Zendaya sported Mary Jane-style red hair at an event to promote the upcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The former Disney Channel actor (who starred in the shows Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover when she was younger) joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. And while her character - an intelligent, if standoffish and snarky student who goes to school with Pete - was originally introduced as simply Michelle, Homecoming eventually revealed that her full name was Michelle Jones or MJ, as her friends call her.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has since clarified that Michelle is different from Mary Jane Watson (aka. the most famous Spider-Man character nicknamed MJ), but indicated that her future in the MCU might not be all that different from Mary Jane's in Spider-Man comic books and movies past. The Far From Home trailers and TV spots have further suggested that Peter and Michelle may enter a relationship in the sequel, much like Pete and Mary Jane's famous romance. At the very least, it's already been confirmed that Michelle figures out Peter's secret identity at some point in the film.
At an event to promote Far From Home at the Tower of London (one of several famous locations featured in the Europe-set sequel), Zendaya even sported MJ-style red hair in her appearance alongside her Spider-Man costars. Just Jared has posted photos from the event, as you can see below. Also included here are additional images and videos of Zendaya with her red hair, courtesy of Twitter users frani and Marial READY FOR FFH. (And in case there was any doubt: Zendaya has confirmed her red hair was an MJ "homage".)
Interestingly, prior to Homecoming's release, it was heavily rumored that Zendaya was secretly playing Mary Jane in the film. The actor herself pumped the brakes on those reports ahead of the movie's release, and it turned out she was telling the truth - at least, when it comes to Michelle being a different character than Mary Jane. Still, there's nothing to stop her from adapting her red hair look in a future Spider-Man and bringing Michelle one step closer to being a re-imagined version of the property's other famous MJ. Even if Michelle and Peter aren't destined to become a romantic item (though, again, Far From Home suggests they're headed that way), it would be a fun nod to Mary Jane and how Michelle has served as her equivalent in the MCU so far.
And on a separate but related note: MJ isn't the only traditionally red-haired character that Zendaya's been linked to in the past. In fact, just last summer, it was rumored that she'd been offered the role of Ariel in Disney's upcoming live-action remake of its animated musical, The Little Mermaid. Zendaya has since played down the rumor, but also made it clear that she would be interested in playing the role, if given the chance. So who knows, she may yet end up having her red-hair look on the big screen, be it in another Spider-Man movie (perhaps even Far From Home, for that matter) or another project altogether.
Source: Just Jared
