Zendaya’s Bully Maguire Dance on ‘The Tonight Show’ Is a Must-See for Fans

Promo tours for new ‘Spider-Man’ movies often showcase the playful side of the cast, and this release cycle is no different. With Tom Holland dodging spoilers and the cast making numerous talk show appearances, ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ has turned late-night television into a celebratory event.

This week, Zendaya appeared on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ to promote the film, joining Holland in New York as they continued their press tour following earlier stops for ‘The Odyssey.’ Fallon’s team had already tapped into Spider-Man nostalgia, staging a stunt in Times Square centered around the iconic Spider-Man pointing meme leading up to Zendaya’s appearance.

Before stepping onto the show, Zendaya embraced the meme culture by performing the classic Bully Maguire dance backstage. The clip, shared from The Tonight Show’s footage, features Zendaya strutting through a doorway in a gold suit, channeling the infamous strut that has become a staple of internet humor.

For those unfamiliar, the Bully Maguire dance originates from a memorable scene in 2007’s ‘Spider-Man 3,’ where Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, influenced by the Venom symbiote, transforms from a mild-mannered nerd into a cocky antihero strutting down the street. This moment has evolved into one of the most enduring memes in superhero movie history, inspiring countless remixes and tributes across social media.

The meme’s longevity can be attributed to a 2018 remix video by YouTuber Aldo Jones, which featured Maguire’s dark Peter Parker in a parody trailer, earning over 10 million views and coining the term “Bully Maguire.” Maguire himself has embraced the joke, once telling fans during a Reddit AMA that he still does the dance “every morning” when he wakes up.

Zendaya’s tribute comes at a perfect time for the franchise, with ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ now in theaters as the fourth installment in Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker. The film continues the story after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ and its release has been accompanied by a wave of nostalgia-driven marketing that nods to earlier eras of the character, including Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s portrayals.

This gesture aligns with a broader trend of cast members engaging with internet culture during this press run, with both Holland and Zendaya frequently referencing fan-favorite moments in their media appearances.

Fans quickly celebrated the moment online, with clips of Zendaya’s dance going viral across social platforms shortly after the segment aired.

This highlights how deeply Spider-Man’s internet-meme legacy has become intertwined with its marketing strategy. What began as a fan-made joke about a widely criticized scene has transformed into something the franchise’s stars are now eager to recreate on national television.

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