A hilarious meme has been making the rounds showing an intriguing pattern – every actress who has played a leading lady and love interest to Spider-Man in the live-action movies has gone on to portray a tennis player later in her career. First it was Kirsten Dunst, then Emma Stone, and now Zendaya is keeping the meme alive in her upcoming film “Challengers.” In this article we talk about The Insane Way Zendaya Is Keeping an Iconic Spider-Man Meme Alive.
Dunst set off the coincidental trend,
Playing Mary Jane Watson opposite Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in three films released between 2002-2007. Just a few months after the final film, “Spider-Man 3” hit theaters, Dunst starred in the romantic comedy “Wimbledon” as a rising tennis player.
Next came Emma Stone,
Who played Gwen Stacy in two Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield from 2012-2014. After hanging up her Spider-Man leading lady shoes, Stone went on to earn an Oscar nomination for playing tennis legend Billie Jean King in 2017’s “Battle of the Sexes” about King’s iconic exhibition match against Bobby Riggs.
Now as Zendaya takes up the mantle as Spider-Man’s love interest Michelle Jones in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films opposite Tom Holland, she too is set to portray a tennis player in the upcoming drama “Challengers.” When shown the meme highlighting the trend on Good Morning America, Zendaya found it hilarious, joking “maybe it’s just some prophecy that I need to fulfill.”
The meme truly does show an eerily similar career trajectory for the actresses, moving from comic book blockbusters to more dramatic sports films centered around tennis. One can’t help but wonder if future Spider-Man leading ladies will follow suit and wind up on the tennis court later on.
Beyond the meme,
Both Dunst and Stone found critical acclaim and new fans for their performances as tennis stars. Dunst showed a knack for comedy alongside Paul Bettany in “Wimbledon,” while Stone impressed with her dramatic transformation into Billie Jean King, mastering King’s athletic prowess and commitment to equality in sports.
Only time will tell if “Challengers” earns Zendaya similar praise for her own turn as a tennis player. But given her proven talents on screens big and small, critics expect she could ace the role. Zendaya definitely has fun with the coincidence, and seems excited at the chance to continue this Hollywood oddity of Spider-Man alums serving up winning tennis performances.
For fans, it’s exciting to watch these talented actresses branch out into new genres while delivering powerhouse performances each time. And there’s no doubt people will have great amusement following the next Spider-Man lead to see if she too winds up swinging a tennis racket down the line.
So far, the Spider-Man female lead tennis meme shows no signs of slowing down. Zendaya is leaning into the trend, and somewhere down the line, another Spidey alum may join her on the clay courts. It seems this unlikely coincidence has taken on an iconic life of its own within Hollywood legend and fan circles. I sincerely hope you like reading this “The Insane Way Zendaya Is Keeping an Iconic Spider-Man Meme Alive” article.
