Singer-Actress Zendaya cast in MCU Spider-Man film

[Dangerous]

Until someone follows up on that one-shot they made to shut up angry fans, Guy Pearce is still the one and only MCU Mandarin.

The one shot clarified A REAL Mandarin is out there, Killian said 'I am the Mandarin' in a FIGURATIVE way.

[Carabas]

The one shot clarified A REAL Mandarin is out there, Killian said 'I am the Mandarin' in a FIGURATIVE way.

Rumour and hearsay until such time such a character makes an onscreen appearance. Which is not going to be anytime soon. Or ever.

[Kevinroc]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This feels like Marvel trying to have their cake and eat it too. They have an "MJ," the nickname of the most famous Spider-Man love interest, but she is distinctly not "Mary Jane," so they can claim they didn't cast a person of color as "Mary Jane."

[Mister Mets]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This feels like Marvel trying to have their cake and eat it too. They have an "MJ," the nickname of the most famous Spider-Man love interest, but she is distinctly not "Mary Jane," so they can claim they didn't cast a person of color as "Mary Jane."

Is it in Marvel's best interests to say they didn't cast a black woman as Mary Jane?

[UnknownEntity]

Michelle should be Michelle. Not an "MJ". People are not ignorant. When talking about Spider Man, MJ is synonymous with Mary Jane, foxy redhead. You either cast her as MJ Mary Jane or make her Michelle but not an "MJ".

[Frontier]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This feels like Marvel trying to have their cake and eat it too. They have an "MJ," the nickname of the most famous Spider-Man love interest, but she is distinctly not "Mary Jane," so they can claim they didn't cast a person of color as "Mary Jane."

It's also perfectly in-line with Marvel's often times flippant attitude towards Mary Jane and her role in the mythos...

[Kevinroc]

Is it in Marvel's best interests to say they didn't cast a black woman as Mary Jane?

This is what trips me up. It seems like they might have feared a potential backlash over casting a black woman as Mary Jane. But now they don't have to. Because they technically didn't.

But how powerful would this backlash actually have been if they had said Zendaya was "Mary Jane?"

The backlash to the Mandarin reveal in Iron Man 3 led them to creating a short film discussing a "real Mandarin." (Even if we never end up seeing this "real Mandarin.") It's not impossible to imagine Marvel trying to get a head of such a potential backlash.

It's also perfectly in-line with Marvel's often times flippant attitude towards Mary Jane and her role in the mythos...

Real curious about the PS4 Spider-Man game.

[UnknownEntity]

This is what trips me up. It seems like they might have feared a potential backlash over casting a black woman as Mary Jane. But now they don't have to. Because they technically didn't.

But how powerful would this backlash actually have been if they had said Zendaya was "Mary Jane?"

The backlash to the Mandarin reveal in Iron Man 3 led them to creating a short film discussing a "real Mandarin." (Even if we never end up seeing this "real Mandarin.") It's not impossible to imagine Marvel trying to get a head of such a potential backlash.

Any kind of blackwashing or whitewashing bothers me and Zendaya's case is no different. However if Zendaya was made to appear as close as Mary Jane and act/behave like her in all her party girl extrovert glory, then the race swapping can easily be swept aside due to a great performance. And I believe Zendaya could have pulled off a cool Mary Jane in the vein of Ultimate Spider Man (Bendis).

Either Zendaya is original character Michelle or she is MJ/Mary Jane. Having her be Michelle but also have MJ's initials is a warped thing that gives off the wrong idea and even prevents the actual Mary Jane from making an appearance.

[Dangerous]

Real curious about the PS4 Spider-Man game.

Looks amazing, and as a PS4 owner I'm pumped...
But it looks like it's based on the Dan Slott era and if MJ is in it at all I wouldn't be surprised if it's not anything more than a cameo as Tony Stark's secretary.

[Dangerous]

However if Zendaya was made to appear as close as Mary Jane and act/behave like her in all her party girl extrovert glory, then the race swapping can easily be swept aside due to a great performance.

I'm more of a Mary Jane has gotta be a supermodel looking white girl with red hair kinda guy.
I know it's not a popular opinion these days, but I'm sorry- no non-white girl could ever be Mary Jane Watson.

[Kevinroc]

Looks amazing, and as a PS4 owner I'm pumped...
But it looks like it's based on the Dan Slott era and if MJ is in it at all I wouldn't be surprised if it's not anything more than a cameo as Tony Stark's secretary.

Even Post-OMD, the games have never shied away from Mary Jane as Peter's love interest (with the exception of the tie-in games to the ASM films, which used Gwen.) I'm curious if we'll see Mary Jane or if we'll see Michelle.

(I suppose "neither" is an option. But it does make me curious.)

[UnknownEntity]

I'm more of a Mary Jane has gotta be a supermodel looking white girl with red hair kinda guy.
I know it's not a popular opinion these days, but I'm sorry- no non-white girl could ever be Mary Jane Watson.

I do share the same thoughts but I can make some compromises. Like I said, I do not like any form of whitwashing or blackwashing.

[Dangerous]

I do share the same thoughts but I can make some compromises. Like I said, I do not like any form of whitwashing or blackwashing.

My view is- let's keep characters the same colour they are in the comics an not change them for contrived political reasons.

You want more poc in the film? That's cool with me, just don't change the ethnicities of established characters.

Instead introduce more poc characters from the comics, or create new characters. That way, we're all happy.

[Kurolegacy]

This is what trips me up. It seems like they might have feared a potential backlash over casting a black woman as Mary Jane. But now they don't have to. Because they technically didn't.

But how powerful would this backlash actually have been if they had said Zendaya was "Mary Jane?"

The backlash to the Mandarin reveal in Iron Man 3 led them to creating a short film discussing a "real Mandarin." (Even if we never end up seeing this "real Mandarin.") It's not impossible to imagine Marvel trying to get a head of such a potential backlash.

Honestly, I find the situation to be a lose-lose one. Had they made her Mary Jane, there'd be the obvious backlash from those who dislike that they cast someone who looked nothing like MJ in the role of one of the most iconic characters in the Spider-Man mythos while on the other side of the spectrum for those who don't care about that kind of thing, there's the criticism that the character had absolutely nothing to do with Mary Jane to the point that she may as well have been a different character.

[UnknownEntity]

My view is- let's keep characters the same colour they are in the comics an not change them for contrived political reasons.

You want more poc in the film? That's cool with me, just don't change the ethnicities of established characters.

Instead introduce more poc characters from the comics, or create new characters. That way, we're all happy.

Yeah I share your thoughts as well. Stay loyal to the source material or go in a different direction but don't take Ganke and give him the name Ned Leeds or anything like that. However I am more of a selective "elitist". What I mean by that is that, sure you can make Flash indian but you don't alter Mary Jane or any truly vital important character of that magnitude.