Zendaya Gets To Play An MCU Superhero Role In Spider-Man: Brand New Day According To Marvel Theory

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Zendaya may be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day
could finally see her tackle a superhero role if one theory related to the comics is right. After the explosive events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the fourth entry in Tom Holland’s series will likely be very different to any entry that came before. Peter Parker is alone, with no friends or family to support him, and it’s likely he will dedicate a lot more time to putting on the Spider-suit, and saving New York City.

However, as seen at the end of No Way Home, Peter still misses his loved ones, such as Michelle Jones, and he made an effort to reach out and connect with her. However, the Brand New Day comic books could see Peter reconnect with his old flame in an interesting new way. This would also give Zendaya a reason to return, despite not remembering Peter Parker, and could lead to the actress playing a superhero role that is actually accurate to the comic book storyline.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s Comic Inspiration Suggests MJ Won’t Be In The Movie’s Story Much

Brand New Day Will Likely Influence Spider-Man 4 In A Big Way

The Brand New Day comic is a follow-up story to One More Day, which was a controversial release that had some things in common with the No Way Home movie. In Brand New Day, everyone has forgotten Peter Parker’s secret identity. This means that MJ, short for Mary-Jane Watson in the comics, forgets about Peter’s secret, but in the movie, MJ, standing for Michelle Jones, forgets who Peter Parker is. Clearly, there are links, and the characters of MJ are intended to have some overlap, but either way, Brand New Day puts Parker on a different path.

Peter Parker in the comics decides to lie low, which leads to the character spending an extended period of time not being Spider-Man. MJ is not a prominent character, because the relationship between Peter and MJ is strained, and MJ has a new love interest. While the movie may play up the idea that Zendaya’s MJ remembers Spider-Man, and could seek him out to some extent, it’s unlikely that she would have a major role if Peter is trying to redefine his life, keep his loved ones safe by keeping his distance, and learning what it means to be Spider-Man without the people he loves most supporting him.

Brand New Day’s MJ Lookalike Hero Offers A Way For Zendaya To Have A Bigger Role In The MCU

Zendaya Could Actually Have A Bigger Role In The Spider-Man Sequel

However, there is another character who appears in the comics that has a striking resemblance to MJ. Jackpot, a superhero who Spider-Man encounters in this storyline, has a prominent role in the comic run, and at one point, Peter Parker thinks Jackpot could be his former flame, Mary-Jane Watson. The character is actually another person, named Sara Ehret, but due to the similarities between Sara and MJ, Peter does mistake them as being the same person.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day could adapt this detail in the movie and bring Zendaya back to play the part of Jackpot, as this new person, and give Holland and Zendaya a chance to reunite in the movie under very different circumstances. It would also establish Zendaya as a superhero in the MCU, as opposed to being one of the supporting characters in someone elses story. However, there is another way that Zendaya could be brought in, and given the chance to take on a superhero role with a different approach.

Jackpot Could Be Coming To The MCU

Jackpot is a character who has been around in Marvel Comics since 2007. The character has gone through a number of changes in that time, and while they appear prominently next to Spider-Man in Brand New Day, this is not MJ. But, as Marvel characters are prone to do, Sara Ehret passes on the mantle of Jackpot to someone else, making a new character Marvel’s official Jackpot. This happens twice more in the comics, with the mantle being handed back to Ehret, and finally, the most recent change occurred in 2023 when Mary-Jane assumed the superhero alias Jackpot.

This was due to MJ acquiring a special device that could let them power up and acquire a random ability, though it also came with added risks. Since MJ was officially a Jackpot in Marvel Comics, Marvel Studios could choose to adapt that narrative, either having Sara Ehret pass the mantle over immediately in the MCU, or setting MJ up as the movie version of Jackpot from the start. However, with everything else that happens in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day comic, there is no shortage of new characters and ideas to be introduced in the upcoming movie, and it feels like Jackpot may be lower on the list.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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