermath of SDCC, the studio’s head honcho has reaffirmed this departure from the norm, and warned viewers that it “might be a few years” before the MCU consciously addresses Michelle’s identity.
Word comes by way of IGN, who spoke with Feige over the course of the weekend to discuss Marvel’s slate in 2017 and beyond. The untitled Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 is one such film that is expected to have a bearing on the MCU, as it’ll seemingly help launch the mysterious Phase 4.
That’s a dilemma Kevin Feige tackled head-on, hinting that Peter Parker’s next solo outing will serve as something of a palette cleanser coming off the back of Avengers: Infinity War and its untitled sequel.
After this 22 movie saga after untitled Avengers in May ’19, it does seem like you want to get back to ground level, reassess, and who better to do that with than Peter Parker?
Spider-Man: Homecoming swung into theaters early last month to rave reviews. A sequel is already on the cards (July 5th, 2019), and just before SDCC, writer-director Jon Watts officially entered negotiations to return at the helm. Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Marisa Tomei are among those stars expected to return for Homecoming 2.