Homecoming The Zendaya is Mary Jane thread - Part 1

[PeterBenParker]

Got to give this a big thumbs up

Thank you!

 

[Techno Bacon]

I'll admit, it is looking more and more likely but I'm not fully convinced that she is MJ just yet.

 

[LoganGambit87]

i hope i will like her but kinda annoyed it seems like she wont even have MJ's personality

might aswell go with a different character if looks and personality dont match MJ

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

If Mary Jane is supposed to be more like Kirsten Dunst's version then no thanks.

I'll take emo artsy MJ...or whatever it is.

Maybe the relationship dynamic will have more to offer than the beauty and the geek trope.

 

[Mad Ones]

Maybe the relationship dynamic will have more to offer than the beauty and the geek trope.

Bingo.

 

[PeterBenParker]

Mary Jane Watson. Anna Watson's niece. The sort of girl I pictured as, "She has very nice friends" and "She makes homemade soup" and "She can knit."

Spoiler

Now, I don't want you to think I brought Mary Jane to show her off or...well, whatever you might have thought.

It was more like...an obligation, okay? Because she was my Aunt May's best friend's niece. I mean, it was the least I could do, right?

Spoiler

Adding this here, too.

 

[Kurenai]

A new thread means more pictures.

 

[X Knight]

A new thread means more pictures.

see, this is MJ.

I'm not saying MJ has to dress like that ( obviously not ) but her look and vibe here screams MJ.

you wanna talk about alpha female playfulness, that's it right there. that's not "super dry and awkward."

clearly, Zendaya can pull that off.

which begs the question, why can't she look like this in the film ( look wise, not outfit wise )?

why can't this be her natural look? why can't this be her natural playful, sassy, outgoing personality?

that is what MJ is supposed to be, at least classic party girl MJ. whether or not it's a facade is a different question. but that's how MJ should look and act.

If Zendaya looked like that in the set pics, and the description of her character was more in line with the playful, sassy, party girl MJ, I'd be more confident about the casting choice and less bothered by the whole race change.

why do they have to go to the total opposite extreme ( plain, frumpy, awkward, bookish, all buttoned up and unfashionable looking )?

why do we have to wait till the end to start seeing the "real" MJ?

it's an unneeded story arc for the character when another arc would be better suited without totally changing the character's personality and look. I'd rather they explore the facade angle of her party image and show that she's more than a superficial beauty and that she, like Peter, is wearing a mask to hide/protect herself.

I'd rather they explore that instead of the ugly duckling wallflower transforming into a stunning beauty, which doesn't really fit the character and is actually quite cliche.

SSM Gwen went through that transformation arc, even though she was never really plain looking to begin with. but this isn't Gwen. this is supposed to be MJ!! Why transpose SSM Gwen's story arc onto a different character?

that's what is so mind boggling to me.

they cast an actress who can pull of the MJ look and attitude ( race aside ) but they totally downplay her beauty and go for a portrayal that is totally opposite to what the character should be ( and for the sake of what? a shocking big twist and reveal at the end?? )?

just like what they are doing with the rest of the HS cast it seems.

 

[JOE]

Nailed it! ^

 

[Kurenai]

These gifs and the gifs before are from a bathing suit photoshoot.

Anyway, I get where people are coming from with the looks, Zendaya already exudes certain qualities that MJ has so why cover it up in frumpyness, in a sense.

And yet, I still think people are only talking about 616!MJ in regards to how Zendaya's on set pics look and not Ult!MJ or SLM.

Now some of y'all claim that Ult!MJ was fashionable and so was SLM!MJ, but I don't see it.

Ult!MJ didn't start to look fashionable to me until Peter died in that universe, Ult!MJ clothes looked typical and kid-ish, same with SLM!MJ, nothing fashionable, very generic.

So, yeah Zendaya's on set appearance may be frumpy looking, and she has bed hair, but the general style is not any better than Ult or SLM, which is the 2 versions Jon's main inspiration is coming from.

Also, in the 616 didn't MJ move from a district, city or a state to live with her Aunt, who's to say MJ didn't want to go to a new school having people judge her being in a magnet school based off her looks. Maybe the idea of people assuming she's dumb and she doesn't belong in a competitive academic school has her dressing this way, so she can look like an over-worked student. Or maybe the situation with her home life is reflecting in how she dresses.

 

[Asgard]

The only thing Im kind of disappointed about in regards to Zendaya playing Mary Jane is that its supposedly supposed to be a surprise in the movie. Kind of sucks that I know now so whatever payoff there mightve been is ruined.

 

[X Knight]

^ we can argue about the fashion sense, but no incarnation of MJ that I've seen ( 616, Ultimate, SSM, movies, games, etc. ) has MJ looking plain and acting awkward and bookish.

Ultimate comic MJ was nerdy and smart, but she was still pretty and hot and she wasn't awkward or buried in a book or super dry from what I remember.

SSM MJ was more like 616 party girl MJ. again, hot and outgoing and sassy and flirty - certainly not super dry and awkward.

for Ultimate MJ, I'd say Gwen in the TASM films was close to Ultimate MJ. Smart and science minded. but still beautiful and in no way dressed down to hide her beauty.

MJ shouldn't be the type to "dress down" to fit in or because of her abusive homelife. if anything, she should be dressing "up" to put on that popular, party girl facade to mask whatever troubles she has.

again, plain, dressing down, dry, awkward are all qualities that shouldn't be associated with MJ - at least not the MJ that I'm familiar with and want to see portrayed.

it would be a very different version of MJ and one I can't say I'm too enthused to see.

 

[LoganGambit87]

^ we can argue about the fashion sense, but no incarnation of MJ that I've seen ( 616, Ultimate, SSM, movies, games, etc. ) has MJ looking plain and acting awkward and bookish.

Ultimate comic MJ was nerdy and smart, but she was still pretty and hot and she wasn't awkward or buried in a book or super dry from what I remember.

SSM MJ was more like 616 party girl MJ. again, hot and outgoing and sassy and flirty - certainly not super dry and awkward.

for Ultimate MJ, I'd say Gwen in the TASM films was close to Ultimate MJ. Smart and science minded. but still beautiful and in no way dressed down to hide her beauty.

MJ shouldn't be the type to "dress down" to fit in or because of her abusive homelife. if anything, she should be dressing "up" to put on that popular, party girl facade to mask whatever troubles she has.

again, plain, dressing down, dry, awkward are all qualities that shouldn't be associated with MJ - at least not the MJ that I'm familiar with and want to see portrayed.

it would be a very different version of MJ and one I can't say I'm too enthused to see.

very true but i will probably get over it much like i got over Rogue from X men movies which was nothing like rogue from the comics/animated series personality wise but is a solid character in its own right.

 

[PyroChamber]

Was the whole "ugly duckling" thing something that was done in John Hughes' movies? Being that this is suppose to be like a John Hughes movie maybe this is one of their ways of doing it?

Like the whole trope where the guy is attracted to the obviously hot girl, while there's a girl he knows and likes but not in a physical way who may be attracted to him.

 

[C Prometheus]

Was the whole "ugly duckling" thing something that was done in John Hughes' movies? Being that this is suppose to be like a John Hughes movie maybe this is one of their ways of doing it?

Like the whole trope where the guy is attracted to the obviously hot girl, while there's a girl he knows and likes but not in a physical way who may be attracted to him.

Yes. The most notable example is Basket Case in The Breakfast Club... a film which has already been referenced specifically for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

And ironically enough...

... Zendaya is the "Basket Case" of the Spidey cast reference photo. Now I'm not going to assume that actually means the film is going to be a complete note-for-note mirror of TBC as I don't think Flash is going to end up with MJ at the end of the film or Ned with Liz, but it's a fun little detail I noticed.

 

[Oscorp]

Zendaya has lots of potential to be a great MJ, but I feel that the writing and direction won't allow for that given how her character is called "dry and awkward" and her style from the set photos doesn't resemble MJ at all. How sad! I bet she might be a good character, but I'd prefer her to be an original one.

 

[Dark Raven]

They should take inspiration from the Breakfast Club, but it doesn't mean they have to use the types established in that film. And they could've gotten ideas from Ferris Bueller or other Hughes comedies. It almost seems that Watts doesn't quite know how to make a Hughes comedy and is just copying TBC note for note.

The idea about TBC is that people are not what they seem, and you have to look beyond first impressions because otherwise you'd think that these people in detention with you are just what you saw them as when you didn't know them very well in class. But it turns out there's a lot more to them than originally thought.

And making MJ the more seemingly superficial popular beauty queen who is actually much deeper would still have fit with the overall concept of the Breakfast Club without having to pigeon-hole her into the basketcase type who gets a makeover, which isn't Mary Jane. I don't want to see that arc for her.

Otherwise why not give Peter a completely different arc that is not associated with him? How about imposing upon him Macbeth's arc? "With Great Power Comes Great Paranoia." Maybe he can be plagued with guilt after having murdered Tony Stark after he chose to seize power and independence for himself at the behest of Aunt May (who is his Lady Macbeth). Then, to divert attention and suspicion away from himself, he can murder the other Avengers and even some of his school mates? Eventually he and Aunt May go mad. After all, we've seen the classic Spidey arc so many times on film, so we need something fresh. It can be a dark comedy.

 

[Galactus123]

I wish they would keep things like they are in comics. I hate when they change things that don't need to be changed.

 

[scarlet-witch]

Serious question, has Zendaya's acting improved since that awful Disney show Shake It Up? That's all I know her from and she was terrible.

I want her to still be like the traditional Mary Jane personality wise. She's clearly gorgeous so she fits the bill there, but those frumpy set photos are making me nervous as to what they're doing with her.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

see, this is MJ.

I'm not saying MJ has to dress like that ( obviously not ) but her look and vibe here screams MJ.

you wanna talk about alpha female playfulness, that's it right there. that's not "super dry and awkward."

clearly, Zendaya can pull that off.

which begs the question, why can't she look like this in the film ( look wise, not outfit wise )?

why can't this be her natural look? why can't this be her natural playful, sassy, outgoing personality?

that is what MJ is supposed to be, at least classic party girl MJ. whether or not it's a facade is a different question. but that's how MJ should look and act.

If Zendaya looked like that in the set pics, and the description of her character was more in line with the playful, sassy, party girl MJ, I'd be more confident about the casting choice and less bothered by the whole race change.

why do they have to go to the total opposite extreme ( plain, frumpy, awkward, bookish, all buttoned up and unfashionable looking )?

why do we have to wait till the end to start seeing the "real" MJ?

it's an unneeded story arc for the character when another arc would be better suited without totally changing the character's personality and look. I'd rather they explore the facade angle of her party image and show that she's more than a superficial beauty and that she, like Peter, is wearing a mask to hide/protect herself.

I'd rather they explore that instead of the ugly duckling wallflower transforming into a stunning beauty, which doesn't really fit the character and is actually quite cliche.

SSM Gwen went through that transformation arc, even though she was never really plain looking to begin with. but this isn't Gwen. this is supposed to be MJ!! Why transpose SSM Gwen's story arc onto a different character?

that's what is so mind boggling to me.

they cast an actress who can pull of the MJ look and attitude ( race aside ) but they totally downplay her beauty and go for a portrayal that is totally opposite to what the character should be ( and for the sake of what? a shocking big twist and reveal at the end?? )?

just like what they are doing with the rest of the HS cast it seems.

 

[Lobo]

Loving the pics and gifs. I'm fine with this, if she is indeed in MJ, as I think she is very attractive, adn a decent enough actress. The only reason I'm a slight bit disappointed in the news, is I was hoping she'd be revealed to be White Tiger. Though apparently there's a plan for that character to get a Netflix show.

 

[cheungcheung]

They're going to pull a "she's all that" with her in a future sequel

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

I wish they would keep things like they are in comics. I hate when they change things that don't need to be changed.

Ditto but it seems Hollywood always thinks they can do it better or don't need to follow the books and only take samples and snippets. This is why I hate the Gotham show so much. That show is as loose of an adaptation one can get.

I don't understand why MJ can't be a natural redhead. Flash still not be a blonde-haired jock. Ned be skinny. Sally and Liz I don't care about as much nor do I care if the Tinkerer is younger or if Bokeem Woodbine is Shocker, but X Knight addressed on another page where it seems like a combination of things happened:

1. They took characters, put them in a blender, and then turned it on and now we're getting characters that are those characters in name only or have taken traits or hair colors from others. Not to mention this idea that Mary Jane's middle name might be "Michelle" or some fake name still reads stupid to me.

2. Just because Queens is made up of different cultures, religions and races doesn't mean pre-existing characters need to be changed to reflect those demographics. Was there such an outcry that the Spider-Man films needed it? Couldn't original characters been made to reflect different ethnicities without race-changing pre-existing characters? I mean I know there are people out there who will simply not give a crap, see these changes as some work of "progress" and champion more changes, or worship Marvel so much that they'll accept anything they do, but I still think that a lot of these changes were simply Sony wants to makes them look good after the e-mails scandal. I think the Queens thing is just a nice excuse or cop-out answer they can go to so they can put a bandage over their sexist and racist comments made in those emails.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

They're going to pull a "she's all that" with her in a future sequel

Giving MJ a character arc could be more interesting than the love rollercoaster and getting kidnapped repeatedly of SM 1-3.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

She may still end up being kidnapped and used as bait in this. Heck, any of Pete's loves may end up that way. It's too early to tell.