Spider-Man: Why Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson Didn't Return In No Way Home

"Spider-Man: No Way Home" proved to be just as action-packed as it was nostalgic when it reached the silver screen in 2021. Former Peter Parker actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield — who still gets nervous discussing his "No Way Home role — return to play their respective versions of the web-slinger, and numerous legacy villains join the fray as well. At the same time, the film doesn't delve too deep into the inner workings of the two previous Spidey-centric franchises. It doesn't catch up with many other notable characters, including the first-ever live-action film take on Mary Jane Watson, as portrayed by Kirsten Dunst.

Yes, the staple of director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy doesn't appear in "No Way Home" in any capacity. As it turns out, this isn't because of any issues on Dunst's end. In fact, as she explained in an interview with GQ Magazine, she never received a call from anyone at Marvel Studios to do so. "No, no. I would have," Dunst said when asked if she was contacted about the film. Evidently, she would've happily appeared in what some fans regard as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's worst "Spider-Man" movie, but the opportunity never came.

Continuing, Dunst shared that she wants to play MJ again someday, albeit in a rather unique production.

Following its 2010 cancellation, fans of the Tobey Maguire-led "Spider-Man" franchise have clamored for "Spider-Man 4." Sam Raimi has confirmed whether he's working on such a film with Maguire, and, unfortunately, the sequel has yet to come to light. If it does, though, there's a good chance that Kirsten Dunst would be up for another turn as Mary Jane. She told GQ that she'd want such a project to stand out from modern superhero media. She recalled of the 2002 "Spider-Man" movie, "Sam Raimi was like a cult director, so it felt like we were making an indie disguised as a superhero film."

Dunst then explained that this is the feel she would want for another "Spider-Man" feature. "It would be funny to be like, ok, let's take Tobey and I and do it in a weird indie way where it's like a different kind of superhero film," she said. She specifically likened the vibe of this hypothetical movie to 2012's "Chronicle" from director Josh Trank. The found footage drama takes the usual superhero tale in a unique direction, centering on a group of teens who develop superpowers after coming into contact with a mysterious object.

With Spider-Man as popular as ever, perhaps someday, in some form, Kirsten Dunst will get one more shot at playing Mary Jane Watson.