Marvel was already looking to recreate Spider-Man's love interest MJ in Spider-Man: Homecoming before Zendaya was cast. After Peter Parker's (Tom Holland) debut in Captain America: Civil War, he goes on to his own adventure against Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton). The Jon Watts-directed film also introduced a string of new characters building this new version of the wall-crawling hero like Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon), Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), Liz Allen (Laura Harrier), and Michelle - who was initially presented as a brand new character only to be revealed at the end as MJ.

While the character played a relatively small role in Homecoming, she becomes integral to Peter's story as she discovers her secret life as a superhero in Spider-Man: Far From Home. Spending some time with each other during their European trip following the events of Avengers: Endgame, they start to officially date. However, just when things are going smoothly for the new couple as they return to New York, their lives are turned upside down when Spider-Man's real identity is broadcasted.

Related: Spider-Man: Far From Home's Identity Reveal Has A Hilarious MCU Consequence

With two Spider-Man films on her belt, Zendaya talks about playing such an iconic Marvel character, sharing the process of crafting this version of MJ for the MCU. Apparently, Marvel Studios was already leaning on updating the role before she was even cast which she's happy about as she recalls in a new interview with Variety.

“Spider-Man” was one of the first movies that I did outside of Disney Channel. And yeah, I didn’t have much to do in the first movie, but I was so just excited to be doing the movie at all. And I was lucky because they already kind of wanted to re-create the character and turn her into a new version of what I think maybe the original Mary Jane character represented, and just do it in our own way in this Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I kind of came into it and there was already on the page a smart, quick, sharp young girl who comes off a bit quirky or offbeat. I have a lot of fun doing it. I like being able to do comedy and things that aren’t so heavy.

The last two iterations of Spider-Man from Sony introduced their respective Peter Parker love interests - Sam Raimi trilogy's Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and The Amazing Spider-Man's Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). The former adopted a more comic b0ok-accurate version of MJ, particularly in terms of physical features. Marvel Studios decided to change things up, casting a woman of color instead of the character's traditional representation in print. This somehow helped conceal the truth about Zendaya's role in Homecoming. Since the actress didn't get into the specifics of her initial conversations with Marvel Studios before her casting, it's curious if the MCU held a race-blind casting. For what it's worth, it's clear that Marvel Studios was committed to making sure that they're offering fans something new with regard to their version of the web-slinging hero.

Moving forward, fans can expect MJ to play a more prominent role in the Spider-Man film series. Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home didn't divulge much about her background, but it's possible that all of that will change in the upcoming third film set to release in 2021. Her knowledge of Peter's secret prior to Mysterio's (Jake Gyllenhaal) revelation, not to mention her personal relationship with him will further link her to his adventures. Considering how smart and quick-on-her-feet she is, MJ is a welcome addition to Spider-Man's team.

More: Where The Other Avengers Are During Black Widow

Source: Variety

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