Stan Lee on "Black Spider-Man"

[katsabas]

Spidey, as a character is open minded. I am open minded. Trailers and movies these days seem open minded (baraka has also become black). I say, if he does a good job in PP's shoes, Donald should get the role. I DEMAND MORE WISECRACKS!

 

[jamesworkshop]

I see Stan's point most people still remeber the last 3 spiderman movies it will look odd if even it is suppossed to be a reboot but otherwise does it really matter what skin colour the actor is

its not like you can even tell whats under the costume for 90% of the movie

 

[StriderShinryu]

I don't really care either way as long as it's a better movie than Spider-Man 3.

What I would be interested to see is, if they did go with a black Peter Parker, how much of the rest of the storyline and setting would be changed as well. That, to me, is a heck of a lot more interesting than what colour Peter Parker's skin is.

 

[Bourne]

Ah, nothing like some overly-sensitive PC-spewing dolts to try and make a franchise more "appealing". If someone were to suggest making a new Matrix movie, and making Morpheus white, they would be deemed a racist immediately, or be chastised for suggesting a pointless idea.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Please no, it would be like having a woman play spiderman.

Or a white guy playing black lightning.

Or a ostridge playing Wonder Woman.

Just don't hes white in the comics he should be white in the film. They usually go for an Actor that shares some resemblance to the comic book counterpart.

Just do that please.

 

[Therumancer]

Uhm, isn't Peter Parker white?

I think it's a really stupid idea to change an established character's skin color.

Then you're probably pissed about Ultimate Nick Fury. I find it awful that a character who's been around for so long has his counterpart being adapted into everything instead.

I don't know how well kown Nick Fury is, but I don't think his character is that much defined by his appearance. Just like Harvey Dent in Tim Burton's Batman.

But with characters that have a very well established look, it's a huge mistake to change their skin color. Imagine if they turned B.A. into a white guy. His whole character would've been changed. The same is true for characters like Storm or Wolverine.

Nick Fury is somewhat excusable simply due to the fact that they did a Marvel "reboot" in their "Ultimate" titles where Nick Fury was black. Like many other characters in this side-universe his origins were a bit differant than the "real" Marvel universe.

This version of the character was also used in the recent animated "Avengers" movies, as well as one of the possible appearances for the character when you played him in the "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance" game.

The movie continuity is substantially differant from the comics, so I don't have a major problem with a secondary character like this being altered to resemble an "alter-earth" version.

Spider-Man on the other hand has always been a white guy. Changing that would be like whitewashing "Shaft" or something equally ridiculous.

With the resurgence of interest in comic book characters (due to the movies and such) we've seen more and more racial issues attached to this. Simply put, there aren't many black super heroes for black america to get behind. I think the solution for this problem is going to take a while, but involves more black people getting involved in CREATING comic books and
the like. Similar to how we now see more asian characters and influance in comics because a lot of asians got into comic books, and we've seen a lot of inter-breeding between eastern and western comics in recent years.... or in short, there is no quick fix. Trying to go with a short term slapdash solution like changing the ethnicity of long established characters is going to do more damage than good. Not only is it patronizing on a lot of levels when you get past the demand, but it doesn't address the central issue, and will ALWAYS be a slapdash compromise solution.

Honestly, I think Marvel would do well to deny the guy an audition for reasons of common sense. Once you pander to political correctness it will never end, and this will just get worse and more ridiculous. I think most of the core audience will understand even if there is a very lound seeming outcry.

It's sort of like how Will Smith apparently wanted to play Superman. Rather than crying about it, he went on to do his own movie "Hancock" which was pretty good up until the last third of it (didn't much care for the reveals, or resolution). It had a lot of potential.

So basically, I kind of think that if you want a black super hero, you should create one. If you can draw, or write, see if you can get a job at a comic company doing other people's work and (like many people before you) wait for the oppertunity to show off your own ideas.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Can we not leave characters they race they are in the comics. I am sick of people not choosing people that don't suit the role they are in. Also for anyone who thinks it is because he is going to be black I would be just as pissed if it was any other race or if a black super hero was being portrayed as another race eg Spiderman=White, Nick Fury=White, Green Lantern=Black, Storm=Black, Wolverine=White. Just stick with the bloody race they are supposed to be. I mean for fuck sake in some cases it changes the entire story of characters on that point why can't movies be true to comics like in Spiderman 3 they should of

Spoiler

shot Venom symbiote off into space instead of making it go boom(if I remember movie right).

Also while I am on this the casting of Venom in Spiderman 3 was very, very, very poor. I do like the actor but he could of put on some muscle dammit!!!

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

*sigh* Somehow seeing Peter Parker and Mary Jane as black will have an uncanny valley effect for me. It will just feel weird. It would be like seeing a white Blade...

 

[shMerker]

Why would Mary Jane have to be black?

 

[Ponch]

Wasn't the mantle of Spider-Man handed off by Peter to a black kid in the comics? Or am I way off? (I think I'm way off)

Also, couldn't they use an A.U. version?

If so, then I see no problem with changing his race.
And I agree with this statement:

My only complaint with this is, if a new Spawn movie came out and Al Simmons was played by a white guy "Oh racist. Took a black character and put a white guy in the role." Whereas this way around its "oh it's not really fair to say it has to be a white guy to play Spider-Man"

 

[awesomebillfromdawsonville]

i love danny glover, he is hilarious, and why not give him an audition? but i cant see him as spiderman. it would be too weird to have a black spiderman.

This is my FAVORITE post on the Escapist yet!!!

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I really like Donald Glover, just give him the part...he's a thousand times better than the last guy to play spidey.

 

[Sovvolf]

Wow, James Bond, Lynch and now Spider-Man... can I call this blackwashing?. Jesus does PC mean pandering to any other race besides white people?. What ever happened to this equality we were seeking. I don't see how simpler this can get, Spider-man drawn and written as a white character for 40+(maybe longer) years, Donald Glover black... No just doesn't work out in my head. Though I'm probably the type of person PC would call a racist for making such a statement. I'm not racist... I just want the characters to be played by the race they're supposed to be. I don't want to see a white Spawn, Blade, Shaft, Cage, Jaxx, Panther ect... for the exact same reasons.

Nor do I want to see a black James Bond or Lynch. I can excuse Fury because they did make him like that in the Ultimates reboot and I didn't grow up with the original Nick Fury.

Pffff were never going to have equality if we have to pander down to other races... equality doesn't mean treating every race better it means treating every races as an equal.

 

[Sprizmo]

Hey, while we're out pleasing demographics with Hollywood's version of affirmative action, lets make a gay HULK! He can go around humping the Thing's leg and wearing even purpler pants.

 

[Projo]

Heh, black Uncle Ben

I really like Donald Glover, just give him the part...he's a thousand times better than the last guy to play spidey.

But Tobey Maguire was perfect. If anything, he was written terribly, but his sappy, pathetic emotions was perfect when lined up with the current Spider-Man

 

[DarkRyter]

I thought this article would be about spidey's black suit.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[F-I-D-O]

I'd be fine with a black spider man IF they did a new character, new backstory, new motivation ect. But if they want to do that why not make him a new superhero? Eh this whole thing is silly anyway.

Haven't read it, but they could shoot for the spider man Noir version. New era, good time for reboot, the actors don't have to look similar to the other movies, and it would be a better sell if they are changing the skin color. Also, a black child in the depression years could have an interesting take on the Peter getting bullied when he is a victim of racism. This may also add a new reason for becoming a hero (say, parents/uncle victims of a hate crime). If they're going to mess with an established character personality, take it to a different era.
Plus, in that series, he has spider powers and a gun! The gun could take away from the established nerdy white boy personality in the modern-day set comics, making it a little easier to accept a new spider man. Honestly, if they make a black nerdy spider man, then people will complain that he's not "black" enough, same if they made a badass white spidey: he's not "white" enough.

 

[Captain Pancake]

I thought this article would be about spidey's black suit.

Ninja'd.

But come on, how big a deal can it be when he'll be spending half the movie under a mask anyway?

 

[GrinningManiac]

I don't mind him being black or any other skintone under the sun AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT MAKE REFERENCE TO IT IN THE STORY

If Glover got in and then there was a bit where he made a 'black' joke or did some reference to the black culture in America, it'd be kinda stupid. Y'might as well get Chris Rock up there