Nobody calls Michelle "MJ"!

It's interesting to watch all of the hoopla over Zendaya's "Michelle" allegedly saying "My friends call me MJ". I'll make my argument short:

Michelle doesn't have friends. Supposedly it's a running gag in the movie.
If Michelle doesn't have friends, then who calls her "MJ"? Nobody. Her friends are imaginary.
Michelle is not MJ or Mary Jane Watson.

Sincerely,

A Comic Girl :)

Theory: Zendaya's "Michelle" is an Inhuman??

This blog was started to write about my hunch that Zendaya is playing Spider-Woman in the upcoming SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING coming to theaters July 7, 2017. In 1 more month we'll all find out what the big mystery is, but today I was struck with a new possibility:


Could Zendaya be playing this character?

Image copied from Marvel.wikia.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Her name is Michelle and she's only featured in the Civil War II comic storyline. In the comics, she is a college student who gets exposed to a mutagen substance called Terrigen Mist. The exposure trapped her inside a cocoon, and she came out as a monster that ended up attacking people, then later fighting Ironheart: Iron Man's young black female successor.


Below, Michelle's appearance in the comics and Zendaya's appearance in the 2nd SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING trailer look interestingly similar:




Image copied from ProjectFandom.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Image copied from Seventeen.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

The background scenery in the pictures also looks similar. Zendaya's hair is naturally wavy, almost like the girl in the comic panel.


If you haven't seen the trailer yet, the image of Zendaya and Spider-Man is during a clip where Zendaya's character is yelling "My friends are up there!", implying that Spider-Man has to save people from a high point (or possibly a bad guy, the Vulture, is holding "Michelle's" friends hostage in the sky). But in this video of extended clips from the trailer, Zendaya's character says that she sits with Peter and Ned because she doesn't have any friends.


So does Zendaya's "Michelle" have friends or not? The comic version of Michelle has friends. Earlier I guessed that Zendaya's character is spying on Peter Parker and only pretending to be a high school student. But this could be one of the things that make you go hmm about "Michelle"...

Clue #1: The Inhumans

Phase 4 of the MCU was reportedly going to start with a movie for The Inhumans, but since the characters have been added to the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, it doesn't seem likely that a movie is going to happen. However, the Inhumans are getting a IMAX screen premiere for the first 2 episodes of the upcoming TV show, which will happen in September - just a few months after SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING hits theaters.


Michelle has a link to the Inhumans because her college friend Ulysses was turned into an Inhuman by the same Terrigen Mist that turned her into a villainous creature. At first my theory was that phase 4 of the MCU will center around a Skrull invasion, and I think that's still possible with the inclusion of CAPTAIN MARVEL. But what if the Inhumans were originally supposed to be in the MCU in order to have Terrigen Mist devastating the world? Then it's possible that Michelle was placed in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING because she'll end up being a character who gets affected by Terrigen Mist in the sequels.

Clue #2: Ironheart

Image copied from Screenrant.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

As mentioned above, the character Michelle battles against Ironheart in her own comic book run. Ironheart / Riri Williams looks a little like Zendaya, and there's a possibility that Ironheart will be in future MCU movies since:

• The battle against Thanos in the upcoming movies Avengers: Infinity War part 1 and 2 will probably kill off some major characters.
• The MCU is slowly moving in new superheroes that weren't part of phase 1 and 2: characters like Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, and of course Spider-Man. This implies that some of the older Avengers are going to fade off screen for the newcomers to have the spotlight
• If Ironman possibly retires or dies, Riri Williams might decide to take over as Ironheart in the MCU
• Marvel just recently debuted her character in the comics last year. Maybe the comics were released to prepare for the character being introduced on the big screen

I think Marvel could possibly turn Zendaya's "Michelle" into the new Ironheart, and in that case she would probably turn out to be a friend or sidekick of Spider-Man. She could even be the answer to fans who really wanted to see Miles Morales as Spider-Man on the big screen - who knows? If Zendaya's "Michelle" does end up being Ironheart, her character has been described as an intellectual introvert, which would be a similar match against the "Riri Williams" character of the comics. But if Zendaya's "Michelle" is the same Michelle in the comics, then she must end up being somebody that the superheroes are going to fight.

Clue #3: Civil War II

Image copied from Marvel.wikia.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

I think there are a few interesting things about this comic run:

• The comics were first published right in the same month that SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING started filming last year. Before June 2016, the character "Michelle" didn't exist except as Michelle Gonzalez.

Some of the events in the comics match right up with how the MCU has been unfolding on screen:

• "Civil War II" happens right after the original Civil War between Iron Man and Captain America. Is it a coincidence that CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR was the movie that first introduced Spider-Man to the MCU?
• "Civil War II" involves a battle with Thanos, who is confirmed to be the main villain in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR 1 &2 coming soon.
• "Civil War II" features the Inhumans, who were originally supposed to be part of the MCU phase 4. It also features the characters we're going to see in upcoming movies: Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and it even features Spider-Woman (my original guess as to who Zendaya is playing in the movies).

All this is just food for thought, like the rest of this blog. I think it's safe to say that Zendaya is NOT playing Mary Jane, but she must be playing somebody important if her nerdy character is going to be in Spider-Man sequels.


What do you think? I'd love to know your thoughts!


Sincerely,


A Comic Girl

Possible Spoiler: Is This Girl Secretly Cast as Mary Jane Watson?! (Edited With New Pictures)

Please do NOT read this if you want to be surprised and wait for the movie!


This post is pure speculation, but it could contain the name of the actress who may have been cast as Mary Jane in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. 
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You have been warned!

Case Study: Why Zendaya Could be Right for Spider-Woman

Images copied from Glamour.com and Twitter.com; I don't own the rights to these pictures!

Why did Marvel cast Zendaya?

When Deadline reported that Zendaya would play a key character in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, I had a feeling that Zendaya was cast as a superhero who would get to fight in the sequels. Since the report said that Zendaya wasn't playing a love interest for Peter Parker in the film, I looked at some reasons why Marvel may have chose her for "Michelle":

• Zendaya auditioned to be in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE and nearly got to play Storm. She was also the frontrunner for the lead in ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL.
• Zendaya plays a teen spy on the Disney show K.C. Undercover. It seems like she prefers action movie and TV roles.
• Zendaya has comic timing, and a dance background in ballroom and hip hop.

Reports also said that Zendaya landed the role after testing with Tom Holland. It's clear that Zendaya and Tom get along well, if you watch them hanging out with Zendaya's friend Deja Carter below:

All together, Zendaya would make a good partner, enemy, or ally for Spider-Man. She would be able to match Spider-Man's wise-cracking jokes while they're both in costume. She's nimble, trained, and would do well in fighting scenes.


By comparison, Zendaya's skill set would be kind of wasted if she was strictly playing a love interest.

The name "Michelle" could be an undercover alias

Zendaya's picture on the set of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING indicates that her character doesn't want to fit in at school:

Image copied from DailyMail.co.uk; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Just like Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club, Zendaya's "Michelle" was described as the girl who keeps to herself, reads a lot, is awkward and weird. It's likely that the kids at school avoid her. That would make it easy for Michelle to go unnoticed as a secret agent.

This post explained how Jessica Drew, or Spider-Woman, was one of the catalysts to the start of the Secret Invasion in the comics. Jessica was working as a double agent for HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D in order to get her full powers back, after her powers were stolen by Charlotte Witter (another version of Spider-Woman). The Skrulls, posing as HYDRA, tricked Jessica and kidnapped her when her powers were fully restored. Skrull queen Veranke took over Jessica's identity by copying her DNA, and Veranke pretended to be Spider-Woman in order to infiltrate the Avengers.  

It's possible that Zendaya's "Michelle" is trying to get information on S.H.I.E.L.D operations, while she goes to school under a fake name. Also, she could be enrolled at Midtown High because she tracked down the Shocker and the Tinkerer.

Jessica Drew's mother = inspiration for a character name?

Image copied from Marvel.Wikia.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Jessica Drew's backstory in the comics starts when she became life-threateningly sick as a child due to radiation. Her father was a scientist doing research on spiders. In an attempt to save his daughter's life, Jonathan Drew injected Jessica with an untested serum made from rare spider's blood. Jessica was sealed in a genetic accelerator room, hoping that she would recover fast enough to escape death. Jessica woke up from a coma several years in the future, finding out that her parents were gone and she had new powers. Jessica was adopted by Otto Vermis, a leader of HYDRA who taught her how to be a spy and a fighter.

Jessica Drew's parents were named Jonathan and Miriam Drew. Miriam is the Hebrew name that inspired other translations like Maryam, Maria, and Mary - which is similar to "Mary Jane".

What if Marvel wanted to have Jessica Drew in the movies? They could've changed the spelling of Jessica Drew, like they did for Betty Brant (adding a D), but comic readers would still know who the character is. If Marvel wants Jessica to start out as a spy that will be revealed to Peter Parker later, then that blows the surprise out of the water.

Changing her first name makes Jessica Drew a new character. It's like calling Mary Jane Watson "Michelle Jane Watson". People probably wouldn't like or understand the reason for changing her name. So far, no one else in the cast of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING has a changed name from the comics.

A possible way around things is to re-name Jessica Drew's parents as Jonathan and Michelle Drew. If that happened, then what if Zendaya's character is using the alias name "Michelle" as a way to remember her dead mother?

The character's full name is Jessica Miriam Drew, which shows that she was named after her mother. If Jessica's middle name is changed, her full name could become Jessica Michelle Drew.

In both cases, what if Zendaya's character's real name is Jessica?

"Black Widow"

It seems like Marvel took inspiration from Ganke Lee to create the new Ned Leeds in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. See Ganke, and Jacob Batalon playing Ned Leeds below:

Image copied from Inverse.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Image copied from Tumblr.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Ganke comes from the Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, where his best friend Miles Morales takes over after Peter Parker dies. Ultimate Marvel is an alternate universe separate from Marvel's "Earth-616". Earth-616 is the comic universe that contains most of the Marvel characters we're all familiar with, including Peter Parker as Spider-Man.

Jessica Drew exists in Ultimate Marvel. In those comics, she's actually a female clone of Peter Parker. Doctor Octopus / Otto Octavius, having a similar name to Otto Vermis, created Peter Parker clones for the CIA. Jessica doesn't have parents like the 616 version of Jessica Drew - technically, Peter Parker is her parent.

Image copied from Fanpop.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Marvel could borrow from the Ultimate Marvel universe to create a new version of Jessica Drew, like they did for Ned Leeds. "Michelle" doesn't have to be a clone of Peter Parker, but:

• Marvel could use how Jessica and Miles Morales met each other, to have a similar meeting between Spider-Man and Spider-Woman. In the comics, Nick Fury told Jessica that somebody new had taken on the identity of Spider-Man after Peter Parker died. Jessica found Miles and confronted him about impersonating Spider-Man. The movie version could have Zendaya's character and Peter Parker unmask each other in a confrontation or a possible fight. Then both of them are surprised that they know each other from school, and they're both superheroes.
• Jessica used the alias "Julia Carpenter", the name of a former Spider-Woman, to perform one of her first missions where she went undercover as a scientist at Roxxon. In the movie, Zendaya's character could be using an alias name "Michelle" to pretend to be a student.
• If Marvel chooses to keep the clone origin story of Jessica, then it could work. Zendaya and Tom Holland could pass for relatives, if Zendaya's DNA was filled in with somebody else of African-American descent, in order to make her a girl.

Changes to her ethnicity?

Image copied from Papelpop.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

The original Jessica Drew is from England, but moved to Transia with her parents. It's probably likely that Marvel would change Jessica's birth country, since it doesn't affect her character. Jessica's origin story could happen anywhere, with the same results of how she got her powers and became an orphan. On the other hand, characters like Captain America and Magneto can't be changed to another nationality. Where there from affects who they are.

When it was reported that Zendaya was playing Mary Jane Watson, Stan Lee had this to say about the racist backlash (emphasis mine):

"If she is as good an actress as I hear she is, I think she'll be absolutely wonderful," Lee told the paper. "The color of their skin doesn't matter, their religion doesn't matter, all that matters is that this is the right person for the role." Lee said it's totally fine for characters to be transformed when they move from the page to the movies, noting that late black actor Michael Clarke Duncan was cast as Kingpin in the 2003 Daredevil movie. "In the Daredevil movie, the Kingpin – who had been white in the comics – he was a black man playing the role, and he played it beautifully,” Lee said.

So much attention was paid to Stan Lee endorsing Zendaya, but not many people talked about Stan Lee indirectly showing his approval for the casting choices of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING.

 

The supporting cast has more people of color than we're used to seeing in a comic book movie, which is a good thing. Also, the changes aren't for the hell of it. The characters needed to be tweaked for the movies.

Peter Parker, Tony Stark, and now probably Mary Jane haven't been changed. It's not because the main characters deserve to stay white. It's because they're characters that we need to be able to recognize when we see them on screen, since they're the main representatives of the comics.


I think this is part of why the new Fantastic 4 was so hated. The writers took 2 star characters that tell us who and what the movie is about, and the writers changed the characters beyond recognition, for no explicable reason. That almost never works. It's also a sign that there are going to be fundamental problems with the movie's story, if the writers don't respect the source material enough to give us the characters that made the source material famous. That's the same reason why it wouldn't make sense to let white people play Black Panther or Storm.


Jessica Drew isn't a flagship character of Spider-Man. Some of the issues with her backstory have been discussed in previous posts. Basically, it's too complicated. Also, she was retconned a couple of times. I think she died at one point, but she was brought back to life. The Ultimate Marvel comics did a better job of connecting Spider-Man and Spider-Woman.


If Jessica Drew is another character to get a makeover, then changing her race could be a nice touch. If all of Jessica's history from Europe to California gets cut, then Marvel could make her born and raised in New York. A black super-girl raised in New York is not a farfetched idea.


What if Jessica's father was working on the same kind of spider that turned radioactive and bit Peter Parker? He could be the reason why the spider was loose in the first place. Jessica's father could've been an employee of General Techtronics Laboratories. It's possible to make Zendaya's character, Peter Parker, and Cindy Moon all share a connection, if Zendaya's character is Jessica Drew with a slightly changed origin story.

Possibilities for MCU Phase 4

Image copied from JustJared.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

The picture above was taken at Comic-Con this summer. Laura Harrier and Zendaya posed with the starring ladies of:

• GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL.2
• BLACK PANTHER
• Rachel McAdams, who plays the love interest in DOCTOR STRANGE
• Tilda Swinton, who plays the Ancient One in DOCTOR STRANGE (another controversially race-swapped character)
• Brie Larson, who will play the lead role Carol Danvers in CAPTAIN MARVEL

The cast of upcoming movies in MCU Phase 3 make it seem likely that Phase 4 will be about the Skrull Invasion. Zendaya fits in well with the cast.


Does Marvel have an actress to play Spider-Woman already, or will Zendaya be playing the role that kick-starts the Invasion? If the story is going to happen, somebody has to play Spider-Woman. So far there aren't any actresses cast that I'm aware of.

What do you think about Zendaya playing Spider-Woman? Who do you see her playing in SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING?


Sincerely,


A Comic Girl
@ZisSpiderwoman 

Today's News: Stunt Double Pictures Indicate that Mary Jane Watson Will NOT Be Zendaya

Umberto Gonzalez / El Mayimbe's "scoop" may be debunked sooner than some of us think!


Pictures posted by JustJared.com were taken from the SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING set in Atlanta yesterday. Apparently they were filming a helicopter scene. As soon as the pictures were shared on Twitter, there was speculation about the stunt girl being Mary Jane. Here are the clues that stand out to me:

Most obvious clue: the stunt double's hair color

Image copied from JustJared.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

It's just right for Mary Jane Watson. If you take a look at both stunt doubles that appear in Just Jared's photos, they are both redheads. See below:

Image copied from JustJared.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

The first stunt double's hair color is vibrant ginger, but the girl in the second picture is more auburn. You can still tell that her hair is red because of the strands flying near her ear.


Natural redheads commonly have a peaches-and-cream skin complexion. Like this:

Image copied from GemmaKennelly.co.uk; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Peaches-and-cream skin tends to look rosy but pale, sometimes freckled, and doesn't tan well. Notice that both of the stunt girls in the pictures above have this complexion. You can see it best on the stunt girls' legs: they kind of look slightly pink.

The dress

Both girls in the pictures are wearing short dresses with sneakers. That's a sign that they're both standing in for a character who is supposed to be dressed the same way in the scene. Both of the girls are also taking selfies with a camera while Spider-Man carries them.

Filmed at night

The pictures show that the buildings in the background are dark, which is a clue that this is supposed to be a nighttime scene.

Does this take place after the Homecoming school dance?

This is just my guess on what I think is happening:

• We get to see "Face it, tiger ... you just hit the jackpot!" on screen. Peter Parker takes Mary Jane Watson to the dance: the reason why her stunt doubles are wearing a party dress.
• Somebody attacks the school dance. Peter has to save Mary Jane.
• ComicVine's Mary Jane dictionary writes that Mary Jane spotted Peter Parker in his Spider-Man costume one night, leaving the house through his bedroom window. It's possible that maybe Mary Jane will accidentally see Peter change into his costume at the dance, but she won't tell anybody - just like in the comics.
• Mary Jane can't believe that she went to the dance with Spider-Man! Since her character is playful and loves the spotlight, she starts recording herself with Spider-Man in the air.

What do you think? I'd love to read your opinion here, or on my new Twitter account @ZisSpiderwoman!


Sincerely,


A Comic Girl


Edit: I didn't see that there were more pictures posted on the next page of JustJared's website! Here's yet another picture of a red-haired stunt double:

Image copied from JustJared.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

She's wearing a different outfit from the other 2 girls (Twitter handle @AtlantaFilming stated that 3 stunt girls were involved in this scene, but I couldn't find a picture of the 3rd girl until now).


Maybe they haven't decided on what Mary Jane should wear in the scene. It's also possible that she's wearing a different outfit to keep people from guessing that all of the girls are standing in for the same character. In any case, her top and pants are stylish enough to wear to a dance. What do you think?

Signs that Spider-Woman Could Be Part of Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4

Image copied from AgentsOfGuard.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

Marvel planned its superhero movies to follow a cohesive story arc. The movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are divided into groups that round out each chapter of the story.

Phase 1 is the beginning of the Avengers. Also, the movies in this phase foreshadow the upcoming Infinity War. The movies are:

• Iron Man 1 and 2
• Thor
• The Incredible Hulk
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• The Avengers

Phase 2 introduced new superheroes, while continuing to build up to the Infinity War. Ultron shows up at the end to destroy the world, which forces the superheroes to defend humanity. Phase 2 movies are:

• Iron Man 3
• Thor: The Dark World
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Ant-Man

We're in Phase 3 now. The threat of Ultron caused the Avengers to start turning against each other. More superheroes are showing up to take sides with the Avengers, including Spider-Man who is joining the MCU with his first movie next summer. The Infinity War will be the climax story of this phase. The movies that we're looking forward to are:

• Captain America: Civil War (May 2016)
• Doctor Strange
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Black Panther
• Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1
• Ant-Man and the Wasp
• Captain Marvel
• Avengers: Infinity War -Part 2

Reportedly, the last movie will be in theaters by 2019.

Carol Danvers could be the biggest clue to Marvel's plan for Phase 4

The end of the Infinity War will leave room for different characters to take center stage. Phase 4 will be most likely be a fresh start to the MCU, with some new leading characters.


SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING has its own world of characters to develop in the sequels. Peter Parker is just getting started as a superhero, and if the leaked call sheet is true, then some of Peter's classmates could also turn out to be superheroes. Such as Cindy Moon / Silk:

Image copied from Tumblr.com; I don't have the rights to this picture!

But the first female superhero solo movie comes out just before the end of the Infinity War:

Image copied from Marvel.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

... and I think that she will have a significant impact.


Captain Marvel, also known as Carol Danvers, received superpowers when she was kidnapped by Kree aliens on a NASA mission, and her DNA was altered. She became half-human, half-Kree. Her powers forced her to quit working for NASA, but in the end Carol adopted the name "Ms. Marvel" and joined forces with Spider-Man and the Avengers. She also led the New Avengers, a group which included Doctor Strange.


Phase 4 of the MCU was reportedly going to start with a movie for The Inhumans, but since the characters have been added to the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, it doesn't seem likely that a movie is going to happen. However, the Inhumans' origin story begins with the Kree alien race. It seems that aliens were always going to be Marvel's theme for Phase 4.


Since she's half-human, half-Kree, Captain Marvel brings the potential to take the Avengers into battles in space, and on earth with space aliens wreaking havoc.


Her best friend in the comics could also play a part ... and now that Marvel and Sony are working together, it's possible to bring the character to the big screen.

A Phase 4 Secret Invasion would involve all of the new cast, and "Spider-Woman" 

Image copied from ComicVine.GameSpot.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

In a previous post, it was mentioned that Spider-Woman has had 5 different identities. One of them was Veranke, queen of the alien Skrull race. In the comics, Veranke pretended to be Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman, while the Skrulls invaded Earth.


All of the upcoming MCU characters have roles to play in the Secret Invasion:

• The Inhumans (possibly cancelled)
• Captain Marvel (as Ms. Marvel in the comics)
• Ant-Man
• The Wasp
• Doctor Strange
• Black Panther
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Spider-Man

Also, the formation of the Mighty Avengers happens during this storyline. Ronin, an identity assumed by Blade, was one of the Infinity recruits to the Mighty Avengers. That makes it just a little more possible that Abraham Attah's character might be associated with Blade, possibly Blade himself.


And according to CosmicBookNews.com, there are rumors that Marvel and Fox are working together to bring X-Men to a Phase 4 movie in 2020. If a deal is struck like the one between Marvel and Sony, then we'll get to see the full cast of characters for a Skrull invasion.

A candidate to play "Spider-Woman" / Veranke

If Marvel plans to follow the timeline in the comics, then Spider-Woman could be working as a double agent for HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D when the story begins. Her powers are gone. She falls for a trap of Skrulls posing as a HYDRA cell, and Veranke holds her hostage. Veranke then assumes Spider-Woman's identity, fooling everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D, and the Skrull takeover begins.


After the Skrull invasion is defeated, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman team up as part of the New Avengers. Finally, they end up meeting Silk.


More speculation to come, but I'd love to know what you think so far. Sincerely,


A Comic Girl

El Mayimbe Claims that Zendaya Plays Mary Jane Watson. He's Wrong. Here's Proof

Image copied from iFunny.co; I don't own the rights to this meme!

Umberto Gonzalez, also known as @ElMayimbe on Twitter, is a reporter for The Wrap who shares spoilers about upcoming Marvel and DC movies. Not all of the spoilers turn out to be true, but I don't think that he always deserves the blame. There are constant last-minute changes behind the scenes, and sometimes even the sources lie to protect big secrets. See STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS.


Umberto started the rumor that Zendaya is playing Mary Jane Watson, and it spread like wildfire because it's so exciting. Publications aren't questioning the credibility of the rumor, but it needs a deeper look.

The Wrap's strangely written "exclusive" article

A quote from The Wrap says (emphasis mine):

Zendaya will be playing long-time Spider-Man love interest Mary Jane Watson in next summer’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” two individuals with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

What does "two individuals with knowledge of the project" mean? The right way to credit sources is to call them sources. "Two individuals with knowledge of the project" could be the caterers working at the set of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING in Atlanta. They could even be employees of The Wrap.


Basically, "two individuals" could be anybody.


Another quote from the article reads (emphasis mine again):

At least one recent draft of the script has Zendaya’s character dropping several clues to her identity as Mary Jane, one of the most familiar love interests in the Marvel superhero’s universe — and played by Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi‘s 2002-07 movie trilogy starring Tobey Maguire as the webslinger.

In my previous post, I asked if Umberto has seen the script that is being used to shoot SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. "At least one recent draft of the script" says no.


Umberto has no clue what's in the final draft of the script.


It makes sense that SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING went through some script changes. The cast wasn't complete when shooting started in June. Marvel is trying to keep some characters a secret, like Donald Glover's role, and here's 1 way to do that: write fake scripts to prevent themselves from being spoiled.


Did somebody let El Mayimbe's "two individuals" take a look at a dummy script?


The clues are in the phrase: "At least one recent draft". Recent draft would mean that some things were in an older script, but they aren't going to be in the movie. At least one would mean that Zendaya's character wasn't Mary Jane in all of the draft scripts!


Even saying that Zendaya's character was going to be Mary Jane at one point, is an assumption. The Wrap stated that Zendaya's character was "dropping several clues". That's not a confirmation.


Why didn't they just read to the end of the script and make sure that it's Mary Jane?

Did Vulture get fooled by a fake script thanks to El Mayimbe?

Vulture.com published the quote below:

As per the Wrap, Zendaya is actually playing Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker's best-known love interest and one brought to the big screen by Kirsten Dunst in the first three Spider-Man films. According to Vulture's own sources, Michelle's real identity was a twist meant to be confirmed near the end of the film when she would finally invite Peter to call her "M.J.,"

It's a little interesting that Vulture found some sources after The Wrap broke the story. Too bad that Vulture didn't break the story first.


But I don't think that Vulture is being dishonest at all. Unfortunately, it seems like Vulture was possibly tricked by the same "two individuals" in El Mayimbe's exclusive.


Vulture's article says that its sources told them that Zendaya's character says "Call me M.J.". That fits into El Mayimbe's story of a draft script "dropping several clues". "M.J." is only a clue, because it's just 2 initials. Sure, the obvious guess is "Mary Jane", but assumptions must be fueling the news.


Zendaya's character is "M" for Michelle. What if Zendaya's character was telling a sarcastic Michael Jackson joke, after she surprises everybody at the homecoming dance with her moves? Zendaya is a fan of Michael Jackson, and a trained hip hop dancer:

I'm just saying.


Even if Zendaya was written as Mary Jane in the draft, it doesn't prove that SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING is filming with that version of the script. Since only "at least one" of the scripts made Zendaya seem like Mary Jane, it's possible that one script which doesn't sound like the others is a fake.


At least Vulture tried to get script details from their sources, since they value their integrity as a news publication. El Mayimbe heard that at least one script had several clues, but he published that as an exclusive. Jumping the gun may be why some of his "scoops" end up being completely untrue.

Star Lord's father in "Guardians of the Galaxy 2"

Image copied from GamesRadar.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

In a situation eerily similar to this Mary Jane Watson rumor, El Mayimbe claimed that several sources told him who Star Lord's father would be revealed to be in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". Here's a quote from his article:

For a story of this magnitude, I took my time and gathered as many sources as I possibly could on this one. I got a total of four. They were tasked with one objective: get me a name. Nothing else. No specifics, no details, just a name. What are the chances that four individuals who don’t know each other getting such a crucial piece of information wrong? The chances are highly unlikely.

Pause ... Umberto wrote that he went to the trouble of finding 4 sources, only to ask for the name of a character. He specifically said that he didn't want details.


Details are a way to corroborate a story and fact-check sources. What reporter goes out of their way to ignore the facts?


Compare this story to the exclusive about Zendaya being Mary Jane. The Wrap article says that El Mayimbe didn't check the facts there, either. His "two individuals" pulled some clues from at least one draft script out of possibly several.


In both cases, El Mayimbe heard some information from a 3rd party, but he didn't ask for facts. Here's another quote from the Star Lord scoop article:

I was warned that this would be heavily denied so if Marvel comes out swinging don’t buy it. It’s expected. After all, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 is still two years out. Again, what are the chances of four different sources being wrong.

GOTG2 wasn't going to come out for another 2 years after El Mayimbe posted this scoop. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING isn't due until next summer, almost a year from now. In both cases, what made his sources confident that they had the right names?


And how would he know which information made his sources sure that they were right, since El Mayimbe doesn't think it's important to examine the details?


This last quote doesn't make any sense to me, but here it is:

Again, what are the chances of four different sources being wrong. Also, the following character plays a pivotal role in the origin of another Marvel signature character getting a solo film.

El Mayimbe said earlier that he told his sources to bring him nothing but a name, no details or specifics. Where did he get any of the information about "a pivotal role" and a "Marvel signature character" getting his or her own film??


Director James Gunn actually made a statement to deny El Mayimbe's scoop, after the rumor spread just like it's happening now with Mary Jane. Here's part of his statement:

All right. From this moment on I’m going to stop commenting on any rumors surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, because, eventually, someone is going to come up with a spoiler that has some truth to it. That said, the rumors surrounding Quill’s parentage at the present moment are completely false, and aren’t even close to the truth. I don’t know how people come up with this stuff, but it certainly isn’t through legitimate sources.

... this will be my last comment squelching a rumor until May 2017. But if you do pick up on some plot detail between now and then, be aware, A) They are likely full of shit, as has been everyone so far who has claimed to have had inside info, and B) We’re creating a film that doesn’t rely on plot twists to be an enjoyable experience. They’re only a very small part of what we’re cooking up for you. 

Were shots fired at El Mayimbe in this statement?


The story has a pretty embarrassing ending, summarized at Gamezone.com. Via Twitter, El Mayimbe tried to force James Gunn to admit that the Star Lord scoop was true. James Gunn kept denying it, but he was accused of lying. Finally, El Mayimbe apologized to Marvel, and tweeted that his spoiler was wrong.

Maybe if he had asked for details ...

Marvel knows better than to give El Mayimbe REAL information

Image copied from ComicBookMovie.com; I don't own the rights to this picture!

El Mayimbe doesn't care about ruining the movie experience for us. If Zendaya really was supposed to be a Mary Jane reveal at the end of SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, then we can all thank El Mayimbe for taking away the surprise.


Why would Marvel trust him with spoilers? He didn't show any respect for Marvel when he harrassed James Gunn on Twitter, after James Gunn had already given a statement saying that he wasn't going to talk about it anymore.


Deadline, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter aren't saying anything about the Mary Jane rumor. They get reliable information, and were the first ones to say that Zendaya would be in the movie, playing Michelle.


I think that Sony and Marvel are probably laughing their heads off at this Mary Jane rumor. El Mayimbe's "individuals with knowledge" possibly fell for a fake script. The free publicity from this rumor is hyping everybody up to see SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING. And secret details about the movie are staying unrevealed!

What happens to El Mayimbe if the rumor is proven false?

I think he'll try to go on with business as usual. Sometimes spoilers really don't pan out because of changes behind the scenes.


I think that some people will be very angry and disappointed, though. Some of Zendaya's fans are only planning to see the movie because they heard that she's playing Mary Jane. Some comic book fans have already decided that they won't see the movie, because the frumpy look of "Mary Jane" in pictures taken from the set are not promising the right character.


Some people who don't regularly report comic news, published news articles based on El Mayimbe's scoop because of Zendaya's popularity. Zendaya has more than 20 million Instagram followers, and almost 7 million Twitter followers.


He may not care, but I could see this possibly being the biggest blow to El Mayimbe's credibility yet.


Next, I wanted to write about Stan Lee endorsing Zendaya as Mary Jane. What do you think? Should El Mayimbe be believed about the Mary Jane scoop?


Sincerely,


A Comic Girl