Michelle Jones-Watson, most commonly known as MJ, is a fictional character portrayed by Zendaya in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, an original character within the media franchise that pays homage to Mary Jane "MJ" Watson, a recurring love interest of Spider-Man in comic books and various media.

Her romantic involvement in Peter's personal life would eventually be undone due to Strange's casting of a spell that permanently erased the world's memory of Parker's civilian persona, including the loss of his previous bonds he forged with his friends, loved ones, and allies.

According to Spider-Man: Homecoming co-screenwriter John Francis Daley, Michelle was intended as a reinvention of Mary Jane Watson.

[1] MJ is portrayed by actress Zendaya in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a classmate of Peter Parker at Midtown School of Science and Technology and a teammate on the academic decathlon team.

[13] This sometimes manifests itself in the form of deadpan sarcasm,[14][15][16] as when she calls Peter and Ned "losers" for ogling his crush, Liz, from afar.

[19] In 2016, Michelle, commonly known as MJ, is introduced as a student at Midtown School of Science and Technology and enjoys mocking her classmates, including Peter Parker.

When she deduces Parker's identity as Spider-Man, MJ helps discover Mysterio's hero fraud, as he was the one who staged the Elemental invasion.

In London, MJ, Leeds, Betty Brant, and Flash Thompson are met by Happy Hogan and take cover from Mysterio's drones after they get targeted.

She and Leeds are instructed by Parker to keep watch over Strange's mystical box as he tries to help the individuals be cured of their villainous traits.

MJ falls off of the statue after a pumpkin bomb from Osborn detonates on the mystical box, destabilizing the spell once more and threatening the fabric of reality.

She and Leeds are told by Parker that Strange would recast the spell on his request to erase him from everyone's memory in order to send the universe-displaced back.

Weeks later, MJ greets Leeds at her shop, both having been accepted into MIT, and meets Parker, who considers re-applying with them, but ultimately decides against it.

Karen Han of Polygon felt that the character was a positive representation of strong female characters while additionally Vanity Fair noted how MJ was not portrayed as a warrior like Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter, Lupita Nyong'o's Nakia or Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne but also not a damsel and declared her as the "MJ we both need and deserve".

[31] MJ, alongside Parker and Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds were described as a "priceless trio" by Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood with his review of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

He also noted, "she nails the emotional final beats of her character in a way that adds weight to a film that can feel a bit airy in terms of performance.

"[35] Don Kaye of Den of Geek also praised the chemistry of MJ with Parker and also noted that both she and Batalon "provide gentle comic relief".