Just ahead of the release of the new Spider-film Far From Home, actor Tom Holland said he’d be totally down with a gay Spider-Man.
When asked directly about the possibility, 23-year-old Holland told The Sunday Times: “Yeah, of course! I can’t talk about the future of the character because honestly I don’t know and it’s out of my hands.”
He continued: “But I do know a lot about the future of Marvel, and they are going to be representing lots of different people in the next few years. The world isn’t as simple as a straight white guy. It doesn’t end there, and these films need to represent more than one type of person.”
Holland’s remarks also fit with those of Marvel’s production chief Victoria Alonzo, who has said Marvel is committed to a diverse cast of heroes, including a gay superhero.
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“Why would we only want to be recognized by only one type of person?” she told Variety earlier this year. “Our audience is global, is diverse, is inclusive. If we don’t do it that way for them, we will fail.”
Rumors continue to circulate that Marvel plans to have a gay lead in its upcoming film version of The Eternals, with several out-gay actors confirmed to have tested for the role.
Frankly, we’d consider either possibility a win, though we would seriously love to see Holland’s Peter Parker locking lips with another guy. Don’t pretend you wouldn’t watch…
Related: Jake Gyllenhaal worked Tom Holland over so hard he couldn’t walk
Cam
Cue the false outrage by the usual anti- LGBT accounts that come on here to defend Republican bigots.
Brian
Cue your stupid anti LGBT comments multiple times in the responses. Even Pavlov’s dog wasn’t this predictable.
Cam
@Brian
And cue you feigning outrage, but only ever at comments that point out anti-LGBT bigotry or call out people supporting bigots.
Interesting that this enrages you, but not the bigotry. Hmmmm
Brian
I’m not outraged at all. I’m just calling you out as the broken record that you are. Seriously, what is wrong with you that you feel the need to post the same comment over and over and over and over and over? Why are you incapable of having original thoughts and having a conversation like a normal person? It’s truly pathological.
okiloki
If you go to any Comicon, you will see just how diverse the fans are at this events. It’s nice to hear that Marvel plans on reflecting that in their heroes cause the demographics have changed a lot since 1940 when a lot of these characters were first created.
Jared MacBride
Batman and Robin were as straight as Bert and Ernie
Mack
I always thought that Batman was a bottom.
Brian
He was always bringing long black things into his batcave.
Gary Q VV
I fell in love with Robin when I was in the 4th grade. Guess I always thought of him as my 1st… well, ya know. Anyway, a Batman and Robin gay couple themed film would be perfect.
Bob
So was Ernie. :>
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Burt Ward who played Robin had a HUGE tool. After a few episodes were shot they had to create a new costume for him that his peen and reshoot the scenes…
Virpilosus
Interesting you should say this, as even MANY years ago. when I was a youngster and knew I was “different,” but had no vocabulary to describe it, I felt a strong attraction to the Batman-Robin duo, and very especially to the always muscular and uber masculine looking Batman.
Darsithis
It’s sad how Marvel hasn’t had more LGBT representation, considering how many LGBT heroes have been in the comic books long before these movies…
truthseeker
Spiderman was never gay lol. He had female love interests (Mary Jane, Black Cat)
Why is there a need in Hollywood to redo a total character’s identity? If you want gay super heroes, make one.
That would be like saying Black Panther would be cooler if he was white and maybe a non binary midget
Heywood Jablowme
No, no, no – Spiderman should be a woman. Male spiders are tiny and insignificant, almost unnoticeable. Only female spiders are dangerous.
And as Sheldon Cooper observed once, there’s a big problem with the Spiderman theme song. “Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can”… well, Spiderman doesn’t have sex with his mate and then kill and devour his mate, unlike a female Latrodectus (black widow spider).
Josh447
Interesting take. I like it.
startenout
Do you mean like the characters SpiderWoman or SpiderGril both of which have existed in various aliases including Gwen Stacy?
Heywood Jablowme
@startenout: If they killed and ate their mates after having sex with them, then sure. We should insist on more accuracy in movies.
I’m still annoyed about the Pacific dolphins in “Titanic” when they’re supposed to be in the Atlantic.
Doctor Benway
Spider-Woman and Spider-Girl already exist.
Before thinking you’re funny (clue : quoting TBBT doesn’t make you funny. At all), mayne you should start knowing what you’re talking about.
Heywood Jablowme
@Doctor Benway: Sorry, I didn’t realize those are real people! Mea culpa.
(I’ll let Bill Maher know so he doesn’t piss off the basement-dwellers again.)
okiloki
Also SpiderGwen. I’m taking your suggestions were tongue in cheek but they were already implemented in the comics 30 years ago and also in the most recent Into the Spiderverse movie that won an Oscar.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
His portrayal was actually the first one of the pictures in the franchise I actually went and saw. He was excellent in the role. And nice to see he is as good a person as he is attractive…
I love Spidertwink
:-p
LARRY
oh my darling you have won the internet tonight! LMAO
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
;-p
Cam
My My My…….interesting how enraged the idea of little LGBT visibility is making these SUPPOSEDLY LGBT accounts.
doug105
I had though better of you, my mistake.
Brian
I don’t follow Marvel stuff at all, but I do remember hearing something when the animated Spiderman came out about different Spidermen in different timelines or universes or something. If that was the approach they took, sure, why not.
But if they decided to make Peter Parker, a character who has existed longer than most of us have been alive, suddenly gay for no reason, that would be really stupid. Of course people would be pissed off, and it wouldn’t be because of homophobia.
truthseeker
This is what I said which prompted Cam (DCguy) to call me an anti-LGBT bigot and Queerty removed my comment
There is a storyline of Madame Web and the Spiderverse but none of the dopplegangers are gay Peter Parkers
Cam
@Truthseeker said….”This is what I said which prompted Cam (DCguy) to call me an anti-LGBT bigot and Queerty removed my comment”
Except that didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, I WOULD have called you that, but it’s cute that you’re trying so desperately to play victim.
truthseeker
@Cam (DCguy)
It did happen. You’re too busy spitting out your pre-programmed line that you can’t even remember. Just look at the total number of comments Queerty says was written about this article then count how many actual comments are here. You’ll notice a difference of 3 – one was written by another user, a reply was from me stating what I mentioned, and the third was you saying your anti-LGBT troll bigot account line that you say on every social / political article
Cam
@truthseeker
So in other words, your comment (If you really made one) was screened for either an attack or hate speech.
But it’s cute you’re playing victim.
Brian
I saw it, it happened, and there was nothing wrong or offensive with the comment. Of course Can doesn’t remember because he posts the exact same response to every comment here. He probably doesn’t even read half of what he responds to, he just hits that macro over and over.
But speaking of getting removed for “hate speech”, wanna tell us why Queerty banned your DCGuy screenname? Or are we pretending that never happened either?
TheMarc
Agreed. As a LONG time Marvel fan and gay man, I don’t agree with gay-washing a character anymore than I do with straight-washing one. I think Stan Lee (who created one of the more inclusive and diverse fictional universes out there along with Jack Kirby) might have introduced even more diversity had Marvel been born in these times. But it wasn’t. And the classic characters are fine as is.
What I would like to see is modern Marvel creating/introducing more gay, world-reflective characters; and hopefully, none that are just caricatures or stereotypes of gay men. Northstar is a gay Marvel character I think they did right; but has not made it to the screen yet.
Chambers
I think Tom Holland is inching his way out of the closet.
AJAnders
It’s nice to dream but it’s something I never expect to happen. Because people would lose their sh*t, fan boys would start throwing up, Fox News would showcase segments about concerned parents having to explain to their kids why an iconic comic book character is gay, yadda, yadda, yadda.
We’ve been on this merry-go-round before, A-list actors publicly supporting the thought of their characters being gay (Andrew Garfield & Spider-Man, Ryan Reynolds & Deadpool, Daniel Craig & James Bond) and while those comments are nice, it doesn’t make me think any less of the blowback that would definitely happen if any studio even tried to take a Superman or Batman and make them gay. I just don’t see it.
I would love, love, LOVE to be wrong. I’m not trying to be negative, I just think I’m being a realist.
hotshot70
Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal should make out. Call it “Brokeback Spidey”!
batesmotel
That would be refreshing to see. A gay white guy as Spider-man rather than a straight white guy. Ten years ago you likely never would’ve heard an actor say this. Let alone a young one, since that’s when they’re super careful about saying something that could jeopardize their career.
thisisnotreal
At the risk of having the gay mafia come after me, I disagree. While I fully support equal representation and having stories about lgbt characters that do not just reduce them to a token stereotype just to claim inclusivity, I don’t believe this is the way of going about that. The world is full of people with amazing, tragic, beautiful, inspiring *etc* life stories so there’s no shortage of material to pull from. And when it comes to fantasy stuff like superheroes and villains etc, the only limits are the human imagination.
I get that many many people have strong emotional ties to existing comic book characters, and story and lore characters, or characters from pre existing sources, but that doesn’t mean that for newer generations or lgbt people to form an attachment to them Hollywood needs to constantly go back and retcon things like spider man or dr sulu to suddenly be gay in a new iteration. Personally I want to see NEW characters that are created with the sorts of struggles and feelings that people from various backgrounds and races and communities already deal with instead of going backwards and “updating” old characters in that way. I see nothing stopping writers or directors or whoever from creating new characters and stories where these sorts of identities and struggles are already a core part of the narrative or characters personality from the get go instead of just “updating” existing ones.
Chevelter
Spiderman should be a lesbian woman of color, with a physical disability, preferably wheel chair. Um, and left handed.
Brian
I’m hoping the next Spiderman is Han Solo.
truthseeker
Progress. So brave
TheMarc
I appreciate Tom H’s view as well as Victoria A’s commitment to presenting a more inclusive cinematic, Marvel Universe. I don’t think changing a heterosexual character to gay is the best methodology of doing so though. Changing ethnicity of a character like they did with Nick Fury (later changed somewhat in the comics, as well) absolutely worked out. And I believe had a great deal of these characters been conceived in more modern times, that a few of them would be LGBT, racially diverse and different genders. I don’t think that should be the default setting on making the MCU more inclusive.
I would prefer they utilize more of the existing roster of diverse characters (hopefully we’ll see more of that with the future inclusion of the X-Men and FF) featured throughout Marvel comics. Or create new ones. Not like it would be the first time that had been done.
Virpilosus
Wouldn’t it be pretty easy ro introduce gay characters in the Wonder Woman story line. I am absolutely NO expert in the areas of comics and the “universes” they generate, but the WW segment seems a no brainer place to do this.