“Spider-Man: Homecoming” Casting Controversy?
Amidst a flurry of rumors and silly controversy, Disney’s Zendaya has joined “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
Last week, Spider-Man: Homecoming got its Mary Jane Watson. Well, possibly. Disney Channel’s Zendaya has joined the cast in a currently undisclosed role. Rumors on the internet street peg her as the next Mary Jane.
Firstly, our own Steve had to point out that there’s apparently a controversy around this casting. I’ll admit I feel a bit like Principal Skinner on The Simpsons: “Why, there are no children at the 4H Club either! Am I so out of touch? …No. It’s the children who are wrong.”
Because what seems to be the biggest issue aside from the standard racist internet comments? Her hair color. Part of me gets it. Part of me understands the nerd rage that she’ll look weird if they give her Mary Jane’s infamous red hair. She can’t be MJ without the red hair!
In the end, does it really matter? Maybe this version of Mary Jane dyes her hair flaming red to rebel against her parents or some other reason that can be explained in a sentence.
James Gunn puts it best:
"For me, if a character’s primary attribute – the thing that makes them iconic – is the color of their skin, or their hair color, frankly, that character is shallow and sucks. For me, what makes MJ MJ is her alpha female playfulness, and if the actress captures that, then she’ll work. And, for the record, I think Zendaya even matches what I think of as MJ’s primary physical characteristics – she’s a tall, thin model – much more so than actresses have in the past."
On the other hand, it is still unconfirmed that Zendaya will be playing Mary Jane Watson. What if she isn’t playing Mary Jane? I can’t see the studio making things more confusing for audiences and making her Gwen Stacy (as Emma Stone’s version has only been dead two years). No need to confuse audiences who already probably wonder where Andrew Garfield went.
What about Felicia Hardy?
She has not been included in any Spider-Man movies so far (and I do not count that one random assistant named Felicia in The Amazing Spider-Man 2). In fact, having Felicia as the female counterpart feels more like a breath of fresh air than anything. Almost an antihero, a foil for Peter Parker who would understand his alter ego on a smaller scale than Tony Stark ever could.
It gives a different route for this iteration of Spider-Man to take. How about a post-credits scene that hints at Felicia’s alter ego of Black Cat? Imagine a Marvel Cinematic Universe where she fights Thanos alongside other female superheroes like the Wasp, Gamora, and Captain Marvel. I don’t know about you, but I am all for it.
Until Marvel confirms roles, let’s try to keep the paranoia and nerd rage down to a minimum. I mean, who will they cast in an undisclosed role next, Vincent D’Onofrio?