Sony’s latest attempt at kickstarting a a new franchise featuring Spider-Man is among their most successful yet — both fans and critics responded positively to the new movie and the box office performance is exceeding expectations.
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But with two previous series, they decided to team with Marvel Studios for Spider-Man: Homecoming and take a different approach to the Wallcrawler. And while some aspects are true to the source material, the new movie takes a lot of liberties to make this version of Spider-Man more unique than seen previously.
One of those alterations comes in Zendaya‘s portrayal of Michelle, who many assumed was a new character until an ending scene reveals that she actually goes by a very familiar set of initials: M.J. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently spoke with Den Of Geek about that particular change from the typical version of Mary Jane Watson.
“In setting up this will be a very different thing, she’s not Mary Jane Watson, that’s not who the character is,” Feige said. “But giving her the initials that remind you of that dynamic certainly is intriguing about what could go forward.”
But Michelle and Mary Jane will have something in common in how they observe Peter Parker’s disappearances and excuses.
“Clearly, she says she’s not obsessed with him, she’s just observant,” Feige said. “But she’s there. And to have fun with that while at the same time having it be different characters that can provide a different dynamic [is the point].”
Feige added that they didn’t want to rehash the same story points and characters seen in previous Spider-Man movies, but to take the franchise in a new and somewhat unexpected direction.
“Peter’s had a lot of friends over the years in the comics, and a lot of schoolmates and characters he’s interacted with,” Feige said. “It wasn’t just Mary Jane Watson; it wasn’t just Gwen Stacy; it wasn’t just Harry Osborn. So we were very interested in the other characters, and that’s where Liz came from and that’s where the version of the character Michelle came from.”
Zendaya is likely to remain a big part of the franchise moving forward, and those initials will likely mean big things for this take on the Spider-Man mythos. Now that Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters, we’re chomping at the bit to learn more about Marvel’s and Sony’s plans for the sequel.
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A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man — but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, JacobBatalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.
MORE SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING: Did Felicia Hardy Make An Appearance In Homecoming? / Sony Releases Amazing Fantasy #15 Homage Poster / Homecoming: All The Rumors Debunked/Homecoming Has Massive Marvel Cinematic Universe Plot Hole
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Image Credit: Marvel Comics
