In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Ahsoka star Eman Esfandi plays MJ's new love interest, a character who appears in only one scene and is credited as "The Boyfriend."
Now, his real name has seemingly been revealed, and it appears Esfandi was portraying one of the most reviled characters in modern comic book history: Paul. This comes from Cosmic Marvel, which reports that subtitled versions of Spider-Man: Brand New Day name MJ's new boyfriend as "Paul."
During Zeb Wells' Amazing Spider-Man run, it was revealed that Mary Jane Watson had fallen in love with a man called Paul Rabin after being trapped in an alternate dimension with him for four years.
Time moved differently in the Marvel Universe, and by the time Peter Parker—only weeks had passed for him—got back to the woman he planned to propose to, she'd fallen in love with Paul and raised a couple of adopted children, later revealed as mystical creations.
As the wedge between Peter and MJ, Paul became the main target of fans frustrated that Spider-Man is still being kept from what many feel is his one true love (remember, their marriage was ended in the controversial "One More Day" storyline in 2007).
Mary Jane later became the All-New Venom, and she and Paul fostered Eddie Brock's son, Dylan. They'd later break up, but the hatred readers had for Paul never went away, and fans rejoiced when he died at the hands of the Symbiote Torment during the "Death Spiral" storyline.
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ned Leeds actor Jacob Batalon was asked about Esfandi's character taking Peter Parker's place in Ned and MJ's friendship group.
"First and foremost, everyone is a professional, and we all know it’s just a movie," the actor explained. "And what’s really great about Destin as a person and a leader is that he makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed. He wants everyone to be a part of the family and the community. So Eman was really great for us, and it was a big task to step in as the replacement boyfriend."
"That just speaks to how invested we’ve all been in these characters’ relationships the last decade. People genuinely sense the awkward tension when they see MJ’s new boyfriend because they know it feels wrong," Batalon continued. "I actually don’t even know what Eman’s character’s name is in the movie. He’s just 'MJ’s boyfriend.' So he could be Nate Dawg."
If "The Boyfriend" really is Paul, then it's a fun nod to a character from the comics who, like Esfandi's character, was an unwanted presence in MJ's life. Based on how the movie ends, chances are the Ezra Bridger actor won't be back for the next Spider-Man adventure.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters.