Spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day are ahead.
Eman Esfandi has officially entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the Ahsoka actor would like everyone to get one thing straight about his mysterious Spider-Man: Brand New Day character. He is not, has never been, and will never be Paul. And judging by the forcefulness of his denial, please do not put that evil on him. Wait. Who’s Paul?
Who is this Paul Guy?
In the 2026 movie calendar release, Esfandi plays MJ’s new boyfriend, though the movie’s credits coyly identify him only as “The Boyfriend.” That naturally sent longtime Spider-Man readers searching for his real identity, and speculation quickly landed on Paul Rabin, a relatively recent Marvel Comics character with the distinction of being deeply, deeply unpopular among a sizable portion of Peter Parker and Mary Jane fans.
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Esfandi apparently saw those theories, and he is deeply offended that folks think he’s Paul. The actor responded on X (Twitter) with the sort of denial normally reserved for criminal allegations, and you can see it for yourself below.
I am not, never have been, and never will be “Paul” To those of you I saw in the comments defending my honor and saying I’d never accept that role… thank you and MTFBWY 🙏🏽🙌🏽August 8, 2026
The “MTFBWY” stands for “May the Force be with you,” a fitting sign-off from the actor who plays Ezra Bridger on Ahsoka. But who in the heck is Paul, and why do fans hate him so badly? Let’s break it down.
What’s this Paul Guy’s Deal?
If you only know the webhead from the Spider-Man franchise of movies, the intensity of the reaction probably needs some explanation.
Paul Rabin entered Peter and Mary Jane’s lives during Zeb Wells’ run on The Amazing Spider-Man. After MJ became stranded in an alternate dimension, four years passed for her while Peter desperately tried to get back. During that time, she and Paul found two children, raised them together and eventually became a couple. When Peter finally rescued everyone, MJ stayed with Paul. The children were later revealed to be magical constructs. Yes, Spider-Man comics can get complicated.
Paul himself is not secretly some mustache-twirling supervillain. The problem for many readers has always been what he represents: another enormous roadblock between Peter and MJ, one of Marvel’s longest-running romantic pairings.
So when Brand New Day introduced Esfandi as MJ’s new boyfriend and then refused to give the character a name, you can probably see how the conspiracy board assembled. Reports that some open-caption screenings identified the boyfriend as “Paul” only poured gasoline on it, although the film’s actual credits stick with “The Boyfriend.”
What Fans Are Saying About The Paul Business
Naturally, Esfandi’s clarification did not settle anything. If anything, it gave Spider-Man fans a fresh excuse to turn “The Boyfriend” into its own running joke, while others immediately decided that denying he is Paul is exactly what Paul would do. Here are some of the standout replies:
- @VmothN99: “Thank you for playing the perfect role as John Boyfriend. Loved it when you said ‘It’s Boyfriend time’ and then proceeded to Boyfriend all over the place”
- @RedPandaVeth: “You’re clearly The Boyfriend. It said so in the credits.”
- @Q0Y00m: “That’s what Paul would say tbh”
- @herelies_imran: “Jokes on you we all know you’re playing John Boyfriend!”
- @RhuaridhK: “I knew Eman would never willingly take the role of the most evil Spidey rogue that’s my king right there”
- @kool_kenny1: “Harry Osborn then… I can see it.”
- @ikindaplaydrums: “Yeah cuz you’re HARRY OSBORN”
That Harry Osborn theory is already getting some traction, because Marvel fans are apparently constitutionally incapable of letting a mysterious character simply be some guy. Esfandi may have cleared his name of the Paul Rabin allegations, but in doing so, he opened the door to an entirely new round of guessing about who “The Boyfriend” really is.
Honestly, I don’t hate the idea of him playing a new take on Peter Parker’s longtime frenemy in upcoming MCU installments. Though I still think Ned becoming Hobgoblin would be the cooler way to riff on the Osborn/Goblin side of Spider-Man lore.
For now, fans are floating everyone from Harry Osborn to Boomerang and Tarantula, though none of those theories has much evidence behind it, and Marvel has confirmed absolutely nothing. The studio could also be doing something far less complicated and simply letting MJ date a normal person named John Boyfriend. But for Esfandi’s sake, though, apparently just don’t call him Paul.
Fans can catch Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters now. And if you want to work your way through the Marvel movies in order, all you need is a Disney+ subscription.