Move over, Peter Parker. It’s time for a black Spider-Man.

Maclean's ^ | March 1, 2015 | Luc Rinaldi

[rickmichaels]

This past week, the web’s spider senses were tingling with the rumour that the next cinematic Spider-Man—yes, there’s another reboot, due out in 2017—won’t be a white guy. “Listen, this is not set in stone, guys,” film insider Jeff Sneider had told the Meet the Movie Press podcast, “but I’m telling you, right now, Spider-Man’s not going to be white. I’m 95 per cent sure.”

Whether or not there’s any truth to it, the mere prospect of a non-white Spidey came as a shock to many. Peter Parker is white, and so are Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, the actors who played him. So how exactly would this work? Diehards of course know that, in the comic series, Miles Morales, a half-black, half-Latino teenager, stepped into the superhero’s shoes after Peter Parker “died” in a 2011 issue (spoiler alert: he comes back).

But that didn’t stop the brouhaha. Angry fans lambasted the idea as a politically correct ploy that would tarnish an icon and destroy a franchise. Some echoed the infuriatingly ignorant responses that framed Morales’s creation four years ago as an effort of the Obama press corps, asked why Marvel wouldn’t make Morales a “dyslexic homosexual too,” and stated, “Spidey’s dead to me.”

[pepsionice]

I think it’s time for a gay-midget-Latino spiderman.

[cripplecreek]

Whoa black spidey

bam ba lam

[Drew68]

Let’s just make all of our superheroes black, gay, and transgendered and get it over with.

[baltimorepoet]

Some echoed the infuriatingly ignorant responses that framed Morales’s creation four years ago as an effort of the Obama press corps, asked why Marvel wouldn’t make Morales a “dyslexic homosexual too,” and stated, “Spidey’s dead to me.”

At least Marvel left out transgender...

[Londo Molari]

Who cares? Let the audience decide. Of course if the film flops, they can always pull the “racism card” and get an academy award for being so brave.

[Gay State Conservative]

I am Ant Man!

[Disambiguator]

asked why Marvel wouldn’t make Morales a “dyslexic homosexual too,”

So he'll lie in his bed at night cursing Dog.

[FrankR]

For folks who bitch so much about “white privilege”, they don’t waste any time coming up with their own stuff, they just look at what whites do, bitch about it, then copy it, then bitch some more when their franchise of the same idea, flops.

[Yashcheritsiy]

Jonté Washington?

[null and void]

A black female(?) spiderman.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Hey, it’s Stan Lee...so what would one expect?

[skeeter]

I hear Hollywood is remaking ‘Shaft’ casting Toby McQuire in the lead role.

[UCANSEE2]

Next up, the remake of SHAFT with Liam Neeson in the starring role.

[UCANSEE2]

GMTA.

How about the remake of ROOTS with an all Mexican cast ?

[LostInBayport]

I can see it now:

"Hands up! Don't shoot!"

[a fool in paradise]

That's so 80s.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Uh oh. Sharpton called for this years ago - watch

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Maybe its time for a white John Henry and a Black Simon LeGree.

[chris37]

Just look at that posture!

And that under bite! Looks like a football in her mouth.

Man, that thing is beautiful, huh. I mean HUH!?