Spider-Man: Homecoming cast member Zendaya substantially muddied the waters swirling around her rumored role, Mary Jane Watson. Zendaya refused to state definitively whether or not she would play long-time Spider-Man love interest, Mary Jane, in an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, but the character she described sure doesn’t sound like the woman Spider-Man fans have known since the 60s.
"You'll find out. It's funny to watch the guessing game,” Zendaya told THR when asked to confirm or deny the longstanding rumors that she’ll be playing Mary Jane Watson in Homecoming.
It seems safe to say she will indeed be Mary Jane, but her description of the character suggests a vastly different role than in the past. In contrast with the outgoing Mary Jane, Zendaya describes her character as “very dry, awkward, intellectual. And because she’s so smart she just feels like she doesn’t need to talk to people, like ‘My brain is so far ahead of you that you’re just not really on my level.’ So she comes off very weird. But to me, she is very cool because she’s deep. She’s always thinking about something, always reading. I like that.”
Sounds like a different take on Mary Jane so far. And probably a better one. A nerdy Mary Jane and a nerdy Peter Parker makes more sense than the extrovert bombshell who somehow falls for the lab-rat dork. But the bigger change is the possibility that Mary Jane and Spider-Man may not be romantically involved at all. Or, at least for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Asked if her character is romantically involved with Peter Parker, Zendaya said, “No. My character is not romantic.”
It’s either a canny answer — redirecting the question to Mary Jane’s nature and away from her role in the plot — or a sign you might be waiting for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 if you’re hoping to relive, for a third time on-screen, one of the most well-trod romances in comic book history.
- Hilarious from start to finish
- Spider-Man's place in MCU solidified
- Underserved supporting characters
- Tony Stark is an asshole
