Warning! SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home's ending sets up two possible appearances for Zendaya's Michelle in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. Audiences have had the opportunity to see Zendaya in three MCU movies to date, all of which have been part of Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy. Her role continued to grow with each installment as Michelle and Peter Parker grew closer. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home set up an uncertain future for MJ and Peter, allowing Zendaya to appear in other MCU projects during Phase 4.

The entire plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home revolves around Peter trying to make everyone forget he is Spider-Man so his life and the lives of those closest to him can go back to normal. This includes Michelle, who MIT rejects due to her connection to Spider-Man. Peter ultimately made the decision to have Doctor Strange erase all memories of him, which allowed Michelle and Ned Leeds to be accepted into MIT during Spider-Man: No Way Home's ending. While Michelle is likely to return for Spider-Man 4, her MCU return doesn't have to wait that long anymore.

Related: Spider-Man 4 Is Way Too Soon To Undo No Way Home's Ending

Michelle going to MIT for college means that Zendaya could appear in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It is confirmed that a portion of the movie takes place at MIT as part of the MCU's introduction of Riri Williams, a.k.a. Ironheart (Dominique Thorne). Although it isn't known when Black Panther 2 takes place in the MCU timeline, it most likely is set after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Michelle and Riri will both be students at MIT during this time then, so their paths could cross. Michelle could even meet Shuri or members of the Dora Milaje potentially. Either way, there is now a natural way to include Zendaya alongside Black Panther 2's predominantly Black cast.

Zendaya and Tom Holland gliding in the air in Spider Man No Way Home

Regardless of Zendaya's MCU future appearance in Black Panther 2, Marvel can still use Michelle's MIT connection to bring her back for Ironheart. This could be dependent on how much of Riri's Disney+ show takes place at college versus on a superhero mission or back in her hometown of Chicago. But, Zendaya appearing in Ironheart could help establish that Michelle and Riri Williams are friends after spending time together at MIT. They could even be roommates if Michelle decides not to live with Ned, which was Peter's plan.

Either of these possible MCU appearances for Zendaya would be a great opportunity for Marvel to flesh out Michelle as a character. Her role in the Spider-Man franchise hasn't allowed much of Michelle's life to be explored. She's been used as a secondary character in Spider-Man's story, but Black Panther 2 or Ironheart can dive deeper into her past, her family, her interests, and more. While Spider-Man 4 could also explore some of that, these other MCU properties might be better suited to explore various parts of Michelle, thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

More: How No Way Home's Ending Spell Changes The MCU's Past & Timeline

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