Homecoming The Zendaya is Mary Jane thread

[Web-Head]

isn't the source an "early draft?"

well, an early draft can be quite different compared to the final draft.

No..in a recent draft the character "hinted" at being MJ

 

[X Knight]

No..in a recent draft the character "hinted" at being MJ

ah, recent draft.

never mind then.

 

[Techno Bacon]

This is my first time here since the Zendaya news, I don't feel like reading through 38 pages worth of replies just to see if someone said what I said so, I'm just going to say it.

She's not MJ. No way she's MJ. Considering the fact that this rumor came from El Mayimbe, who's Marvel rumors are pretty much never correct and the fact that the article from The Wrap doesn't really say that she's MJ, it just says "Hey, she MIGHT be MJ"

Looking at everything we have confirming that she is MJ, there's nothing really to go off of here. Just from what I've seen, its just a baseless rumor.

 

[TheVileOne]

It's possible. Sometimes these reports turn out to be erroneous or jump the gun.

However, it does sort of fit with how a lot of the supporting cast they've gone with different ethnicities for the characters.

We know Donald Glover is playing a character, but we still don't know who.

 

[Techno Bacon]

Now, if she WAS MJ. I don't have that much of a problem with it.

My only problem would be seemingly Marvel's unnecessary gender and racebending. Sure, its nice to have more diversity in films these days but, what's so bad with having a comic book accurate interpretation?

 

[Mike Murdock]

Like I said earlier, The Wrap can't be all that respectable if they'd allow a reporter to willingly leak something that wasn't supposed to be leaked.

They also report scoops. They do it by providing inside information and they have to beat other sources to providing that inside information. It's why they cultivate sources. If they only reported what Marvel wanted them to say, they wouldn't need to seek out sources.

 

[X Knight]

Now, if she WAS MJ. I don't have that much of a problem with it.

My only problem would be seemingly Marvel's unnecessary gender and racebending. Sure, its nice to have more diversity in films these days but, what's so bad with having a comic book accurate interpretation?

especially when the rest of the HS cast has mostly been race swapped and changed around, too.

I get adding more diversity. but when the characters become totally unrecognizable, that's pushing it too far.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

Here's the subtext that's troublesome. How can any number of ethnic changes be "out of hand." What hand are we even talking about here? What is the standard of racial updating, and what is it based on?

You wanted a natural redhead. I don't know why, but it makes you, personally, happy if the actress doesn't have to use hair dye that you'll never see. Okay, sure. Do you. But is you not getting that... out of hand?

Why do characters need to be racially updated? Who made the standard for them to be updated? I'm all for diversity in the world and obviously you've skimmed past my previous comments where I said I didn't mind the race-changing of Kingpin, Nick Fury, Perry White, or Deadshot. Michael Clark Duncan fit the build and frame of Kingpin. Samuel L. Jackson had been established as a new Nick Fury in Mark Millar's Ultimates. Perry White is a minor character. Deadshot, while Will Smith, again, was not my first choice for the role, did bring to the role the charisma and lethalness that you expect with the character. Vondi wowed me as Ben Urich. I liked Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc and I actually have ZERO problem with Bokeem Woodbine as Shocker.

What I mean by out of hand is that Midtown has now been changed to a science and technology school, characters have been changed either with personalities, styles of dress, or race not to mention age, so at some point one has to wonder, "Has it gotten out of hand?" Don't get me wrong, as I said with the instance of Marisa Tomei as Aunt May or Bokeem Woodbine as Shocker I don't mind it nor do I have a problem with a younger Tinkerer, but MJ is something more to me.

You can be fine all you want with "updating" or "modernizing." To each one's own but me, personally, I don't think every character in Peter's high school or world needs to be changed either.

And yes I wanted a natural redhead because there are plenty of talented natural redheads in the country and elsewhere who could've been great MJs. Maybe they tried out against Zendaya? I don't know but since Disney owns Marvel and she is on their channel, it seems they went with her because she was a safe bet. But at the same time, hiding the true identity of the character by calling her "Michelle" just reeks of fear to me that they knew this would create a backlash. Not to mention, Sony was caught for actually showing their racism and so to me, I've said this from the beginning, many of these casting decisions seem like they're only doing it because they want to look good and seem "progressive."

The point is, I saw you and others bring up that when Kristen Dunst was cast she wasn't a real redhead, but now you have an actress that isn't a real redhead either and you're okay with the casting?

Yes, us fanboys are weird creatures, but MJ isn't a Perry White to me. She's not a Ben Urich to me. She's not a minor character to me. Spideyboy111 has made a lot of good comments addressing why many fans are so passionate about her and why the changes seem unnecessary. Unfortunately, maybe because I am nearing 30 and been on these forums for close to 10 years, I feel like I am talking to a brick wall sometimes with some people because I'll defend things passionately while others want to bow down and accept changes for change sake.

Whatever the case, I'm not going to boycott the movie if she is MJ but I do think they went about this stupidly with keeping her a secret or changing the name to try to be cute and funny. However, as I said before, what more changes are to come regardless of race? Is Tony going to hook up with Aunt May? Will people be fine with that? Or what about Shocker... if his suit is something generic or doesn't look anything like the 616 suit will people suddenly be okay with that? Dark Raven has made a lot of good points about this too.

But agree to disagree.

 

[Mad Ones]

Race-changing is fine if it's a character fans are indifferent to but when it comes to a geek fantasy character like MJ comic book integrity must be maintained or else outrage.

Maybe many are actually sad that this MJ doesn't seem like she'll be breaking her back to emphasize her butt and boobs while doing Peter's laundry.

 

[Primal Slayer]

I would be cool with Z being MJ, she has the MJ look imo. I just want her to have red hair.

 

[Kurenai]

Gunn clarified that he wasn't confirming Zendaya as MJ. But, he did say he was going to find out today and hasn't said anything else.

I saw that, he should have never responded to the hate, so many people who have a certain clout are responding and making it seem more real.

People have gotten backlash over confirmed things and nobody said anything.

Like I said earlier, The Wrap can't be all that respectable if they'd allow a reporter to willingly leak something that wasn't supposed to be leaked.

They're not the big three, but they're respectable enough to have revealed exclusive casting.

Also respectability has nothing to do with journalists following whatarvel or Hollywood wants. Journalists wouldn't make money if they did that.

The thing is you don't believe this but if Jon were to to deny, you would believe him despite the fact that him denying could be a Khan situation.

 

[Dark Raven]

I think Mary Jane should already have been homecoming queen at the start of the movie and someone unattainable and out of Peter's league. She should've had a date arranged with someone else: maybe Flash Thompson, who would be typical Hollywood leading man and big man on campus.

It could be a story about overcoming certain assumptions and prejudices about one another, rather than people trying to become someone else to become popular. Isn't that partly what the Breakfast Club is about? That they've all got a certain first impression of each other, but their assumptions are challenged and they realise there's more to each individual there?

Peter and his friends should've seemed on a much lower tier and many in that group would've thought they would never have a chance with MJ or any of her friends (who could've included the likes of Liz Allen and other popular girls in school). Maybe Peter and his friends could've been dateless for the Homecoming dance.

But then somehow Peter could've ended up being matched up with Mary Jane. Maybe she ditched Flash at the last moment and picked Peter just because he seemed more normal and made her laugh. Both would've been unsure of each other, because MJ just thought Peter was a geek who had his head in his books all the time, and Peter would've thought she was just some superficial party girl who would only go for someone like classic Flash Thompson.

But she could've revealed that she only went with him because of peer pressure and she thought he was too full of himself. Then Peter could've been anxious that his friends would think he's selling out and trying to get in with a popular girl like MJ. But he would see that she's not just the flighty girl that all his friends think she is. She is someone much deeper and more intelligent than she appears.

Then when he's worrying about what others would think seeing him with her, she could assure him "Face it Tiger, you've just hit the jackpot."

 

[harryoscop]

So it looks like Mike Sampson has heard it from his sources as well:

https://mobile.***********/mjsamps

 

[PeterBenParker]

So excited for MJ.

 

[harryoscop]

I love how some people have tried to single handedly discredit the Wrap as some amatuer scoop site when they're one of the most respected media outlets in HW (which is why they're classified as a Trade) and have been breaking Scoops and casting news for YEARS. Same with New York Magazine which has been active for 51 ****ing years. I bet somebody goimg to attempt to discredit Mike now (even though he worked at Marvel and use to be in the Scoop biz)

All because they don't like what they're selling.

 

[Scarlet Spider]

So it looks like Mike Sampson has heard it from his sources as well:

https://mobile.***********/mjsamps

We're going to need about thirty more sources to corroborate before we can even seriously entertain this wild and crazy rumor.

 

[PeterBenParker]

We're going to need about thirty more sources to corroborate before we can even seriously entertain this wild and crazy theory.

Thirty? Make it fifty with exact quotes from Marvel or Sony reps!

 

[Dark Raven]

The Wrap sounds like they should've made shwarmas instead.

 

[DigificWriter]

If The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, and Variety broke exclusive "scoops" after being told not to, they wouldn't be able to break said "scoops" any longer because they'd lose the "insider access" that allowed them to do so in the first place. They'd also lose their reputations as professional news organizations.

 

[harryoscop]

We're going to need about thirty more sources to corroborate before we can even seriously entertain this wild and crazy rumor.

It cant'z be true!!!1!! lol Eh Maybee

 

[Techno Bacon]

If she is MJ, if they wanted, they could keep the name Michelle and name her Michelle Jane Watson or Michelle Mary Jane Watson. Something like that.

Or maybe Mary Jane is kind of an old name or whatever. She may be embarrassed by it or whatever, at the end of the movie her aunt says something like "Mary Jane! Get in here!" and she's like, "Call me Michelle!"

 

[Xrated48]

So excited for MJ.

Me too

 

[PeterBenParker]

If she is MJ, if they wanted, they could keep the name Michelle and name her Michelle Jane Watson or Michelle Mary Jane Watson. Something like that.

Or maybe Mary Jane is kind of an old name or whatever. She may be embarrassed by it or whatever, at the end of the movie her aunt says something like "Mary Jane! Get in here!" and she's like, "Call me Michelle!"

Venom2000000, is that you?

 

[Techno Bacon]

I love how some people have tried to single handedly discredit the Wrap as some amatuer scoop site when they're one of the most respected media outlets in HW (which is why they're classified as a Trade) and have been breaking Scoops and casting news for YEARS. Same with New York Magazine which has been active for 51 ****ing years. I bet somebody goimg to attempt to discredit Mike now (even though he worked at Marvel and use to be in the Scoop biz)

All because they don't like what they're selling.

Eh. Nothing I've seen really confirms to me, without a doubt that she's playing MJ. There's nothing really to go off of here other than he said, she said.

 

[BatsDC]

So excited for MJ.