No Way Home's MJ Watson Retcon Is Utterly Ridiculous

Spider-Man: No Way Home retcons MJ's name, which is a ridiculous and unnecessary change. Zendaya plays MJ in the film, which in comics lore stands for Mary Jane, who has been the main love interest for Peter Parker since her introduction in The Amazing Spider-Man #42 in January 1967. In the comics, MJ is a white woman with red hair, which is how she was portrayed in the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, played by actress Kirsten Dunst. In the new trilogy, "MJ" is portrayed by Zendaya, who is mixed race and without the red hair, but still the main love interest of Peter Parker, although her name, specifically her nickname, was never explained until Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not only was this reveal slightly underwhelming for viewers, but the change actually undermined several key facets of her character.

Zendaya has played MJ in all three of the Jon Watt's directed Spider-Man films, starting off as a more aloof character, rather than the upbeat, actress/supermodel persona that she's been in the comics. The Mary Jane of the comics' full name was Mary Jane Watson, which stayed that way until both she and Parker were married, becoming Mary Jane Watson-Parker. This lasted for a long while until a storyline called "One More Day" which had Mary Jane make a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May's life in return for all memory of her and Peter's marriage and time together to be wiped for good (similar to the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home) and Parker's secret identity restored. Since that time, the pair of had a number of ups and downs over the course of many years, eventually reconnecting to their status quo as a couple.

While Spider-Man: No Way Home pulls from the "One More Day" storyline in terms of the memory wipe and the previous films have built up their relationship as a meant-to-be couple akin to their comic roots, the real issue with MJ's name reveal in the film is that it takes the last remaining comic-book connection away from her. It's revealed that her name is Michelle Jones-Watson, although she says she "doesn't go by that" when Watson is mentioned, hinting that there's more to the story there (although it's not revealed in the film). Messing with the hyphen, dropping "Mary", and the massive difference in personality from the beginning is ultimately a ridiculous change to the character that makes it all seem like a big bait and switch, rather than a new interpretation of the classic character.

Peter Parker and MJ kiss in Spider-Man Far From Home

It seems as though Marvel Studios' goal was to create a new interpretation of Mary Jane for the new Spider-Man film series, as that's what the intent seemed to be with casting Zendaya. A mixed-race actress without the signature red hair and freckles is an interesting angle, as it would've been obvious who she was from the start if she had those physical qualities. However, by changing up the name and characteristics of MJ in the films (she shows no inclination to being an actress or supermodel), it begs the question of why the film included her at all. If the character has nothing in common with who she is supposed to be from the comic, then it seems that the only purpose of the MJ nickname is to pull the rug out from under the audience and subvert their expectations.

By the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home it becomes evident that while Zendaya's MJ was Parker's love interest, she has absolutely none of the qualities of the MJ from the comics, from personality to physical appearance, and doesn't even share the same name. This could mean that she's an entirely different character altogether and that there's another Mary Jane out there that fits the comic book mold – perhaps from the burgeoning multiverse. Had the name simply stuck and MJ was Mary Jane Watson, then it would be simple enough to accept that she's the same character from the comics, albeit mostly in name and relationship to Spider-Man only. As it is, though, she's so vastly different in every way save for her love of Peter Parker, that it feels like a wasted opportunity to faithfully adapt a classic character.

Next: What Kirsten Dunst Has Done Since Playing MJ In Spider-Man