Zendaya Will Put Her Own Twist On This Iconic Spider-Man Character

Zendaya's role in Marvel's new Spider-Man movie has been a bit of a mystery. That is, until now. According to The Wrap, she will be playing a familiar character in next summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming. Hint, it's the role that Kirsten Dunst played in Spidey's first three films in the early 2000s. Yep, Zendaya is set to play the iconic role of Peter Parker's well-known love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Marvel was hoping to keep her role a secret. Vulture reported that Zendaya's character's real identity was a twist meant to be confirmed near the end of the film when she would finally tell Peter he can call her "M.J." But, since the spider's out of the bag it's time to celebrate this important casting news. As Vulture points out, Zendaya playing this famous role is a major step forward in diversity. Mary Jane is now the most famous character in the Marvel Universe to be re-cast with someone of a different race. Even better, both female leads in Spider-Man: Homecoming are non-white actresses. African-American actress Laura Harrier has already signed on to play the popular Liz Allan, who is also a possible love interest for Peter Parker. It's an important move for Marvel, which recently got into hot water after the controversial casting of Tilda Swinton in Doctor Strange. The Scottish actress is playing The Ancient One, a character in the comic that is of Tibetan descent. While M.J.'s shoes are be big ones to fill, from the looks of Zendaya's first shoe line, she'll have no trouble.