Should a Black Actor Star in the Spiderman Reboot?
Why is Donald Glover an unlikely candidate? Glover, one of the stars of the new comedy Community, is black. Peter Parker is not.
The support for Donald Glover began with a writer at io9.com by the name of Marc Bernardin. Bernardin did not suggest Glover in particular; he simply wondered why Peter Parker had to be played by a white actor. Why can't Peter Parker be played by a black guy or a Mexican?
Donald Glover himself then entered the fray by saying on his Twitter, and later blogging that he would like for Sony to give him a shot. Glover doesn't want to be given the part because he's black; he simply wants to audition like any white male would.
Why not cast a black actor as Peter Parker? A black actor would not change anything about the Peter Parker character or the Spider-man character. A black actor could actually add another whole dimension to Peter Parker. The whole idea of Peter Parker is that he struggles to feel like he belongs; he feels uncomfortable in his own skin. Imagine if in addition to being unpopular, nerdy and awkward, if Peter Parker was also a minority.
Really the only argument that can be made for keeping Peter Parker white is, "well, that was how he was created." The Peter Parker and Spider-man characters were created in 1962. If you've ever read my article on the first comic book starring a black character then you'll know it didn't come along until 1965. The first black superhero, the Black Panther, did not appear until 1966.
Who is to say that if Spider-man was created today that Spider-man wouldn't be black? After all, it was Spider-man that had the next recurring black character after Black Panther when they introduced Robbie Robertson.
It's not the first time that a character has been played by somebody that is not the same race as the character in question. Just last week Jake Gyllenhaal, born in Los Angeles, starred as the Prince of Persia. This wouldn't even be the first time a black actor played the part of a white comic book character. In the movie Daredevil, Michael Clarke Duncan played the part of the Kingpin. Like Spider-man, the Kingpin was a white character that was created in the 1960's before black characters were prevalent.
A lot of Spider-man fans are complaining that there is a reboot of the franchise so soon. Casting a black actor as Spider-man might also cure that problem. If Spider-man is just another white guy then how is the new franchise going to be any different than the last? Casting a black actor might be something different enough to warrant a reboot for the Spider-man series.
If an actor is capable of playing the part of Peter Parker then who cares if he is white or black? Maybe Donald Glover isn't the actor that should play Peter Parker. Glover can probably handle the wise-cracking, but who knows if he has the chops for the dramatic scenes? If Glover isn't a good choice though, it's not because he's black.
"The Last Thing Spider-man Should Be is Another White Guy" by Marc Bernardin, io9.com.
Donald Glover's Twitter page
Donald Glover's Blog
"Black History Month Lesson: Comic Books" by Lee Andrew Henderson
Published by Lee Andrew Henderson
I was born, I wrote, I died. View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentPlease there have been plenty of real and fictional characters that were initially a person of color, but white washed by Hollywood. The change would be very interesting and welcome. Perhaps even adding a new dynamic to Spiderman that makes race as ambiguous as it should be. But hey what can I say, I'm a dreamer. And I can promise you there would not be a lack of viewers besides a couple of ignorants traditionalists.
I personally think it would ruin the movie. I am a black man but i think he would be too big and bulky for spiderman. Also even if he could play the part the movie would not have a successful open due to lack of viewers(not because of his acting skills).
This is an excellent article and I have to agree - it would be an interesting way to change the character. I think race has nothing to do with what or who a superhero is.