Michelle Jones-Watson

Michelle Jones-Watson (better known as MJ) is a character from Spider-Man: Homecoming and is the deuteragonist of Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. She is Peter's classmate and love interest, later becoming his girlfriend.
==Background==
===Personality===
Michelle describes herself as observant and managed to figure out about Peter's double life as Spider-Man in during the events of the "Homecoming". However, Michelle later reveals that she has never been able to admit her feelings about anything as she struggles to get close to people. This is why she often made fun of Peter, even though she liked him and lied to him about watching him because she thought he was Spider-Man. Michelle always loved Peter from the start, but was too afraid to act on her feelings, especially when he liked Liz Toomes. Eventually, during the school trip to Europe, MJ has shown to have warmed up to making friends and is more confident than before.
===Development===
Director Jon Watts revealed in an interview that the primary inspirations for Michelle Jones were Allison Reynolds from The Breakfast Club and Lindsay Weir from Freaks and Geeks.‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Set Visit: Everything We Learned
In regards to Michelle Jones' backstory, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers originally wrote a scene for Spider-Man: Homecoming which heavily implied that Michelle comes from a bad home, with no one to pick up her after classes or meet her at the bus after returning from Washington, D.C., leading Peter Parker and Aunt May to offer her a ride home. Although McKenna and Sommers did not know if the scene was filmed or not, they think that this backstory is alluded by the many things MJ says in Spider-Man: Far From Home.'Spider-Man: Far From Home' Team Considered a Donald Glover Cameo
==Appearances==
===Spider-Man: Homecoming===
Michelle Jones is a student at the Midtown School of Science and Technology. She is a classmate of Peter Parker, and is a member of the school's Academic Decathlon team.
Michelle called Peter and Ned Leeds losers for staring at Liz Toomes for too long. When Ned asked why she sat at their table, she replied that she didn't have any friends, and returned to reading her book.
Michelle read the book Of Human Bondage throughout the entirety of gym class, even while she was supposed to be doing curl-ups.
A member of the Academic Decathlon team, Liz Toomes, threw a party at her house. Michelle attended, but when Peter and Ned arrived, she called them losers for attending. When Ned pointed out that she was attending the party as well, she gave them a quirky look and said, "am I?"
Michelle joined the Academic Decathlon team for the field trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the finals. She questioned Mr. Harrington on the timetable for the trip because she wanted to get in some light protesting while in the nation's capital. She correctly answered the last question of the Decathlon, winning the competition for the team. On the way to Washington, Peter and Ned noticed increased activity around the damaged Triskelion structure, with Michelle explaining that Damage Control was still cleaning up the mess after Captain America caused the Helicarriers to crash for seemingly no reason. While Ned states that he did it to save them, Michelle rebuffs him and declares that this is what they want the public to think.
After the Decathlon, Mr. Harrington took them to the Washington Monument. Michelle refused to go up to the top, not wanting to visit a building that had been built by slaves. While she waited at the bottom, an explosion at the top trapped her teammates in the monument's elevator. When Spider-Man arrived, Michelle informed him that her friends were in the elevator. Spider-Man successfully saved the trapped Academic Decathlon team.
Michelle sat next to Peter when he was issued a detention for attempting to skip class. After Peter left, Coach Wilson asked Michelle why she was there, as she did not have detention. Michelle answered that she enjoyed sketching people in crisis, and showed him a drawing she'd made of him.
Following the revelation that Liz Toomes' father was the Vulture, she was forced to move to Oregon with her mother. In the wake of her leaving, Michelle was made the captain of the team. She told her teammates that her friends called her "MJ". When Peter received a message and had to leave, Michelle looked at him with suspicion and asked what was he up to. She then laughed and told him she was kidding and that she did not care. Shortly after that, she was being interviewed by Betty Brant, an anchor on the school's news team, as to who she thought Spider-Man might truly be. Michelle replied that she wasn't sure but that she had her suspicions.
===Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame===
While MJ does not appear in these films, she is one of the victims of Thanos' snap in 2018, while she is on a field trip to MOMA art museum. MJ is then resurrected five years later after Smart Hulk uses the nano-guautlet to bring back all the people who were turned to dust five years prior, including MJ's love interest Peter Parker and their classmates. 
===Spider-Man: Far From Home===
In Far From Home, MJ has shown to have grown closer with Peter and Ned, along with Betty, showing character development and has tried to make friends. During the 2023-2024 school year, MJ developed romantic feelings for Peter and vice versa. She plans on exploring the countries along with her friends, whilst Peter tries to tell MJ her how he feels. MJ is the center of Peter's affection as well as his romantic rival Brad Davis, but MJ shows no interest in Brad.
After the battle in London, Michelle finds an injured Peter on the bridge where she embraces him. The teens check on each other's safety and she tells him she brought a weapon to help him fight Mysterio. MJ shows Peter the Black Dahlia necklace that Happy gave her (on Peter's behalf) and he expresses that he wanted to win her over with his plan. Touched, Michelle kisses Peter and tells him that she struggles to get close to people which is why she lied about only watching him because of his alter ego. Peter apologises to MJ for the necklace being broken and she assures him she likes it better broken. Michelle and Peter express their feelings for each other with their first kiss and they return to New York as a couple.
When they return home, Peter takes MJ on a swing around New York for their first date. Although MJ is looking forward to it at first, her mind changes during the swing where she is seen screaming her way around the city and soon asks Peter to put her down.
After their swing, MJ tells Peter she never wants to do it again as it scared her too much. The couple end their date with Peter waving to the people of New York, but things get out of hand when Michelle and Peter watch the breaking news on the Bugle news. Michelle and Peter watch on and she is left horrified to learn that not only her boyfriend has been framed for the attacks Mysterio caused back in London, but his identity as Spider-Man had been exposed as well.
===Spider-Man: No Way Home===
A week following the attacks in London, MJ has just finished her first date with Peter when a news broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson reveals that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and he is being framed for killing Mysterio. MJ is suddenly bombarded with questions, such as being Peter's girlfriend, who comes down to save her from the public. MJ swings away with Spider-Man, who suggests they go to her house but she declines, saying her father will kill Parker, which surprises him since he thought MJ's dad liked him for her, which she states he no longer does. They arrive back at the Parker residence and swing into Peter's room. Happy Hogan and Peter's Aunt May hear the teens' conversation and open the door, shocked, thinking they are about have sex. Shocked, MJ lets go of her boyfriend and tries to assure his aunt it isn't what she thinks. MJ then formally introduces herself to May, who is overjoyed to meet her nephew's girlfriend after hearing about his plan for her over the summer. MJ watches as Peter tries assuring his aunt that their conversation has nothing to do with sex and MJ notices that the Parker's residence is being swarmed with press outside. 
That evening, MJ, Peter, Ned and May are all arrested by Agent Cleary and MJ refuses to confess anything since she knows about her rights and outsmarts the agent about not revealing something. Here it is also revealed that MJ's full name is Michelle Jones-Watson, but only goes by Jones and supports Peter against Cleavy. 
The following evening, MJ video chats with Peter, knowing he and May have moved into Happy Hogan's condo and expresses her excitement for seeing her boyfriend the following day. She asks him if he is actually happy that his identity has been revealed since he no longer has to keep a secret, and Peter tells MJ that he is just happy that she knows because when she found out, it meant everyone Peter wanted to know his secret, knew. Touched, MJ wishes Peter good night as they are forced to hang up by Happy.
The next day, the couple arrive at school with Ned and flee to the rooftop at lunch time, happy to be alone after all the fuss from the students and press. They are about to kiss when Ned comes up and interrupts, much to Jones' irritation, but the three express their excitement for getting into M.I.T and decide to live together. A few days or weeks later, MJ gets her letter from M.I.T, along with Peter and Ned, learning neither of them got accepted due to their relations with Peter. MJ takes the news well, saying that she should accept disappointment. 
A day or so later, Peter speaks with Doctor Strange about casting a spell to make the world forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man. However, when Strange mentions everyone, Parker starts to worry that MJ will forget too and might no longer be his girlfriend, to which Strange allows her to remember until he changes the spell 5 more times and botches it, causing Strange to contain it. This causes everyone who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man from alternate universes to travel to this world. MJ is then contacted by Peter and visits him at the New York Sanctum with Ned. MJ learns of the spell and blames Doctor Strange for it, much to his irritation. He allows Peter, MJ and Ned to work in the undercroft to find a way to send the villains back to their worlds. When Peter tries to justify his actions, MJ is fine with it, but wishes he had asked for help, much to his delight. Sometime later, MJ and Ned meet two of the villains - Doctor Octopus and Lizard - before assisting Peter via phone while he goes on patrol as Spider-Man, when he meets Sandman, who mistakes him for another Peter Parker. However, just before Peter goes on patrol, he, Ned and MJ learn that the "flying green elf" they are looking for is named Norman Osborn, known as the Green Goblin from Doc Ock's world, who tells them that he died years ago and that the person they are looking for is a ghost. 
Following Peter's fight with Doctor Strange, he informs MJ and Ned that he won the fight and has trapped him in the Grand Canyon. Peter promises to cure the villains and send them back to their worlds with their fates changed so they can return without dying fighting their Spider-Man. MJ wants to come with Peter, but he asks her and Ned to stay as it is too dangerous, but does tell her that he will text her so she can press the button that will send the villains back to their universes. MJ agrees as she kisses Parker bye as he prepares to take the misplaced people to Happy's condo to make cures from them. MJ and Ned go to his Nona's house and await information from Peter.
Over the next several hours, MJ and Ned are still waiting to hear from Peter until they see on the news that the condo building has been destroyed and learn that Spider-Man fought the Green Goblin, who overtook Norman Osborn's mind and killed May Parker. Saddened by the news, MJ becomes anxious about Peter and wants to desperately see him but neither she or Ned know where he is. Ned wishes he and MJ could see Peter and accidentally opens a portal. Seeing a guy in the distance, MJ and Ned mistake him for Peter and call his name, realising he too is dressed like Spider-Man. The masked hero reveals himself to also be called Peter Parker, much to the confusion of both MJ and Ned. MJ gets his so-called Spider-Man to prove he is Peter Parker by crawling around, which he does and they learn there are more than one Peter Parker in the multiverse. MJ gets Ned to try again so he creates another portal which opens to reveal an older guy who is also called Peter Parker, who also has Spider abilities. Realising they still haven't located their Peter, MJ becomes worried for her boyfriend and informs his alternate selves that he has just lost his aunt and Ned and MJ are the only people he has left. Getting help from Peter's oldest counterpart, MJ realises Peter is on the roof of their high school.
MJ and Ned soon find Peter on the roof of their school and they comfort him as he cries into MJ's arms over May's death. MJ kisses Peter as she comforts him and introduces him to the alternate versions of himself. While Peter speaks with his older selves, MJ learns that the Peter she first encountered lost his girlfriend named Gwen, whom he refers to as his MJ, while the oldest Peter lost his uncle Ben. After being encouraged by his older selves, Peter agrees to create the cures for each villain (accept Doc Ock, since he had already cured him) with MJ and Ned's help.
In the science lab, MJ watches Peter and his other counterparts work on the cure and confesses it is weird to see other versions of her boyfriend. Seeing Peter sad and distraught, MJ asks him if he is okay and tells him they are in this together after he believes he ruined her life. The teens embrace as The Amazing Spider-Man watches on, feeling sad about Gwen, who discusses his love life with his oldest self.
Once the cures are complete, the Spider-Men agree to find a place where they can lure the villains to cure them safely so no one will get hurt. The Spider-Men travel to the Statue of Liberty while Ned and MJ watch through a portal. MJ and Ned discuss his struggle to close the portal once they have the device that will send everyone home. MJ runs onto the scaffolding, but falls as her boyfriend tries to save her. However, Peter is hit with the Goblin's glider and MJ continues to fall. Seeing her fall, The Amazing Spider-Man]] (known as Peter-three) manages to catch MJ just in time to prevent her from having the same fate as Gwen. Shaken, Peter-Three asks MJ if she is okay to which she confirms while seeing her hero cry. She asks him if he is okay and he tearfully confirms, remembering that he failed to save Gwen. MJ tells her Peter that she is okay and watches on as he has a brutal fight against the Green Goblin, to the point where he almost impales him with the glider as revenge for killing May, until Peter is stopped by his alternate self. 
Once Osborn is cured, Peter asks Doctor Strange to cast another spell that will make everyone forget who he is rather than who Spider-Man is. MJ and Ned reunite with Peter, who tells them the effects of the spell. Devastated, MJ tries to ask Peter if there is anything they can do since they always come up with a plan. He tells her that there is nothing they can do but Peter does promise both MJ and Ned that he will try and find them to tell them everything that happened and who he is. MJ starts to cry as she tells Peter she hates magic and that he better find her otherwise she will just figure out he is Spider-Man, since she did it once before. Both heartbroken over what will happen, MJ and Peter confess their love for one another and share a passionate kiss as the spell takes effect. Just as Peter is about to fly off, MJ mouths him one final "I love you" before he departs and the spell takes full effect.
A few weeks later in December, Peter goes to the Peter Pan Donut & Pastry shop where MJ works in hopes to jog her memory of him. MJ is serving Ned when she meets a young man who unknown to her is Peter. MJ and Peter chat as she serves him coffee and she tells him that she isn't in pain anymore after he notices the band aid on her head. With this, Peter decides to not tell MJ about their relationship or give her the letter and tearfully leaves the coffee shop, leaving MJ with a hint of recognition of her forgotten love. MJ spends the next several months left of senior year and graduates from Midtown High the following June.
===Spider-Man 4===
MJ is set to return in this film, after her memory loss in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
==Relationships==
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*In the comics, the nickname "MJ" is used by Mary Jane Watson. However, both Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal had stated that Michelle Jones is not Mary Jane Watson and the MJ initials were just a fun homage to Spider-Man's past adventures and his past love in the comics.Spider-Man: Homecoming Producers Say Twist to That Character Not What It Seems In No Way Home, it is revealed that her real last name is Watson, furthering the Mary Jane comparison.
*Jones' birthday being June 10th is a reference to Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #25, where Mary Jane Watson made her first appearance and was released on June 10, 1965.
**Michelle's birthday is exactly 2 months before Peter's, which is August 10, 2001. They are the only characters in their friend group to have their birthdays known and revealed.
*Both Michelle and Mary Jane from the Sam Rami trilogy started dating Peter in the second movie and continue their relationship in the third.
*Although her surname is Jones, her passport in Spider-Man: Far From Home just says Michelle.
*Michelle shares similarities to Megara from Hercules. - They both were very much loners and struggled to make friends as well as both stating they didn't have any friends when they introduced themselves to their eventual lovers. They both have a cocky-type personality and both go by their nicknames - MJ for Michelle and Meg for Megara - even saying similar dialogue - that their friends call them by the nicknames if they had friends at that point. They both then start to warm up to the protagonists and bring out a warmer, more friendly and true in love side to themselves.
*MJ and Peter's actors, Zendaya and Tom Holland, are engaged in real life.
*According to concept art, MJ was going to help Spider-Man and his alternate counterparts in the final battle in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and be the one who injects the Green Goblin with the cure to bring Norman Osborn back to normal.:File:Spider-Man No Way Home - Spider-Man & MJ VS the Green Goblin Concept Art.png
*MJ only mentions her father to Peter in Spider-Man: No Way Home, making it unclear what exactly happened to her mother.
==References==
==External links==
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Category:Characters Under Spells