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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]521943[/split]
Indeed frustrating, but what if Michelle isn't going to be Mary Jane Watson. What if she's just going to be Michelle and [BLACKOUT]that 'MJ' line was merely an easter egg[/BLACKOUT]. As in, they just mentioned that line as a throwaway for the fans but in future movies she'll just be called Michelle. Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to see. I'm a bit upset that I learned about that spoiler, it was my own fault though. I clicked on something on a different site looking for some more reactions to the movie and saw that info. Oh well.
Well if that's true, then I wonder if the reason for the name change might be due to
1.Mary Jane supposedly not being a very common name anymore
2.The name is slang for weed
I mean I really don't know, I'm probably just grasping here. I still think we deserve some kind of explanation. And even though I haven't seen the movie yet, they supposedly never reveal what her last name is. So I wonder what's up with that? It seems like even after we see the movie, we still won't know what the story is here.
raimi's mj had the family life, career ambition and the emotional side of her relationship with peter (and harry too) mostly on the nose, but she lacked the vibrancy and the wit. mj is supposed to be the life of the party and just the personification of FUN and i can count on one hand the amount of times mj actually smiled in those movies. she was also used a lot as a plot device for peter by getting kidnapped every five minutes but i don't rly hold that against her character and more against the writing. at least she tried not to be a damsel by trying to hit/hitting ock and venom. but yeah she had a lot of the deep, ugly, not fun emotional side which you need in a character for it to feel real, but it needed to be balanced with her expansive personality, which it wasn't.
it wasn't perfect, but i do think she gets a lot of flack, even these days. which is why it would've meant to much to, this time for the first time in the mcu, to have an mj with the depth AND the fun.
I honestly believe that naming her Michelle is just allowing them to test the waters and giving them a way out if they decide to go another direction. After all, Zendaya is only just Michelle. She isn't really Mary Jane.
i feel like the reason i feel michelle isn't like mj personality-wise is that she comes off a bit mean which mj never was but if it had been just the one throwaway line in the movie it would've been fine, but it's zendaya's insistence that michelle is, by her own words:
1) weird, says weird things at the wrong times.
2) wouldn't care less if she found out Peter Parker was Spider-Man. He can fly across NYC using spider webbing, you say? Who cares!
3) "My character is not romantic. My character is like very dry, awkward, intellectual and because she's so smart, she just feels like she doesn't need to talk to people. Like, 'My brain is so far ahead of you that you're just not really on my level.' So she comes off very weird."
that just throws me off. i don't remember any version of mj giving off that vibe. mj is sassy and doesn't take any crap but she's not mean about it. she doesn't go around calling people losers for no reason and thinking she's better than others because wow she reads. plus, the whole name thing.
i feel like the reason i feel michelle isn't like mj personality-wise is that she comes off a bit mean which mj never was but if it had been just the one throwaway line in the movie it would've been fine, but it's zendaya's insistence that michelle is, by her own words:
1) weird, says weird things at the wrong times.
2) wouldn't care less if she found out Peter Parker was Spider-Man. He can fly across NYC using spider webbing, you say? Who cares!
3) "My character is not romantic. My character is like very dry, awkward, intellectual and because she's so smart, she just feels like she doesn't need to talk to people. Like, 'My brain is so far ahead of you that you're just not really on my level.' So she comes off very weird."
that just throws me off. i don't remember any version of mj giving off that vibe. mj is sassy and doesn't take any crap but she's not mean about it. she doesn't go around calling people losers for no reason and thinking she's better than others because wow she reads. plus, the whole name thing.
All I can tell you is that I am not a fan so far af the way they decided to go about it.
Basically this. Raimi has said that his MJ was an amalgam of love interests like Gwen Stacy and Betty Brant (neither of which were heavily featured in the OT). So it seems the more flamboyant aspects of the MJ character were removed to accommodate the story changes. IMO she became bland at best, and depressive at worst. Adding the heavier elements of MJ to a Gwen Stacy personality just made for an unlikable character.
For no reason?? Peter and Ned were being creepy...they basically admitted it themselves! The whole idea of her not caring about anyone or about what Peter is up to, thinking she's better, etc. is so very clearly a facade. I mean, that's obvious from her "my friends are up there!" scene in one of the trailers. I'm certain she is going to "soften" and we will learn that a lot of her "meanness" is just an act or defense mechanism. As for her character not being romantic, well yeah...because Peter is crushing on Liz right now. That doesn't mean things won't change, that we won't see more character/romantic development in future movies.
Of course none of know the thought process behind the "Michelle = MJ" twist right now. But I don't think it's an easter egg or a bait and switch tactic or proof that Marvel is testing the waters. I think Feige, Watts and Co. already know what they want to do. Why they chose this route...well, who knows. Hopefully, we'll get some answers.
Unlikely.Hello, new user here! Guys, have you considered that Zendaya as MJ is a red herring? Think about it for a second. The way Michelle acts and dresses is almost identical to how Gwen acted and dressed in the Ultimate comics. Furthermore, the way Michelle has been described ("awkward, "dry", and "intellectual") could also apply to the SSM incarnation of Gwen. That's probably where Watts got the idea to frumpy up Michelle. So Michelle is actually the Gwen Stacy of the MCU, not the MJ. It would explain why they decided to name her Michelle instead of Gwen. Since she was the main love interest of the previous continuity, they would have given her a different name in order to distance themselves from that continuity. The costuming department going out of their way to make Betty Brant visually similar to classic Gwen is another red herring. After all, Marvel loves pulling surprises.
For further reference:
It's actually a bit ironic to hear that.
Growing up with both comics and manga, MJ always reminded me of this other character named Nami from a manga called One Piece. Both fiery redheads, sassy, had abusive fathers and pretended to be shallower than they were to hide their loneliness. Difference is while MJ hid it through the party girl persona, Nami hid it through a persona closer to Michelle's. Lastly, both are considered sex symbols in their respective cultures.
So if they're going for a more Nami-esque take of MJ, I wouldn't hate it. Maybe it's not ideal, but they're both fantastic archetypes nevertheless.
What's the point though? All she is Mary-Jane with a name and race change... Isn't she?
She has been introduced.and looks change.
and style change.
and personality change.
She has been introduced.
Lets see if she seems more like Mary Jane going forward.
Characters evolve as they grow.
Besides even Tom's characterization of Peter isn't the Peter that we know in the comics, not as a fully evolved hero anyway.
She has been introduced.
Lets see if she seems more like Mary Jane going forward.
Characters evolve as they grow.
Besides even Tom's characterization of Peter isn't the Peter that we know in the comics, not as a fully evolved hero anyway.