Ever since the recent casting of Zendaya as Peter Parker's most well-known love interest, Mary Jane Watson, the internet is in turmoil. Well, the racist and stupid side of the internet. It seems many support the casting, while many don't. The major complain is the lack of Mary Jane's most distinctive feature, her red hair and her white skin color.
Many out there are logical about this casting, and that list includes Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn. He took to
Facebook to talk about the hate around the casting.
GUNN: Yesterday, a rumor broke out that the character of Mary Jane was being played by a young black woman, Zendaya, and all hell broke out on the Internet (again). I tweeted that if people find themselves complaining about Mary Jane’s ethnicity they have lives that are too good. (For those of you who think this means I’m confirming that Zendaya IS playing MJ, realize that although I’ve read the Spidey script, and I’ve met the actress in question, I have no idea what her role is. There’s a good chance someone told me at one time or another, but, if so, I can’t remember. I’m going to find out when I go into Marvel this afternoon, but I feel free to speak until that time because it’s about the concept about a black woman playing Mary Jane, not the actuality or hypothesis of it.)
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.
Well, Gunn is right. Zendaya isn't the actress many would think off as Mary Jane, but the casting is on-point. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Spider-Man: Homecoming arrives July 7th, 2017.
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