Spider-Man: Brand New Day actor Eman Esfandi has, in no uncertain terms, debunked a popular theory about the identity of MJ's boyfriend.
"I am not, never have been, and never will be 'Paul'," Esfandi wrote on Twitter.
Confused? The Paul in question was recently introduced in the comics as MJ's boyfriend, later marrying her and adopting children together.
Fans, however, reacted negatively. Paul was soon seen as shorthand for intrusive original characters only brought in to not-so-subtly shake up the status quo.
When coupled with what some felt was a mischaracterization of Peter Parker and an interminable Venom storyline that saw MJ become attached to the symbiote, Paul largely became one of the most notable failed experiments in modern-day Marvel comics.
Esfandi, who also plays Ezra Bridger in the live-action Ahsoka series, played into that sense of feeling and joked, "To those of you I saw in the comments defending my honor and saying I’d never accept that role… thank you."
So, the jury is still out on who exactly Esfandi is playing. In the credits, he's listed merely as The Boyfriend, which only raises suspicions further. After all, do you give an actor familiar to Star Wars fans only a 30-second cameo in the biggest movie of the year with no follow-up? It's unlikely. There's a reason, after all, that I've put my neck on the line and declared it a tease for an Oscorp and Harry Osborn-shaped future for Tom Holland's wallcrawler.
The whispers over Paul have done little to dent Spider-Man: Brand New Day's monstrous charge at the box office. It's currently cleared $1.5 billion and is well on track for a $2 billion finish before the end of August, ensuring it will become the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie (and non-Avengers MCU movie) of all time.
Whether Esfandi turns up again, there's plenty in Brand New Day's final act worth talking about. Here, we break down the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending and Spider-Man: Brand New Day post-credits scene – including how it might set up Avengers: Secret Wars and Spider-Man 5.
For more, here's how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
