Zendaya Is Playing A Mysterious Role In This Major Superhero Movie

Zendaya — the wise-beyond-her-years Disney kid turned pop star — has reportedly landed a part in a highly anticipated movie. Deadline reports that Zendaya has a "key role" in the latest Spider-Man movie. Yes, they are making another one, with Tom Holland in the suit. (Au revoir, Andrew Garfield.) Zendaya's casting is exciting news, given that that the production has faced criticism for hiring yet another white actor as the hero. That said, we're still keeping our expectations in check. According to Deadline, Zendaya is playing a character named "Michelle." The name alone would seem to indicate that Zendaya is not going to be the latest Mary Jane Watson (formerly portrayed by Kirsten Dunst) or Gwen Stacy (once the alter ego of Emma Stone, and before her, Bryce Dallas Howard). Deadline also notes that the part "doesn't sound like" a romantic counterpart for Peter Parker. (Also worth pointing out? The Hollywood Reporter explains that "sources say it is not a lead role.") So who is Michelle? There is a "Michele" in the Spider-Man canon: Michele Gonzales, a onetime roommate/love interest of Peter Parker's. Or maybe Zendaya is playing an entirely new badass superhero in her own right. We can dream, can't we? Regardless of the nature of Zendaya's part, as THR's Borys Kit noted on Twitter: "Sources tell me that Marvel/Sony has been looking to go heavily non-white with the SPIDER-MAN supporting cast." So even though another white guy is playing Spidey, Sony and Marvel are at least attempting to make his world more diverse.