When Zendaya was first cast as MJ in Spider-Man: Homecoming, she created a lot of controversy for her lack of red hair. But now, after three movies with her as the female lead to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, we can definitely say that she is the best female lead of any Spider-Man movie ever as her performances just continue to get better and better. And as we in the audience learn more about her character, we get to appreciate even more just how awesome she truly is.

Despite the fact that she has become more of a crowd favorite with each new installment, calling Zendaya’s MJ the best ever can be a contentious statement to many Spider-Man fans out there. Many would even dare to say that she is the worst, preferring other actresses’ portrayals of Spider-Man’s girlfriends, like that of Kirsten Dunst in the original Spider-Man movie or Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacey in The Amazing Spider-Man. However, there are a lot of super-strong arguments to make in favor of Zendaya’s MJ being the best female lead, so here are some of ours.

Related: Sam Raimi Shares His Thoughts On Spider-Man: No Way Home

She’s More Comic Accurate

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MJ made her first actual appearance in the original The Amazing Spider-Man comic in the 42nd issue in 1966, and ever since, she has been one of the most well-known and well-loved love interests of any superhero in any universe. Yes, some changes to the character were made in Spider-Man: Homecoming that are pretty hard to ignore. First, her name; gone was Mary Jane, and we were introduced to Michelle Jones. Gone was the girl next door with red hair that we came to expect from Kirsten Dunst's portrayal, and here was an edgy, intelligent outcast with a darker personal style. Yes, these are significant changes, but the original MJ from the comics was depicted as a quick-witted, free-spirited rebel, very much a modern woman by 1960s standards. Zendaya's MJ is also a modern woman, just adapted to fit modern women 50 years later. The flirtatious hippie the original MJ was wouldn't be able to connect with audiences today, but the forward-thinking, socially-aware Michelle can and does.

She’s Whip-Smart

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Sony; Marvel Studios

This one is obvious. But the intelligence shown with Zendaya's MJ goes far beyond her academic ability. Of course, she goes to a specialized science and technology high school with dreams of attending MIT; she is clearly very academically bright. Still, she has an incredible amount of social intelligence as well. She spends much of her screen time in Spider-Man: Homecoming watching and observing her fellow students, and when she does speak, it's either to whip out a witty comeback to something someone said or to present people with information about themselves that they didn't know she knew. This makes Tom Holland's Peter Parker nervous because he knows she is fully capable of figuring out his identity as Spider-Man, which is exactly what happens. Michelle figures out that Peter is Spider-Man and tells him that she knows, just like in the comics.

She’s Super Progressive

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Sony; Marvel Studios

Obviously, Zendaya is the first non-white actress to play the female lead opposite Spidey, which is a great thing, but it's not the reason this MJ is the best we've seen. A big part of what makes Zendaya's MJ so special is how progressive and socially aware she is. From refusing to go up the Washington Monument because it was built by slaves (which it was) to correcting her teacher who speaks Spanish instead of Italian in Italy, Zendaya's MJ is a young woman who wants to help right wrongs of the past and help her fellow humans become more conscious of how their actions affect others as well. This aspect of MJ is one of the more controversial parts of her character, but we would argue it's what sets her apart and makes her more relatable to today's audience.

Related: Zendaya Says Willem Dafoe Scared Everyone on Spider-Man: No Way Home Set

She Has a Great Sense of Humor

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One of the best things about Zendaya's MJ is how funny she is. Zendaya has excellent comedic timing and can deliver a witty joke as if she came up with it herself on the spot. Dry, witty, sarcastic, and not afraid to tell Dr. Strange to remember his manners and say please and thank you, Zendaya's MJ is equal parts love interest sidekick, and comedic relief all rolled into one truly awesome character.

The future of MJ's character is uncertain at this point, but we hope to see her in future Spider-Man installments should we be so lucky to get more after Spider-Man: No Way Home.