One rumor claimed that her character was actually that of Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man’s traditional love interest in the comics, and, while the character was clearly named Michelle in the film, at the end we discover that she likes to go by the nickname MJ.
Marvel’s head Kevin Feige has now clarified that while this is a reference to the classic character, Michelle is still an entirely different character from Mary Jane.
In the months leading up to the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, a great deal of attention was given to the character that Zendaya was playing as there was some question as to who she really was.