A time-honored tradition of the Spider-Man franchise is for its leads to fall in love with each other, and apparently everyone just keeps ignoring producer Amy Pascal as they do so.

If you’ve been a fan of Spider-Man your entire life like me, you probably remember when Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire were rumored to be dating back during their tenure as Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. Then, it became the Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone Show, and real ones remember the pain when they broke up (but they’re clearly still close, because Andrew Garfield has called Stone his “good friend” in recent interviews).

So, frankly, it was only a matter of time before Zendaya and Tom Holland became the latest duo to succumb to the trend of a Spider-Man actor falling in love with his female co-star.

The news comes from a (spoilery, so beware clicking!) New York Times interview with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Pascal, in which Pascal was asked, “Tobey and Kirsten. Emma and Andrew. Tom and Zendaya. Why do all your lead actors end up falling for each other in real life? It can’t just be the spandex.”

She answered, “I took Tom and Zendaya aside, separately, when we first cast them and gave them a lecture. Don’t go there — just don’t. Try not to. I gave the same advice to Andrew and Emma. It can just complicate things, you know? And they all ignored me.”

Sorry to Amy Pascal! You can’t stop love—clearly—but it is also such a producer response to tell your stars to not fall in love out of fear of what happens if they break up. It’s hilarious that every single version of Spider-Man seemed to ignore that advice and do it anyway.

Spidey love

Is there an element of pandering to fans as they call each other “my MJ” and “my Spider-Man”? In a way, yes. Of course we love knowing that the actors bringing the love story of Peter and MJ—or Peter and Gwen—to life are also in love with each other. It’s cute, and of course they know it, but while cynics can go ahead and chalk it all up to a PR stunt, they’re just missing out on the joy of it all.

Sorry to Amy Pascal, who is just trying to be a good producer and tell her costars to not date each other, but it clearly isn’t working out for her. Maybe the next time Pascal has a Spider-Man and his love interest, she can just tell them that she gives them her blessing? That way they’re not instantly drawn together? But then, who knows? Maybe it is just the power of Spider-Man for the actor playing him to fall in love while in the role.

(image: BBC)

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Rachel Leishman

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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