Spider-Man: No Way Home almost made a significant change to one of its main characters, as Marvel nearly turned MJ into a superhero, actor Zendaya reveals.
When asked about whether it was true the No Way Home producers wanted to turn her character into a superhero in an interview with OK Na Svyazi, Peter Parker/Spider-Man actor Tom Holland recalled, "They were trying for a while though, do you remember that?" Zendaya agreed, though emphasized the fact that she's satisfied with MJ as she is. "I leave the superhero-ing to this one," Zendaya said. "I'm actually really happy with MJ, and the character that she is and that she plays."
Zendaya elaborated on why she'd prefer not to let superpowers disrupt the "beautiful friendship" director Jon Watts created between MJ, Peter and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon). "I think what's really special about what [Watts] does, I think also with Ned and MJ and Peter, is create this beautiful friendship and this love between them, and this beautiful love story that's there," she said.
As such, the actor went on to explain why she believes MJ works best when part of a team. "Spider-Man saves the world, but he needs help, y'know?" Zendaya said. "He cannot do it on his own, at the end of the day he's just a young person trying to figure it out, that's where Ned and MJ come in and they try to help him figure it out. They're all very smart kids, let's not forget. They put their brains together, and they're there for each other, and they support each other, so I'm totally fine with being part of a team."
The version of MJ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is much different than the original version of Peter's love interest in the comics. The most notable, as it was revealed in No Way Home, was that Zendaya's character's name stood for "Michelle Jones" instead of "Mary Jane."
Throughout Marvel Comics, versions of Mary Jane Watson have held a number of superhero alter-egos, including Spinneret, Red Sonja and Spider-Woman. In the 2015 comic book series Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, an alternate universe is introduced where Peter and MJ, aka. Spinneret, are a happily married crime-fighting couple with a super-powered daughter named Annie. However, it is unlikely that Zendaya's MJ will appear as a superhero in the MCU any time soon.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing in theaters now.
Source: YouTube