Jul 22, 2026 11:30am IST
Zendaya On ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’: “Now That Peter Parker’s Alone, He’s Adopted That Negativity And MJ’s Adopted His Positivity”
At the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) made the ultimate sacrifice by allowing the world to forget he ever existed. That decision wiped out every memory his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned had of him, leaving Peter isolated while the duo moved forward into their collegiate futures.
As the franchise prepares to kick off its next chapter with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, Zendaya offers an intriguing look into how MJ has navigated life in the wake of that cosmic reset, and how the loss of Peter has subtly reshaped both of their personalities.
Related Stories
Approaching the iconic character from a fresh perspective proved to be an exciting acting challenge for Zendaya, who had to treat her longtime co-star as a total stranger on camera.
"I feel like it was fun," Zendaya shares. "We kind of describe it as like a fun acting exercise. Like, OK, do the scene. But now, as if you've never met before, you know. But it was fun to investigate and think about like what their lives have been like without Peter."
Despite having no conscious recollection of Peter Parker, MJ's path remains inextricably linked to his. Zendaya notes that the bond they once shared has left an indelible, invisible mark on who MJ has become. In a surprising twist for this new film, the dynamic between the two characters has completely flipped.
"In previous films MJ was always the pessimist and it was Peter that was always the optimist," Zendaya explains. "And so it's interesting to see that reversal, you know. Now that he's alone, he's kind of adopted that negativity and she's adopted his positivity without even knowing it. Right. So there's clearly something still there."
While Peter languishes in grief and cynicism, MJ and Ned are thriving in New York City, even as an inexplicable void lingers in the background of their daily routine. Ned turns to tracking Spider-Man in an effort to make sense of the hero's constant presence in their lives, while MJ carries forward the hopeful outlook Peter once gave her.
That lingering emotional connection gives fans reason to hope that the pair might eventually find their way back to each other, even as Peter wrestles with the warnings left behind by his alternate-universe counterparts.
"I think in many ways this film is grappling with those ideas and really confronting the things that they warned him about," Zendaya says. "So I'm rooting for him. Always."
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.