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Will We See a Non-White Peter Parker at Marvel Studios?

With the announcement that Spider-Man is officially going home to Marvel Studios, the next big question is: who will play him?

It seems highly unlikely that Andrew Garfield will reprise the role after the less than positive reception to the Sony reboots (which is a shame because he loved the role and it’s not his fault he was dealt poor scripts).

A lot of fans are voicing their opinions on having a non-white Spider-Man. Dan Slott, a Marvel Comics writer, know for first writing Spider-Man in 1992 in Ren and Stimpy and currently taking on the Spider-Verse storyline, supports for this idea:

“…one of the things I’d be interested in seeing is, I hope they make the casting open for everyone. There’s nothing inherently white about Peter Parker. Peter Parker is a nerdy outcast. Anybody, from any walk of life, can be a nerdy outcast. One of the reasons why Spider-Man speaks to everyone around the world is that mask. I’ve met so many young Spider-Man fans over the years. People that grew up and are now old, but when they first met Spider-Man, they kind of didn’t know who was under that mask. And that gives him the freedom to be anyone. That gives him the freedom to be someone just like you. It’d be really nice to see that as a possibility. Even if they end up casting someone who, at the end of the day, looks just like Peter Parker. It would be nice if the door was open and they just [said] , ‘Spider-Man can be anybody.'”

It’s a great sentiment and can do a lot to support the idea that superheroes are for everyone. They represent people from every walk of life and are ultimately meant to inspire people. We’ve seen it recently with the good sales and raving reviews for Kamala Khan as Ms. Marvel, the first leading Muslim Marvel hero.

At Spider-Man’s core, he’s an underdog and an outsider. He’s a normal teenager who winds up with an extraordinary life. He’s young and learning as he faces people who say to him “you can’t.” Casting yet another white actor as Spider-Man lessens that impact in this day and age.

Dan Slott has also utilized Twitter to defend and discuss this idea:

 

He makes a great point.

A lot of fans are calling the name of Miles Morales a.k.a. Spider-Man from the Ultimate universe. Morales’s mother is Puerto-Rican and his father is African-American. It wouldn’t be the first time the Marvel Cinematic Universe has blended comic universes for the movies (although to be fair the movies are already steeped in Ultimate mythos). Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is Ultimate Nick Fury, who first appeared in the comics in the early 2000s and was actually modeled after Jackson, before he ever took on the role for the movies.

It’s not likely it’ll be Miles, though we can certainly dream. The press release specifically said Peter Parker – but that doesn’t mean he has to be white. Jeff Sneider from The Wrap recently said in a podcast that he is 95% sure Spider-Man will not be white. He said: “Spider-Man is going to be most likely black. But there is a chance he could also be Latino. 95% sure not white.”

I’m eager for the casting news, and I certainly hope a lot of thought is put into this. Whether it’s Donald Glover or not, a non-white Spider-Man would not only be a breath of fresh air, but it would show kids everywhere that Spider-Man can be for them, no matter the color of their skin. Plus it would show Marvel continuing to take positive steps forward against the very grounded criticisms they’ve received for a lack of diversity in their films.

What do you think? Would you like to see Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker? Who do you want to see cast as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

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