Why Does Zendaya’s MJ Cry In ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’? This Theory Will Break Your Heart

Until the next Spider-Man movie explicitly shows us whether MJ and Ned remember, a lot of what we see at the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) is based on theory. Theories that are both heartbreaking and oddly healing because Tom Holland's Peter Parker still being alone is a tragedy that keeps plaguing the MCU and, well, most versions of his character in a lot of ways. At the same time, Zendaya's MJ, short for Michelle Jones-Watson, is also very much the kind of complex character we don't know too much about, and a deeper backstory for her would be everything for fans.

That said, not every character is a "crier," so to see someone like Zendaya's MJ visibly shed a tear while under Jean Grey's psychic freeze bubble has to mean something bigger than what we think. The emotions behind it, whether tethered to her own trauma and pain or directly linked to the memories of Peter, aren't clear, but the scene certainly means something. 

MJ’s Backstory in the MCU Still Needs More Exploration 

One of the biggest things we know about Zendaya's version of MJ is that she's guarded. For reasons unknown to us in the canon, she keeps to herself and has little expectations from people in general. She's sure of her opinions, many of them being beliefs she's clearly harbored for a while. This isn't some silly means of "doesn't play well with others," or an even worse trope, "not like other girls." MJ has trust issues, big ones, and it's mostly hinted to us in the choice not to use her last name.

In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), while she, Ned, and Peter are getting interrogated at the police station, MJ explicitly corrects the officer when he calls her, "Miss Jones-Watson." She says, "Jones. I don't go by Watson," with an incredibly straight face and clear tone that indicates, for whatever reason, the last name is a sore spot. Is it tied to a biological dad she doesn't speak to? Is he her stepfather?

In the same movie, she also makes a comment that “her dad will kill Peter if they go back to her house,” which also begs the question of whether he’s the same person she associates the last name Watson with. Point being, there’s a lot we still don’t know about her, but we know enough to understand she’s jaded. She says enough that needs to be said, but she bottles up most of what she’s feeling, apart from the moments where she’s with Ned and Peter. 

Peter in particular brings out the more vulnerable side of MJ, and we see this mostly in No Way Home through all the ways she opens up with him. With Peter, there's an ease and trust in her that shows us she feels comfortable enough to let her walls down. Their relationship was always bigger than a mere high school fling, so despite the lack of memories, we can still see a good chunk of that comfort present in Brand New Day.

Why Is MJ Crying While Frozen in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day?’

Unfortunately, by the end of Brand New Day, Peter and MJ aren't back together, and she plainly tells him she doesn't remember him. It's fully understandable, and she's so respectful while she lets him down, but the directorial decision to show us MJ's tears while everyone is physically frozen has to mean something.

Sadie Sink's Jean Grey is still very much adjusting to her powers in this movie, so it's doubtful that she'd be able to restore the memories from Dr. Strange's spell, but there's something to be said about how much pain she can tap into. MJ clearly feels something painful in that moment if she's crying, and whether it's Jean's feelings over her sister or the recognition that something's missing in her life is unclear, but it could make the most sense. Jean can read people's minds when she's in them, but while she uses MJ to toy with Peter's feelings, who's to say parts of what she says aren't real, like the fact that MJ feels something is missing that's connected to Spider-Man? When she tells Peter that there are no memories of him inside her, that doesn't dismiss the fact that she can still feel as though there's a part of her missing, even if she doesn't know that it's him.

At the same time, while memories of Peter are erased, actual physical pieces of him aren't, like MJ still having the broken dahlia necklace that he gave her in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). If it's not her memories returning to her while everything's frozen, maybe it's bits and pieces that she can't quite piece together. Because the thing is, if MJ did remember, she wouldn't be alone on that rooftop; she'd be knocking on Peter's door to tell him.

Maybe what she sees is, in fact, the broken dahlia necklace, shelved somewhere in her drawers because she could never throw it away, or missing parts of their London trip—small glimpses of her ties to Peter, even if it's not the full picture. Maybe it's the realization that pieces of him still exist somewhere deep in her memories, and she can feel the magnitude of them, despite not having all the answers. 

Because that's the thing: in order for a woman like MJ to shed tears, she has to feel deeply, and whatever she's experiencing, it's undoubtedly haunting enough to break through a power that has everyone fully frozen in place.