Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has spoken out against the backlash on Facebook; while decidedly not confirming Zendaya – best known for her early performances on Disney Channel shows – is playing MJ, he reasoned that race is not the reason she was chosen for the role but acting credentials.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming both come to cinemas next year.
For me, what makes MJ MJ is her alpha female playfulness, and if the actress captures that, then she’ll work.
On numerous occasions, comic-book characters’ race has been changed when adapted for the big screen, particularly when it comes to Marvel.