Kirsten Dunst is currently making her media rounds for Alex Garland’s Civil Way and she briefly discussed Spider-Man: No Way Home. In short, the actress stated that she would’ve happily returned for the big event film, but Dunst simply never got the call to do so. The Oscar nominee got her big break in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man as the original Mary Jane Watson.
Watching her complex relationship with Peter Parker/Spider-Man was fun to watch, though her character never escaped the girlfriend stage. Still, Mary Jane was a notable part of Sam Raimi’s films. She was also commended for her performance throughout her time in Spider-Man. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a huge celebration of the past and present. Did Kevin Feige and Sony miss the opportunity to bring back the original Mary Jane?
Spider-Man: No Way Home Was A Crowded Film
The 2021 film was massively overcrowded. It saw the returns of Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Electro, Sandman, Reptile, and Venom. Plus, we can’t forget about Andrew Garfield and Tobey McGuire’s return as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The film was so overstuffed, that Venom only made a mid credit scene cameo because there was simply too much going. To be honest, if you took out Sandman and Reptile, the story wouldn’t have been different. The focus was on the first three characters, mainly Green Goblin.
Unfortunately, some names got a short end of the stick. As great as it would’ve been to see what the original Mary Jane was up to, the script simply didn’t call for it. There have been comics that actually put Mary Jane in the middle of the action; she’s most notably known as Spider-Woman. Those no telling what the direction for her character would’ve been for Spider-Man 4, but there were never hints that her character was developing into such a persona. Long story short, Mary Jane had no purpose in Spider-Man: No Way Home, not even for a simple cameo.
Bringing Back Mary Jane Watson Needed To Have Some True Meaning
Mary Jane was never as important as Peter Parker, but it still would’ve been nice to see how her character was doing in the modern era. It’s fun to see how people grow and evolve, and a side story that focused on Peter and MJ would’ve nicely severed as a fun blast from the past. How is Peter Parker holding up as a superhero in 2021? Has Mary Jane embraced his lifestyle over ten years later? Did she end up turning into Spider-Woman?
There’s certainly a story to tell by going back to the original characters. It’s actually a shame that Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn’t a two-part event that allowed audiences to get a better glimpse of Tobey’s world. Spider-Man: No Way Home was Tom Holland’s story. It’s understandable why the writers opted to not include Mary Jane. They couldn’t get lost in the lore of Tobey or Andrew’s Spider-Man, they had to keep the story on Tom Holland. They just to figure out a clever way to bring back the first Spider-Men in Tom Holland’s world.
Was It A Missed Opportunity To Not Include Mary Jane Watson In Spider-Man: No Way Home?
As great as it would’ve been to see MJ one more time, she just wasn’t necessary for No Way Home. A quick cameo wouldn’t make sense because we weren’t in her dimension. Something long term was pointless because her role wasn’t as significant as the other names in films. Hell, Venom had two movies and he did even get a second in the actual film! In the comics, there’s fun ideas explored with Mary Jane Watson as something more than Peter Parker’s girlfriend. I wish Sam Raimi’s films did the same.
They didn’t and No Way Home wouldn’t have any time to explore that option either. It’s possible that Mary Jane could’ve simply came on board as Spider-Woman because it has been ten years, but she still wouldn’t have gotten the proper spotlight she deserved. It’s Tom Holland’s story, so we would’ve likely got a quick moment of dialogue explaining how she became Spider-Woman. The character deserves more than that. It would be cool if we got one more Spider-Man film with Tobey McGuire, but as it stands, Mary Jane wasn’t needed for No Way Home.
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