Before there were four separate Spider-Man film franchises, there was just one.
And when a singular Spider-Man film franchise was just a twinkle in the eyes of Marvel fans everywhere, the comic book company and Columbia Pictures were working on finding the perfect person to play the web-slinging superhero. They eventually settled on Tobey Maguire who, despite Tom Holland’s best efforts, remains the most iconic Spider-Man (sorry, Andrew Garfield) and starred in the franchise’s three films from 2002-2007.
But while Maguire played an incredible Spider-Man, it can be argued that Kirsten Dunst was even more iconic in her role as Mary Jane, Spider-Man and Peter Parker’s (the man behind the mask) love interest.
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However, in a recent interview with The Independent, Dunst revealed that the wage gap between she and Maguire was “very extreme.”
Noting that she “didn’t even think about it,” because Maguire was “playing Spider-Man,” the literal name behind the film franchise, Dunst said that she was so pivotal to the success of the movies, that her character was featured on the Spider-Man 2 poster, while Maguire was in costume for the same shots.
“You know who was on the cover of the second Spider-Man poster?,” she asked The Independent. “Spider-Man and ME.”
While Dunst railed against the pay disparity she experienced while filming the Spider-Man films, Dunst said she would not hesitate to accept another chance to play MJ.
“I would do it. Why not? That would be fun. I would never say no to something like that,” she said. “I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies.”
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Spider-Man fans would surely open Dunst back onto their big screen with open arms, but at this point, it seems like any type of super-reunion with Maguire is unlikely. Despite rumors that both Maguire and Garfield would appear in the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland made it very clear that it isn’t happening.
“No, they will not be appearing in this film,” he said.
Would you like to see Dunst reprise her role as Mary Jane? Let us know down in the comments.