Spider-Man 3: Zendaya confirmed to return to the MCU as MJ

The unnamed third MCU Spider-Man film will ‘definitely’ feature Zendaya’s MJ, Tom Holland revealed in a recent interview.

Following the rift between Sony and Marvel in 2019, the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man was briefly in doubt. Better sense prevailed, and now Tom Holland is back as the webslinger for at least one more go-around.

As for whether we’ll see the rest of Peter Parker’s circle of friends and family, so far, the only update we have is that Zendaya as Michelle ‘MJ’ Jones is ‘definitely’ returning to the franchise. Holland confirmed the news to the Inquirer during a press tour for his latest animated venture, Onward.

Peter and MJ professed their love for each other in Spider-Man: Far From Home amidst a fight for survival against Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio. Their relationship had hardly taken off before Mysterio played his ace-in-the-hole – revealing Spider-Man’s true identity to the whole world. It’s no wonder that Holland referred to the final installment as ‘absolutely insane’. Peter’s life has probably been turned upside down by Mysterio. And his romance with MJ? Holland says:

"“As to the relationship between Peter and MJ, I’m not too sure what it will be.”"

Michelle stepped in as Peter’s love interest in the MCU, in place of his canon comic book partner, Mary Jane Watson. When she revealed her nickname, MJ, at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the twist was a surprise and a delight, though it begged the question why the actor couldn’t have played Mary Jane instead.

The MCU’s MJ is a force to be reckoned with – her acerbic wit is matched by her intelligence and sense of justice. She accurately guessed that Peter Parker was Spider-Man and played a handy role in the final act of Spider-Man: Far From Home. MJ is already a cut above many other female love interests in genre cinema. It’s up to the creative team behind the third Spider-Man installment to ensure MJ remains true to her character despite her romance with Peter.

The third Spider-Man film is set to release in summer 2021. How excited are you to see the characters return?