Quote Originally Posted by Confuzzled View Post
Raimi Peter and MJ were definitely friends in SM1. Maybe not the closest of friends, but that's the only version other than Ultimate where there was history between them before they dated (not counting Shailene Woodley's erased MJ from The Amazing films).

I don't get the choice for MCU MJ's portrayal. She was acting so deliberately non-MJ that I (and many) first theorised it was a ruse because she was a famous Hannah Montana-esque pop star or supermodel and didn't want people to catch on about her secret identity similar to Peter/Spidey's behavior. I still like that theory so much more than what we got.

This video tries to make a case for the MCU's decision with MJ to middling success, I feel.

Here is what I do not like about Zendaya as MJ. 1: She really is not MJ. If you want someone of color to play Peter’s love interest, there are other fictional options to choose from ( like Glory, Michelle or although I hate to admit it Cindy). I would note my favorite movie Peter love interest was actually a woman of color voicing MJ: Zoe Kravitz in Into The Spider Verse. She got the MJ of the comics down perfectly. 2: I thought naming her MJ was actually a tease ( sort of like Slott’s Jackpot) and unnecessary. 3: The MJ from 616 and most other comics has bite. Something Zendaya ( and for that matter Dunst) lack. I like my MJ standing up to Osborn or taking a bat to Smythe, not a sweetie pie.