Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Doctor Strange being left with no other choice than to cast a spell that made the world forget Peter Parker. That included the teenager's girlfriend, MJ, with the two sharing a final kiss during their tearful farewell.
While Peter vowed to find MJ and make her remember, he backed out after seeing a cut on her forehead sustained during the final battle at the Statue of Liberty where she very nearly died.
We have a feeling they'll be reunited before too long, of course, and Zendaya reflected on Peter and MJ's relationship during a recent interview in the Spider-Man: No Way Home The Official Movie Special Book (via @backtosnack_TTV).
"The heartbreaking thing, for me, as someone who cares about Peter and MJ, is the fact that they got probably just a few weeks to enjoy being kids in a new relationship and in love...and then everything explodes in their face," Zendaya says. "I was like, 'No, they deserve happiness!'"
"I think what's important is they [MJ and Peter] love each other for who they are. It's clear from the first movie that she's probably loved him long before she figured out that he was Spider-Man," she continues. "And he appreciates and loves all her quirky takes on life."
"What's cool is [MJ and Peter] each understand each other on a real human level, which allows them to be more vulnerable. That has been the fun thing: watching her become more vulnerable as she knows that Peter loves her."
While MJ will probably take a backseat role in Spider-Man 4 (many fans would like to see Black Cat introduced as a new love interest), we find it hard to believe the romance between her and Peter won't blossom again before too long.
After all, she seemed to have a glimmer of recognition at the end of No Way Home and their love for one another might just be enough to overcome Strange's magic. We'll see.