The whole internet seems to think Zendaya is the next M.J. but the evidence doesn’t add up.
[dropcap size=small]F[/dropcap]irst off let me start off by once again reiterating that this is nothing more than a rumor and that Mary Jane Watson might have been cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Neither Marvel or Sony has publicly announced they have officially selected an actress to play the role of Mary Jane. So, with that being said, let’s dive into not just who might be portraying Mary Jane Watson, but also why it wouldn’t make sense for Zendaya to be cast as M.J. so soon.
For starters, we should look at the comics and what Marvel/Sony has dedicated themselves to doing for fans of Manhattan’s web-slinging superhero. Marvel has been putting a lot of work into making sure that Spidey fits into the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also being sure that Spider-Man: Homecoming follows the events that take place in the comics. If this is true, and it surely seems to be, this means Mary Jane Watson shouldn’t be introduced so early in Spider-Man’s timeline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Peter Parker meets Gwen Stacy well before he meets Mary Jane and it definitely looks like Marvel isn’t going to make the same mistake as they did with the very first Spider-Man film starring Toby Maguire.
Now that we have pointed out why it doesn’t make sense for Mary Jane to appear so soon, let’s take a look at why this casting rumor should be taken with a grain of salt. According to the Wrap, the website received news that Zendaya had been cast as Mary Jane in Spider-Man: Homecoming by “two individuals with knowledge of the project”. Obviously, the Wrap can’t reveal the identities of these two individuals because they would be terminated immediately from whatever position they hold at Sony/Marvel, but it doesn’t give anyone complete certainty that what they are saying is true. If Mary Jane had been cast, Marvel or Sony surely would have made the announcement well before anyone else.
Of course, it is possible that the Wrap is correct and the news was leaked before Marvel/Sony had originally intended. These days the leaking of information regarding nearly everything, especially the roles/casting of characters in many different films, happens more often than it should.
However, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn spoke out about the Mary Jane casting in a post on his Facebook page in order to address not only the casting of Mary Jane but also the horrible amount of racially-driven criticism involving the possible casting choice.
“Yesterday, a rumor broke out that the character of Mary Jane was being played by a young black woman, Zendaya, and all hell broke out on the Internet (again). I tweeted that if people find themselves complaining about Mary Jane’s ethnicity they have lives that are too good. (For those of you who think this means I’m confirming that Zendaya IS playing MJ, realize that although I’ve read the Spidey script, and I’ve met the actress in question, I have no idea what her role is. There’s a good chance someone told me at one time or another, but, if so, I can’t remember. I’m going to find out when I go into Marvel this afternoon, but I feel free to speak until that time because it’s about the concept about a black woman playing Mary Jane, not the actuality or hypothesis of it.)”
There is a fine line between news and rumors these days and more often than not a rumor can spread so quickly that it seems almost certain that it is the truth, which is why it is important to address every rumor with caution. As of right now, it seems that just who will be playing Mary Jane is unknown and we will no doubt have to wait until Sony/Marvel make an official announcement to know for certain.
Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters July 7th, 2017.
