Line #13 Characters/MCUMichelleJones


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13	[[center:[-[[Characters/MarvelCinematicUniverse Main Character Index]] > Heroic Organizations > [[Characters/MCUAvengers Avengers]] > [[Characters/MCUTonyStark Tony Stark]] \| [[Characters/MCUSteveRogers Steve Rogers]] \| [[Characters/MCUThorOdinson Thor Odinson]] \| [[Characters/MCUBruceBanner Bruce Banner]] \| [[Characters/MCUNatashaRomanoff Natasha Romanoff]] \| [[Characters/MCUClintBarton Clint Barton]] \| [[Characters/MCUJamesRhodes James Rhodes]] \| [[Characters/MCUBuckyBarnes Bucky Barnes]] \| [[Characters/MCUSamWilson Sam Wilson]] \| [[Characters/MCUWandaMaximoff Wanda Maximoff]] \| [[Characters/MCUPietroMaximoff Pietro Maximoff]] \| [[Characters/MCUVision Vision]] \| [[Characters/MCUScottLang Scott Lang]] \| [[Characters/MCUPeterParker Peter Parker]] ([[Characters/MCUPeterParkerVariants Peter Parker Variants]]) \| [[Characters/MCUCarolDanvers Carol Danvers]] \| [[Characters/MCUAvengersAllies Allies]] ('''Michelle Jones''') \| [[Characters/MCUAvengersFamillies Families]] ([[Characters/MCUYelenaBelova Yelena Belova]] \| [[Characters/MCUHankPym Hank Pym]] \| [[Characters/MCUHopeVanDyne Hope van Dyne]])-]]]
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15	!!''[[Characters/MarvelComicsMaryJaneWatson Michelle "MJ" Jones-Watson]]''
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17	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16799329190.36305300
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20	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/594240df_25e2_4931_963e_476fada805c7.png]]
21	[[caption-width-right:300:''"If you expect disappointment, then you can never really get disappointed."'']]
22	!!!'''Species:''' Human
23	!!!'''Citizenship:''' American
24	!!!'''Affiliation(s):''' Midtown School of Science & Technology, Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, MIT
25	!!!'''Portrayed By:''' Creator/{{Zendaya}}[[labelnote:Foreign voice actors]]Creator/ErikaUgalde (Latin-American Spanish), Kazumi Makabe (Japanese), Ana Elena Bittencourt (Brazilian Portuguese), Célia Gouin-Arsenault (Canadian French), Anna Kiseleva (Russian)[[/labelnote]]
26	!!!'''Appearances:''' ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' \| ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'' \| ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome''
27
28	->''"I don't really have much luck when it comes to getting close to people. Um... so I lied. I wasn't just watching you because I thought you were Spider-Man."''
29
30	A classmate of Peter Parker who has a tendency to keep an eye on him from a distance and his main love interest. She becomes his girlfriend later on after they realize they are in love with each other.
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32	[[foldercontrol]]
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34	[[folder:A-L]]
35	* AbusiveParents: It's implied that one of her parents is this by how she doesn't go by her full name and instead simply goes by Jones. She only mentions her father in ''No Way Home'', with it being confirmed that she lives with him and that she believes that despite previously having a good opinion of Peter, he wouldn't be accepting of her dating him [[spoiler:after Peter's identity is exposed]], though it's possible she was exaggerating due to the stressful situation she was in at the time. In the comics, Mary Jane Watson's father was abusive to the point that her mother left him before eventually passing away, while Ultimate Mary Jane's mother eventually threw her father out.
36	* ActionSurvivor: Near the end of ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'', when she is trapped in the Tower of London with Happy and her classmates and the drones are closing in on them, she picks up a mace and clubs a drone with it.
37	* AdaptationalIntelligence: She's much more academically intelligent than Mary Jane Watson.
38	* AdaptationDyeJob: In the comics, Mary Jane has red hair and green eyes. As a result of a RaceLift, Michelle Jones has brown hair and hazel eyes.
39	* AdaptationNameChange: Sorta. While she has the nickname of "MJ", borrowed from ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson from the pages of the comics, her actual name is Michelle Jones and she's an original character. Partially subverted in ''No Way Home'', where it's revealed that her full name is Michelle Jones-Watson, and [[spoiler:both [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Peter-2 and Norman Osborn]] explicitly recognize her as a version of Mary Jane Watson.]]
40	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul:
41	** In the comics, Mary Jane briefly served as Tony Stark's personal assistant and is close friends with him. In the [=MCU=], the two never met before Tony's HeroicSacrifice in ''Endgame''.
42	** She was also acquainted with Steve Rogers in the comics and he even trained her in hand-to-hand combat. However, the two never personally met in the MCU.
43	** MJ briefly dated Brad Davis in the comics while she and Peter were on a break. In ''Far From Home'', Brad tries to romantically pursue her before she and Peter officially get together but MJ doesn't reciprocate and even humiliates him to protect Peter's secret identity.
44	* AdvertisedExtra: She is featured in ''Homecoming'''s main poster and marketing, but she only has a few minutes of screentime and isn't really an important character. Subverted in ''Far From Home'' and ''No Way Home'', where she ''does'' have a major role in the story as she becomes Peter's love interest.
45	* AllThereInTheManual: Her last name, Jones, is not revealed in ''Spider-Man: Homecoming'', but only through supplementary material. And for good reason – it logically spoils the "MJ" reveal.
46	* AlmostKiss: In ''No Way Home'', she and Peter were about to make out while they were alone in the school's rooftop until Ned enters the rooftop and interrupts it without even knowing.
47	* AloofDarkHairedGirl: She's dark-haired, tall, and very distant, though she hides feelings for Peter.
48	* AlternateSelf: Has an equivalent named Mary Jane Watson on [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Earth-96283]].
49	* AmbiguousSituation: It's heavily implied that she has an AbusiveParent or at least one she's had a major falling out with, which is why she doesn't go by Watson. However, it's unclear whether it's her mother or father. Given that her comic inspiration had an emotionally abusive father and the NomDeMom nature of surnames, it would likely mean that Watson is her father. However, she notes that she's living with her dad during ''No Way Home'' and Peter mentioned that her father seemed to like him, which would suggest they have at least a decent relationship and her mom is the bad parent in this version.
50	* AmnesiacResonance: [[spoiler:After having her memory of Peter Parker erased by Doctor Strange's spell, MJ meets him again at the donut and pastry shop where she works, but just considers him another customer. However, after a brief conversation with Peter about her future, MJ stares after him as he leaves and seems to have a feeling that she knows him.]]
51	* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:When she is about to lose her memories of Peter, MJ tells him she loves him, the first of the two to say it to each other.]]
52	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Brad gets suspicious of Peter's constant tendency to disappear and tries to prove it by telling the class that he had a picture of Peter in his underwear with another woman, she throws suspicion off the latter by asking Brad why he thinks it's cool to take pictures of people in the bathroom. Brad, who took that picture of Peter to humiliate him in front of MJ so he can win her affections, can't answer the question.
53	* AscendedExtra: She gets a lot more to do in ''Far From Home'' than she did in ''Homecoming'', where she served primarily as a side character.
54	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: [[spoiler:Like Vulture, she's able to figure out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man with a few context clues... although when Peter fesses up, she notes that she was only "67% sure" and didn't completely know – and is ''giddy'' realizing that she was right. She's also the one who pieces together that Mysterio's been lying to Peter when she finds one of his projectors.]]
55	* BackFromTheDead: Since she is still Peter's age and in his class despite Peter being a victim of Thanos' BadassFingersnap in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'', she is implied to have been killed and resurrected as well following ''Film/AvengersEndgame''.
56	* BigNo: Throws two of these when Peter suggests they flee to her father's house after [[spoiler:his secret identity is exposed to the public]].
57	* BlackAndNerdy: She's a black girl who has her nose buried in a book in almost every scene of hers in ''Homecoming''.
58	* BlatantLies: She states that she's not obsessed with Peter, only highly observant, and later claims to Peter that she has only been watching him because of his secret identity.
59	* {{Bookworm}}: Has a stack of paperbacks with her in the lunch room and is later seen reading ''Literature/OfHumanBondage'' during gym class.
60	* BrainyBrunette: Has curly dark hair, is an avid reader, was the captain of Midtown's academic decathlon team following Liz's departure, and [[spoiler:got accepted into MIT]].
61	* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: GenderInverted with her as the Brooding Girl to Peter's Gentle Boy.
62	* BrutalHonesty: MJ straight-up says that the truth matters more to her than building connections with others, though she admits that she [[IJustWantToHaveFriends regrets isolating herself]] because of it.
63	-->''"I'm sorry, okay? It's just I'm obsessed with telling the truth even if it hurts other people's feelings."''
64	* BullyHunter: Twice in ''Far From Home'', MJ stands up to someone being a jerk to Peter. First, she gets an airline stewardess to confiscate Flash's martini after he made a snide comment about Peter's [[WorkingClassHero lower middle-class background]]. Then after landing in London, Brad bursts about seeing Peter half-naked with a mystery woman and complains that no one's interested in "the truth"; MJ responds with a Creator/GeorgeOrwell quote and then asks Brad why he was taking pictures of people in the bathroom.
65	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Despite being a aloof loner who's quite [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} strange]], she's also very intelligent which is why the academic decathlon team doesn't mind having her around and actually loves having her as a member.
66	* CannotSpitItOut: She admits that she doesn't have the easiest time connecting with other people, and has trouble navigating her feelings for Peter Parker. Throughout ''Homecoming'', MJ mostly just snarks at him, and later misleads him into believing that she only pays attention to him because she's figured out his secret identity. She's gotten better by the end of ''Far From Home'', and admits to Peter that she actually does care about him, culminating in their FirstKiss. [[spoiler:In ''No Way Home'', she is the first to say "I love you" between them.]]
67	* CanonCharacterAllAlong: A ZigZaggingTrope. Her nickname is "MJ", the same one that Mary Jane Watson has, and that's treated as a tongue-in-cheek reveal in ''Homecoming''. However, Kevin Feige has stated that she is not Mary Jane and that the "MJ" nickname is meant to be more of a nod to the comics, suggesting her role as a LoveInterest in subsequent movies. In any case, in the second film she is exclusively referred to as "MJ" and never once called Michelle, while also taking on more characteristics associated with Mary Jane, and the third movie downright spells who is she supposed to be once her full name turns out to be "Michelle Jones-Watson".
68	* CanonForeigner: Michelle was specifically created for the films. [[SubvertedTrope Until she says she prefers to be called "MJ"]], making it clear she's the MCU stand-in for Mary Jane, compounded by becoming Peter Parker's love interest and her surname being revealed to be Watson in ''No Way Home'', along with Norman Osborn and Peter-2 recognizing her as a variant of the Mary Jane Watson they know.
69	* CarryABigStick: She grabs a mace in the climax of ''Far From Home'' and whacks an attack drone with it.
70	* CharacterDevelopment: Eventually becomes a more openly affectionate, caring person who is willing to have friendships and eventually a romance with Peter.
71	* ChekhovsGunman: Has a fairly minor role in ''Homecoming'', but becomes more prominent in ''Far From Home'' onward as Peter starts to reciprocate her crush on him.
72	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Downplayed, but it's implied she's been pining over Peter for at least a few years. She finally gets the guy at the end of ''Far From Home '' and is clearly happy about it.
73	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She's a NightmareFetishist, believes in crazy {{conspiracy theor\|ist}}ies like the [[SinisterSurveillance government tracking her and her classmates while they're abroad]] and that the Eiffel Tower controls the mental insane, and is quite strange in general. Lucky for her, Peter actually likes that about her.
74	* CompositeCharacter: She seems to be a combination of various characters from Peter Parker's supporting cast:
75	** Her nickname is an explicit ShoutOut to Mary Jane and she shares some of MJ's background (Mary Jane who didn't go to high school with Peter in the comics admitted later that she was a class clown in high school and a loner in that period, much like Michelle is shown for much of ''Homecoming''). The fact that she seems to be Peter's main love interest in ''Far From Home'' and addressed in the movie as just MJ makes this more apparent, as does her taking on more parts of Mary Jane's personality.
76	** She also incorporates elements of the comic book version of ComicBook/JessicaJones, who went to Midtown High with Peter and also had significant social problems. There's also the obvious fact that she shares Jessica's last name. Though Jessica otherwise wasn't friends with Peter during high school or ever had any romantic connection to him beyond her crush.
77	** While Betty Brant has the classic look of Gwen Stacy, Michelle possesses more of Gwen's intelligence, as she's a member of the academic decathlon team and clinches a win for them in ''Homecoming'', eventually becoming their leader, similar to how Gwen was shown in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'' as opposed to her classic 616 (where she met Peter in college and her high school life was summarized by Harry as "the beauty queen of Standard High") or Ultimate version (where she was a goth).
78	** She possibly takes her first name from Michelle Gonzalez in the comics, who was a minor character appearing in various ''Spider-Man'' titles during ''ComicBook/BrandNewDay''.
79	* ConspiracyTheorist: A deleted scene shows that she thinks the story that [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Captain America destroyed the helicarriers in Washington D.C. to save the world from HYDRA]] is a lie. In ''Far From Home'', she also cites the Eiffel Tower as her favorite monument after she read that it had been invented as a mind-control device to use on France's mentally ill population.
80	* CovertPervert: At the end of ''Homecoming'' when Peter goes to meet with Happy, she is not-so-subtly looking at Peter's butt. She tries to be more respectful in ''Far From Home'' when she's alone with Peter as he's undressing, but she's clearly tempted to sneak a peek.
81	* {{Cuckoosnarker}}: She's as much a DeadpanSnarker as she is a strange girl.
82	* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: She has brown hair and brown eyes.
83	* CuteBookworm: A pretty girl who loves reading books and spends most of her time doing so.
84	* TheCynic: Best shown with her page quote about expecting disappointment.
85	* DatingWhatDaddyHates: In ''No Way Home'', it's implied that her dad would never approve of her dating Peter [[spoiler:after he's publicly revealed to be Spider-Man]] despite having previously liked him. Despite this, the two stay together [[spoiler:until Doctor Strange's spell erases everyone's memories of Peter, including hers]].
86	* DeadpanSnarker: Her defining character trait is making snide remarks at other characters in a tone that implies she couldn't care less.
87	* DisappearedDad: Her text from the bus that E.D.I.T.H. picks up suggests that neither she nor her mother have had any contact with her father for some time, which BroadStrokes-wise lines up with Mary Jane's background in the comics as the child of a broken home. However, ''No Way Home'' has her mention her dad already being on good terms with Peter, leaving things ambiguous.
88	* DoNotCallMePaul: ''No Way Home'' reveals that her full name is Michelle Jones-Watson but she refuses to go by Watson.
89	* DudeMagnet: By the time of the sequel, she's begun attracting multiple suitors. Peter has started reciprocating her crush on him, and Brad Davis also wants her.
90	* EatingLunchAlone: Does this because she doesn't have any friends, though she sits with Peter and Ned at times.
91	* EatingTheEyeCandy: When Peter changes into his Spider-suit, he asks Michelle to turn around. Flushed, Michelle can't help but sneak a few appreciative peaks.
92	* EliteSchoolMeansEliteBrain: She's a very intelligent and well-read girl who [[spoiler:got accepted into MIT]].
93	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: The first we see of Michelle is her [[BrutalHonesty bluntly calling Ned and Peter losers]] after catching them staring at Liz, and when they ask her why she sits with them despite her opinion, she tells them that [[FriendlessBackground she doesn't have any friends]]. The next scene she's in, Michelle casually lists off the previous clubs Peter had quit beforehand after he reveals that he might not be available for the academic decathlon team's Nationals, and when everyone stares at her for it, she then gets defensive and claims that she's just being observant, indicating she has a crush on Peter but refuses to admit it.
94	* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: She is introduced with her hair tousled and in strands obscuring her face, representing how she closes herself off from people. By ''Far From Home'', her hairstyles are more put together and she eventually starts having less and less cover her face as she becomes a warmer, more open person. In ''No Way Home'', just about all of her screentime has her face completely unobscured, as she’s at her friendliest and happiest now that she’s finally in a relationship with Peter.
95	* {{Expy}}:
96	** Of Allison Reynolds’s from ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', in keeping with WordOfGod's claims of ''Homecoming'' taking inspiration from Creator/JohnHughes' films. Physically, both characters dress and style themselves in dowdy clothing that make them appear to not care about how they look. Personality-wise, both come across as DeadpanSnarker {{Cloudcuckoolander}}s whose actions often contradict their claims. In what is also a ShoutOut, Michelle is in detention not because of anything she did, but because [[ItAmusedMe she felt like going to it]], during which she would draw to pass the time, much like Allison did.
97	** [[WordOfGod Zendaya (and Tony Revolori) has also mentioned]] that Creator/JonWatts asked her to channel WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}.
98	* FirstKiss: Michelle shares her first kiss with Peter on the Tower Bridge, after Mysterio's defeat.
99	* FirstNameBasis: She's only referred to as Michelle in the marketing for ''Homecoming'' and in the movie itself (except in her last scene, where she requests that her friends call her "MJ"). Her surname, Jones, is only mentioned AllThereInTheManual, and not even listed in the credits. In ''Far From Home'', she's almost exclusively called MJ.
100	* FlippingTheBird: She gives one to Peter when she sees him at the homecoming dance.
101	* FriendlessBackground: When Ned asks her why she frequently sits with him and Peter at lunch despite considering them losers, she bluntly tells him that she doesn't have any friends. However, when she finds out that the academic decathlon team which she, Peter, and Ned are a part of is in danger, she calls them her friends and starts treating them as such afterwards. By ''Far From Home'', she's real friends with most of them, especially Peter and Ned.
102	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: During the gym scene in ''Homecoming'', she can be seen lying on her back by herself and repeatedly raising and lowering the book she's reading while her classmates are doing sit-ups in pairs of two.
103	* TheGadfly: She spends most of ''Homecoming'' doing some low-key trolling of Peter and Ned. She even goes to detention, despite not being in trouble, simply to observe and document other students' pain and suffering. Or because she has a crush on Peter. Or both.
104	* GiveGeeksAChance: [[spoiler:The Lizard]] in particular is in disbelief that someone as beautiful, confident and [[GoodIsNotSoft ruthless]] as MJ would be dating an awkward nerd like Peter, though it's PlayedWith as [[spoiler:Connors]] is unaware that she is just as much an awkward nerd as Peter is in her own way. Given how he's pretty much a maniacal psychopath for most of the movie, [[spoiler:he's probably just impressed she's willing to kill when Peter isn't.]]
105	-->'''[[spoiler:The Lizard]]:''' ''[After MJ threatened to effectively kill the villains]'' No way that's his girlfriend, no way!
106	* HappyEndingOverride: By the end of ''Far From Home'', she has gained acceptance as a beloved friend among her peers and finally entered a relationship with the boy she's been crushing on for years. Mysterio's outing of Peter ruins this and leads to a chain of events that result in [[spoiler:her losing her memories of Peter.]]
107	* HeroicBystander: She saves her friends in ''Homecoming'' by telling Spider-Man they're in the Washington Monument, which is exploding. [[spoiler:In the sequel, she reveals to Peter that she has evidence Quentin Beck is a fraud.]]
108	* HiddenHeartOfGold: She does care for Peter and the other members of the academic decathlon, but buries it underneath a mountain of snark. This briefly shows when she outright tells Spider-Man that her friends are in danger, since up until that point she'd only been snarking at them. Peter is briefly taken aback at this statement before climbing up the Washington Monument to rescue them.
109	* HoldingHands: She and Peter do this near the end of ''Far From Home'', signifying that the two have officially started dating.
110	* HolierThanThou: She frequently acts superior to everyone else, since they tend to enjoy things and pursue a social life whereas she sits in the back of class and makes snide comments.
111	* HugeSchoolgirl: At 5'10" (178 cm), she is the tallest named character in the school with the exception of Brad. And unless ScullyBox is used in future installments, she is one of the tallest female MCU main cast members, second only to Creator/KarenGillan (who plays Nebula, an alien).
112	* HypocriticalHumor:
113	** Smugly criticizes Peter and Ned for things she does herself.
114	-->'''Michelle:''' I can't believe you guys are at this lame party.\
115	'''Ned:''' [[LampshadeHanging But,]] ''[[LampshadeHanging you're here too.]]''\
116	'''Michelle:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' Am I?
117	** She sarcastically makes fun of Flash for naïvely believing a Website/BuzzFeed article about Hydro-Man's possible origin, only to later tell Peter a conspiracy theory she believes about the Eiffel Tower being a mind control device.
118	* ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe: Her reactions in ''Far From Home'' to Peter reciprocating her feelings have a few shades of this. She's pleasantly surprised when Peter shows he likes her ''because'' of how weird she is, not in spite of, and gets nervous and self-destructive when faced with Peter's questioning how she feels about him. It's due to a combination of her IJustWantToHaveFriends demeanor having a history of usually pushing everyone away, and likely disbelief that her feelings are being reciprocated after having pined for Peter for what's implied to have been years.
119	* IceQueen: She's very frosty towards everyone, including her classmates. She later tones it down after they almost got killed in an elevator in Washington.
120	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Underneath her aloof, loner exterior. Despite calling Peter and Ned losers, she seems to follow them around wherever they go, even to the point of accompanying Peter to detention, despite not having detention herself. She seems to grow a bit as she eventually openly refers to her classmates as friends.
121	* IKnewThereWasSomethingAboutYou: After Peter confirms to her that he ''is'' Spider-Man upon finding out that [[spoiler:she (unknowingly) had evidence that Quentin Beck is a fraud]], she is ''ecstatic'' and admits that she can't believe she managed to figure that out.
122	-->'''Michelle:''' Okay, okay. I can't believe I figured it out!
123	* InsistentTerminology: She's not obsessed with Peter, she's just [[BlatantLies very observant]].
124	* InSpiteOfANail: Like with the Raimi-verse MJ, she studied at Midtown with Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, and Liz Allan and became romantically involved with Peter Parker after finding out that he's Spider-Man.
125	* InsufferableGenius: She's very smart and endlessly sarcastic to just about everyone. One of her hobbies involves sitting in detention periods so she can sketch all the people stuck there.
126	* IWillFindYou: [[spoiler:At the end of ''No Way Home'', she urges Peter to find her again after she loses her memories, lest she figure it out and do it instead.]]
127	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unapologetically snarky and a bit of a troll, but underneath it all, she does care about Peter and her classmates. In ''Far From Home'', MJ started showing more of her kinder side, especially towards Peter.
128	* KarmicJackpot: She gets a happy ending after [[spoiler:revealing to Peter that she knows he's Spider-Man, and learns that he returns her romantic feelings. She also reveals that Quentin is a fraud, and fights back when the man traps her and her friends. Cue her ending up with Peter, which is all she wanted]]. [[Film/SpiderManNoWayHome Sadly, it doesn't last long]].
129	* KilledOffscreen: ''Far From Home'' reveals that she was among the billions snapped away by Thanos' BadassFingersnap but was brought back five years later thanks to the Avengers' efforts. Hence, she's still the same age as Peter who was also snapped.
130	* LargeAndInCharge: At 5'10"/1.78 m, she's the tallest of the decathlon team and eventually becomes its leader after Liz leaves for Oregon.
131	* LeanAndMean: She has a slender build and frequently makes snide remarks in ''Homecoming''. She tones down the mean part in ''Far From Home'' and is much nicer to other people from then on.
132	* LetsGetDangerous: She briefly manages to make use of a mace to damage one of Mysterio's drones. When she runs out to see if Peter's okay after the climactic battle is over, she brings the mace with her "just in case".
133	* LongingLook: Gives these to Peter when she's out of his eyeshot, hinting at her secret attraction to him. It's quite a contrast to her eyes usually half-lidded due to her frequently being bored or unamused.
134	* LovesMyAlterEgo: Discussed and subverted. In ''Far From Home'', she accidentally tells Peter that she was only watching him because she suspected that he was Spider-Man, which obviously saddens Peter as he really thought that MJ was romantically interested in him. Later on, she confesses that this isn't the case and she genuinely did like Peter all along.
135	* LovingBully: Her constant snarking and teasing of Peter is a manifestation of her secret crush on him and eventually Peter did start liking her too, but [[CannotSpitItOut they have trouble admitting it to each other]]. Fortunately, she grows out of it and eventually confesses how she actually feels about him, which leads to them ending up together.
136	[[/folder]]
137
138	[[folder:M-Y]]
139	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: She is the aloof and cynical Masculine Girl to Peter's optimistic and sensitive Feminine Boy.
140	* MythologyGag:
141	** [[https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1678849/the-story-behind-michelle-in-spider-man-homecoming Per Kevin Feige]], the "MJ" nickname was more to hint at the character dynamic that she and Peter would have after ''Homecoming'' rather than a sign that she's the MCU's iteration of Mary Jane Watson.
142	** Likewise, ''Far From Home'' likens her to Gwen Stacy when [[spoiler:Mysterio shows Peter an illusion of himself throwing her off the Eiffel Tower, which technically doubles as a reference to Sam Raimi's first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' film]]. In ''No Way Home'', [[spoiler:Peter-Three specifically refers to Gwen as "his MJ", and learning of her death causes a notable reaction from this MJ. In the climax, she nearly suffers the same fate as that Gwen when she is knocked off the Statue of Liberty by Goblin's attack, and when Goblin stops Peter-One from saving her. Thankfully, Peter-Three is able to save her life.]]
143	** She's also the one to give Peter the nickname "Tiger" like Mary Jane, though less romantically.
144	* NerdsAreSexy: Both Peter Parker and Brad Davis find her bookishness attractive and spend most of ''Far From Home'' trying to win her over.
145	* NerdyBully: Crossed over with LovingBully towards Peter in ''Homecoming'', where she mostly sits in the background rudely snarking at everybody while reading a book. She loses the bully part in ''Far From Home'', and in fact, puts [[BullyHunter two of Peter's main bullies in their place]] in the film.
146	* NightmareFetishist: MJ has a passion for the macabre and a dark sense of humor. She recommends ghost tours and sites of historical tragedies during the Europe trip, and her favorite flower is the black dahlia, after the infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Dahlia murder]] of the same name.
147	* NoBodyLeftBehind: Her [[KilledOffscreen offscreen fate]] in ''Infinity War'' as revealed by her still being Peter's age in ''Far From Home''.
148	* NomDeMom: It's revealed that Jones is not her actual surname; it's Watson. It's just that she hates going by the surname of Watson and prefers to be called either Michelle Jones or just MJ.
149	* NoSocialSkills: Throughout ''Homecoming'', Michelle mostly just reads her books and snarks at anyone in earshot. She even admits that Peter and Ned, two of her favorite targets, are the closest she has to any real friends. After nearly losing them in the Washington Monument crisis, she begins to warm up to her teammates, telling them she prefers to be called "MJ" and taking pride in being the decathlon captain. In ''Far From Home'', Peter and Ned regard her as a genuine friend, but still, she brings up odd conversation topics like murders and conspiracy theories, teases anyone once the opportunity presents itself, and CannotSpitItOut to Peter, to the point of blurting out her knowledge of him being Spider-Man during an inopportune moment while they're on a romantic stroll together.
150	* TheNotLoveInterest: In ''Homecoming'', she's just a strange girl that happens to be a "friend" of Peter's and nothing more, though it's subverted as she becomes one in ''Far From Home''.
151	* NotSoStoic: Her normally cold and aloof persona starts crumbling in ''Far from Home'' [[DefrostingIceQueen in the confession night scene]], and that's ''before'' she goes web-slinging with Spidey in the end.
152	* OfficialCouple: By the end of ''Far From Home'', she becomes Peter's girlfriend and has her first official date with him.
153	* OlderThanTheyLook: MJ is physically five years younger than her actual age due to being dead for the same amount of years as a result of being a victim of Thanos' BadassFingersnap.
154	* OnlyKnownByInitials: By ''Far From Home'', all of her classmates now call her "MJ" like in the comics.
155	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
156	** When Spider-Man arrives on the scene of the Washington Monument incident, Michelle is terrified and tells him that her friends are in danger, showing both how serious the situation is as well as her HiddenHeartOfGold.
157	** Likewise, in both movies she happily teases Peter about his random disappearances. [[spoiler:When she sees that he's safe from the Fire Elemental, and later reveals that she figured out he is Spider-Man, Michelle tones down her teasing in both cases to reassure Peter that she's glad to see him alive, and that his secret is safe with her]].
158	** [[spoiler:In ''No Way Home'', she is quickly brought to tears by the prospect of losing her memories of Peter and begs for another way to be found.]]
159	* PlatonicLifePartners: Becomes this with Ned Leeds in ''Far From Home'', to the point where in [[spoiler:the new reality where Peter is forgotten, they still remain close friends.]]
160	* RaceLift: Mary Jane is generally portrayed in most media as a white redhead. Assuming she's the same ethnicity as her actress, Michelle here is a half-black, half-white brunette.
161	* ReducedToDust: ''Far From Home'' reveals that she was one of the offscreen casualties of the BadassFingersnap Thanos did that turned half the universe's population to ashes and was brought back to life by Bruce Banner [[Film/AvengersEndgame five years later]].
162	* ReimaginingTheArtifact: While she takes some cues from other characters like Jessica Jones, she's a modern re-imagining of Mary Jane, even though she's not the MCU's official adaptation of that character. She's essentially what Mary Jane would be like if she was a teenager today rather than in the 60s. Mary Jane was created as a free-spirited hippy which made her an outsider among her peers. Michelle stands out from her peers because she's an off-kilter social activist feminist which is in line with Generation Z.
163	* RelationshipUpgrade: By the end of ''Far From Home'', she and Peter become an OfficialCouple after they admit their feelings toward one another. [[spoiler:Tragically, it doesn't last as their relationship is erased from existence after Peter makes Doctor Strange cast a spell that makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is to prevent a multiversal incursion.]]
164	* RuleOfSymbolism: ''Of Human Bondage'', the book she reads, is about an orphaned boy living with his Aunt as he adjusts to his life in a new school. The story more or less applies to Peter Parker's situation on multiple levels. Likewise, her initials MJ are symbolic of the StoryArc that she takes in the MCU version.
165	* SassyBlackWoman: She's a mixed race African-American girl who frequently snarks and gives brutally honest remarks at everyone.
166	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: GenderInverted. Peter serves as the BadassAdorable AllLovingHero Energetic Guy to her DeadpanSnarker {{Bookworm}} Savvy Girl.
167	* SecondLove: She's Peter's second love interest after Liz moves to Oregon in light of Liz's father Adrian Toomes's criminal activities being exposed and him getting arrested in the process.
168	* SecretSecretKeeper: She figures out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man (well, she is "67% sure") and keeps that information to herself. At least until ''Far From Home'' when she tells Peter she's aware of his secret and that his secret hero life is safe with her.
169	* SheCleansUpNicely: In ''Far From Home'', Peter tells her she looks really pretty when she puts on a nice dress for an opera. MJ [[{{Troll}} teases him for this compliment]] and she then [[ShipTease tells him he looks pretty too]].
170	* ShedTheFamilyName: ''No Way Home'' reveals that her full surname is actually "Jones-Watson" but she doesn't go by Watson and it's implied that it's out of disdain over whichever parent has the Watson part of the surname.
171	* ShipTease: In ''Homecoming'', the audience is left with several clues that she is into Peter such as her constant peering into his life and meaningful looks at him. It becomes more explicit in ''Far From Home''. At the end of ''No Way Home'', this is interestingly brought back as [[spoiler:even after losing her memory of Peter, she still seems intrigued by him.]]
172	* ShutUpKiss: Gives one to Peter after [[spoiler:Mysterio is defeated]], finally making it clear to him that she has feelings for him.
173	* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She fell for Peter, a kind, smart sweetheart, long before she realized he was Spider-Man, if the fact she's already been paying attention to him for a while by her first scene in ''Homecoming '' is any indication.
174	* SleepCute: A DeletedScene in ''Far From Home'' has her and Peter sleeping next to each other on a plane with Peter's head resting on her shoulder.
175	* SmittenTeenageGirl: Displayed in the most [[DeadpanSnarker sarcastic]], [[IceQueen dry]] way possible, but it's painfully obvious Michelle has a thing for Peter, even if she's a good sport about him liking another girl. At least in ''Homecoming''. In ''Far From Home'', we see more of a conventionally awkward affection from her as she contends with Peter finally reciprocating her feelings, and she's positively beaming when they kiss. ''No Way Home'' also offers a peek into her private life before Peter returned her feelings, as it's shown she kept the sketches she did of him over her bed's head frame for years.
176	--> '''Michelle''': [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial I'm not obsessed with him]], I'm just very observant.
177	* SoapboxSadie: As the Midtown School of Science and Technology academic decathlon team welcomes Peter back, she impatiently asks if they can leave for Washington D.C. so she can have time to protest at the foreign embassies (and it's implied she just wants to protest for the sake of protesting). She also refuses to go up the Washington Monument, saying she'd "rather not celebrate something that was built by slaves."[[note]] It's never been conclusively proven whether slaves were involved in the building of the monument. The workers that built the structure were all paid, while there's no evidence that can determine whether the stones came from quarries that used slave labor or not. The only link to slavery that is true is that several donations for the project came from states where slavery was legal (hence the iffy hand gesture the guard makes when Mr. Harrington was about to say it wasn't built by slaves)[[/note]], which seems less like something she's doing for attention as much as an excuse to keep reading her book. She also teases Peter about a perceived gendered double standard when he compliments her. Her feminism is played up in [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary material]]; she makes lists of admirable historical women like Mary Seacole and Sophia Duleep Singh and owns T-shirts of Toni Morrison, Joan of Arc, and Marsha P. Johnson.
178	* SpannerInTheWorks: In ''Far From Home'', [[spoiler:Quentin Beck and his team's plan to make Mysterio the greatest superhero of all time would have went without a hitch had MJ not picked up an illusion projector Spider-Man accidentally and unknowingly pulled off with his web-shooters during the [[EngineeredHeroics "fight" against the Fire Elemental that they set up]], which he disregarded and completely forgot about afterwards]].
179	* StalkerWithACrush: Downplayed example. She's constantly hanging around Peter, despite supposedly not being his friend. She also appears to keep a close eye on his activities, aware that he's quit numerous school clubs and extracurriculars. When this draws attention, she claims to simply be observant. [[BlatantLies It's not that she likes him or anything.]]
180	* StalkerShrine: ''No Way Home'' shows that she keeps the sketches she's done of Peter above her bed's head frame in her room, even after they've finally gotten together.
181	* StalkingIsLove: Despite being a rude StalkerWithACrush to Peter in her debut film, he eventually reciprocates and they get together [[spoiler:until the memory wipe]].
182	* StarCrossedLovers: She spent years pining for Peter without reciprocation, and when he finally did reciprocate and enter a relationship with her, [[spoiler:they're forcibly separated by Strange's spell making everyone forget about Peter. For the next foreseeable future, Peter also refuses to reconnect with her due to thinking he is keeping her safe by not having her in his life, despite still loving her dearly. MJ's subtle reactions to Peter also imply her heart still very much remembers him despite the gap in her memory.]]
183	* StatuesqueStunner: A beautiful young woman who [[HugeSchoolgirl towers over most of her classmates]] and is romantically pursued by Peter Parker and Brad Davis in ''Far From Home''.
184	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When the others notice how much attention she's paying to Peter and his life, Michelle quickly insists she's not obsessed with him (and visibly loses her icy calm when saying so)... even though no one said she was.
185	-->'''Michelle''': "I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just very observant."
186	* TeenGenius: A teenage girl who's part of the academic decathlon team in which she eventually becomes its captain, incredibly knowledgeable about literature, history, and crime as a result of reading a lot in her free time, figured out Spider-Man's secret identity, and [[spoiler:got accepted into Massachusetts Institute of Technology.]]
187	* TemptingFate: After Peter takes her web-swinging through New York, the activity scares her so much that she tells Peter that she's not doing that again. [[spoiler:Cue Peter's alter-ego being exposed to the public by Mysterio]], forcing Peter to take her with him swinging again to escape the public.
188	* TookALevelInIdealism: [[spoiler:In the new world without her memories of him, Peter is still happy to find out she seems to be a much more optimistic person, and is genuinely excited for getting into MIT.]]
189	* TookALevelInKindness: After spending most of ''Homecoming'' snarking at Peter and his friends, she starts treating them more like real friends after they nearly die in the Washington Monument mishap. She's more open and friendly (if still unapologetically snarky) in ''Far From Home''. In ''No Way Home'', she spends just about the entire movie much warmer and friendlier despite the much more stressful situation she's in.
190	* TranslatorBuddy: She's apparently the only student on the class trip who understands Italian, and corrects Mr. Harrington and her classmates a few times.
191	* {{Troll}}: She ''loves'' getting under other people's skin like her classmates by constantly teasing or snarking at them.
192	* TruerToTheText: [[ZigZaggedTrope While her physical appearance, first name, and some of her background are different]], a lot of MJ's personality is closer to Mary Jane Watson of the early Earth-616 comics than Creator/KirstenDunst's portrayal, which drew on other aspects of the character. She shares Mary Jane's unapologetic snarkiness and being more of a social outcast at her school than a popular girl. MJ figuring out Peter is Spider-Man instead of him telling her is straight from Creator/TomDeFalco's ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #257-259.
193	* {{Tsundere}}: Peter is considered a loser in high school and Michelle really doesn't care at all about where he's going or what he's doing... Cue LongingLook as Peter leaves to be Spider-Man.
194	* TwiceShy: In ''Far From Home'', her crush on Peter is clearly reciprocated but neither of them have the nerve to admit how they really feel towards the other and devolve into awkward, nervous dorks when they do try. They eventually work up the courage to admit how they feel after the final battle and [[OfficialCouple officially get together.]]
195	* TwoGuysAndAGirl: She forms this trio with Ned and Peter.
196	* UnderstandingBoyfriend: GenderInverted. MJ proves to be very understanding and flexible about Peter's double life as Spider-Man, remaining at her boyfriend's side even as [[spoiler:Mysterio's outing and framing of him puts her own reputation and future at risk.]] When Peter's guilt leads him to accidentally trigger a multiversal crisis in an attempt to set things right for his loved ones, MJ doesn't hold it against him and only asks that he consult them in the future before making such decisions, and helps him deal with the multiversal visitors without any hesitation. She remains a constant pillar of support for Peter throughout his ordeal, [[spoiler:right up until their relationship is erased from her memory.]]
197	* UndyingLoyalty: One of her best traits is her firm devotion to the people she cares about, which is best shown in her relationship with Peter. Even before they start dating, she stands up for him [[BullyHunter against his two bullies]] Flash and Brad, putting them in their place when they attempt to embarrass him. In ''No Way Home'', she continues to stick by Peter's side [[spoiler:after his secret identity is exposed to the public by Mysterio. She refuses to give up any info about him when she gets interrogated by the Department of Damage Control, holds his hand while they enter Midtown with protesters, Mysterio believers, and fans outside, is completely supportive of his plan to cure the Multiversal trespassers so they don't die when they return to their universes, and provides him emotional support when Aunt May gets killed]]. This woman is ''loyal''.
198	* UnresolvedSexualTension: Michelle is shown to be checking Peter out in both ''Homecoming'' and ''Far From Home'', already establishing attraction. But one notable scene is in ''Far From Home'' when Peter starts to change into his suit while in the hotel room as she stands nearby. She doesn't turn around as he takes his shirt off, only doing so when he gestures for her to, and is still trying to subtly peek over her shoulder as he changes. As Peter jumps out the window, she's in a clear dream-struck gaze staring after him.
199	** [[spoiler:Averted in ''No Way Home'' when May and Happy catch her and Peter in the latter's room with him half-naked. Peter was freaking out and panicking from being outed and was genuinely just trying to change, but like in the previous film, he stripped without thinking, causing the awkward walk-in. He and MJ had no other intentions in the moment, but May and Happy are unconvinced.]]
200	* WhamLine: "My friends call me [[Characters/MarvelComicsMaryJaneWatson MJ]]."
201	* YouAreInCommandNow: Harrington appoints her as the new team captain of the academic decathlon team after Liz leaves Midtown in light of her father's arrest.
202	[[/folder]]
203
204	!!Variants
205	[[folder:Mary Jane Watson]]
206	On [[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Earth-96283]], MJ is instead a woman named Mary Jane Watson [[InSpiteOfANail who like]] Michelle attended Midtown High and became romantically involved with her classmate Peter Parker. However, that's where the similarities end as they are essentially [[AlternateSelf different people]].
207
208	->For more info on this variant, see [[Characters/SpiderManTrilogyMainCharacters this page]].
209	[[/folder]]
210	----

Context Characters / MCUMichelleJones