Why MJ's Boyfriend From Spider-Man: Brand New Day Looks So Familiar
by Rafael Motamayor · /FilmIt's a new age for Spider-Man. After his identity was revealed to the entire world, leading to a multiversal adventure that reaffirmed who the best "Spider-Man" villain of all time is, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" finds Tom Holland's Peter Parker at his most alone. The entire world forgot who he is, his aunt died, and now his friends have moved on without him.
This is the first time we get a fourth "Spider-Man" movie with the same actor, and director Destin Daniel Cretton brings in a whole lot of familiar faces to "Brand New Day." In addition to the main trio of Peter, MJ (Zendaya), and Ned (Jacob Batalon), we also see Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle aka Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner aka Hulk, Michael Mando as Scorpion, and also "Severance" breakout star Tramell Tillman, Sadie Sink in a mysterious yet super predictable role, "The Bear" star Liza Colón-Zayas, Florence Pugh, Keith David, and more.
One face that might be familiar even if you can't exactly place it is MJ's new boyfriend. Though he doesn't have that big a role, and he never exactly gets named in "Brand New Day," the new boyfriend does play a role in making Peter even more miserable than he already was.
MJ's boyfriend is brought to life by Eman Esfandi, who hasn't been acting in big roles for very long, but already has some impressive credits to his name. Esfandi had a role in Reinaldo Marcus Green's Oscar-winning film "King Richard," but without a doubt his biggest credit to date is playing the live-action version of Ezra Bridger in "Ahsoka" — and he really embodied the role.
Eman Esfandi is slowly but steadily becoming a name in big franchises
It is funny that Esfandi specifically plays a role in a "Spider-Man" movie because, as Ezra, Esfandi has played a role that's all about disguises and secret identities. No, Ezra Bridger wasn't exactly a masked vigilante in "Star Wars Rebels," but he did use fake names all the time — mostly when captured (which happens a lot in that show). Ezra lied about being the Emperor's nephew, said he was Lando Calrissian, and twice he claimed to be none other than Jabba the Hutt. This last one in particular is funny because, well, the species is in the name and this petty human child is a bit small to be a Hutt, let alone a renowned crime lord. Now we can add "MJ's boyfriend" to the list of fake identities Ezra takes.
As for Esfandi, he did a fantastic job playing Ezra in "Ahsoka," showing a very different kind of Jedi, with a combat style that relies solely on the Force and not a lightsaber.
Unfortunately, we don't know much about the future of Ezra in "Star Wars." We do know "Ahsoka" is returning for season 2, but what about after? With "The Mandalorian and Grogu" flopping, will Dave Filoni's plan for a movie that combines the entire MandoVerse still happen? We'll have to wait and see.
As for MJ's boyfriend in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," it's unlikely we'll see more of him in "Avengers: Doomsday," but who knows. Maybe he will be revealed to be a known comic book character in the next "Spider-Man" movie.