The MCU’s newest Spider-Man appearance replaces MJ with another character in its story – and in doing so, the release shows how Spider-Man 4 could survive taking the same approach. With the story of Spider-Man 4 set to debut in 2026, the aftermath of Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending is about to finally be explored 5 years after the first MCU trilogy concluded. This has the opportunity to answer many lingering questions, with one of the most relevant being what happened with MJ and Peter after this point, since MJ actor Zendaya is confirmed to be in the Spider-Man 4 cast.
However, it’s not clear in what capacity MJ will be returning in the movie – and indeed, many have theorized that this point in the MCU timeline could be a good place for Peter to gain another love interest, or otherwise to go it alone and focus on balancing his superhero endeavors with his college career and future prospects. Though this presents some theoretical challenges given how big a part of the prior Spider-Man movies MJ has been – and her prominence in Spider-Man’s own comics – 2025’s newest Marvel release shows that these other approaches are certainly possible with its own story.
MCU’s New Spider-Man Show Replaces MJ With A New Love Interest For Peter
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man debuts a wide range of characters in its premiere, featuring many figures who are underappreciated in both Spider-Man adaptations and wider Marvel movies and shows. This is especially interesting given that many of the characters most commonly associated with Peter – like MJ or Gwen Stacy – are thus far absent from the series. Instead, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 1 introduces another prospective love interest for Peter Parker via Pearl Pangan, with Peter’s crush on Pearl being a key plot point in the series’ first episode.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is set to release from January 29, 2025 to February 12.
A decent portion of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man episode 1 revolves around Peter working up the courage to ask Pearl out, only for his delayed timing in doing so meaning Lonnie Lincoln asks Pearl first, resulting in the pair dating and Peter’s hopes being quashed. However, this still remains interesting in the plot – partially because Lonnie swiftly becomes friends with Peter after this point, and partially because Pearl being given the story role usually taken primarily by MJ is a notable decision in several ways.
Why Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Features Pearl Pangan & Not MJ
MJ being such a prominent character in Spider-Man’s life may mean some viewers found it jarring to find her absent from the newest Marvel release, but ultimately this approach seems to be for the best. Indeed, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s decision to feature Pearl Pangan as the subject of Peter’s romantic interest and not feature MJ at all makes sense on several levels.
First and foremost, the show makes great efforts to include comic characters who don’t get as much attention in Marvel’s adaptations. This objective lends itself more to Pearl featuring in the story – especially since it could lead to her becoming a hero in her own right as well, since the comic character is a superhero named Wave who has the power to control water.
Secondly, this approach makes sense given the traditional timeline of Peter and MJ’s relationship as well, which usually comes a little further into Spider-Man’s life than high school – something that comes in part from the original comic storyline, wherein Peter rejects Aunt May’s repeated efforts to set him up on a date with MJ for some time before the pair’s actual romance begins to blossom. As such, MJ being absent from Peter’s life at this point in time makes sense, and it seems likely in this universe she may have simply gone to a different school than Midtown High School.
Finally, having MJ not yet feature in the series helps Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man to feel like its own distinct entity, much in the way that Ned Leeds being missing and the show’s Iron Man seemingly having no relationship with this universe’s Peter Parker helps solidify differences between the main MCU timeline and the alternate universe show. Since Spider-Man’s relationship with MJ is a big part of his story thus far in the MCU movies, it stands to reason that a story exploring different aspects of the hero would also potentially focus on other storylines and characters instead.
MCU’s New Spider-Man Series Shows Spider-Man 4 Doesn’t Need MJ To Work
While Peter and MJ’s relationship is a generally beloved part of Spider-Man’s Marvel story, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man doesn’t seem to suffer from the character not being a part of its current story. In fact, this decision arguably frees up more time for the series to explore corners of its alternate universe Spider-Man world, since generally Spider-Man adaptations need to dedicate a not inconsiderable amount of time to fleshing out MJ and making sure viewers root for her and Peter’s relationship.
As such, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man also appears to show that Spider-Man 4 doesn’t need MJ either in order to work, since Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending also removed MJ’s memories of her time with Peter, and thus dissolved their relationship. With Spider-Man 4 set to provide a fascinating look at a version of the MCU Spider-Man who has lost his support system and is forced to go it alone, it would make sense to focus on him finding a new path for himself, especially since other Spider-Man releases show how a fresh take can allow for different kinds of story expansion.
Though MJ is confirmed to be a part of the Spider-Man 4 cast, it’s also worth noting that it could benefit MJ herself for her to be less of a central character for the franchise’s next installment. Much in the way MJ appearing in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 2 or 3 – which have both been greenlit – could make her debut feel more impactful, Spider-Man 4 leaning away from MJ being a primary character could help things feel even more special if and when she reconnects with Parker, making their on-screen relationship feel stronger in the long run.
MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
