Spider-Man: Brand New Day's Rumored Set Up For MJ's Boyfriend Debunked By Star

Credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images Published Aug 8, 2026, 10:23 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Spider-Man: Brand New Day star denies that he is one of Marvel Comics' most hated characters. Eman Esfandi, who plays MJ's (Zendaya) unnamed boyfriend in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, just shut down a major rumor regarding his character. Since the film's debut, viewers have speculated that he is portraying Paul Rabin, the boyfriend of Mary Jane Watson in Marvel Comics. In a post on his official X account, he thanked his fans who came to his defense and said that the actor would never accept the role of one of Marvel's most hated characters. Esfandi wrote, "I am not, never have been, and never will be “Paul” To those of you I saw in the comments defending my honor and saying I’d never accept that role… thank you and MTFBWY." The character of Paul received a lot of backlash when he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 6) #1 (by Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.). However, he was not disliked because he was a villain, comic book fans despised him because his relationship Mary Jane was what separated her and Peter Parker. More to come...