Will Peter Parker be Black this time around?

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I am sure at this point, everyone is aware that Sony and Disney have come to some sort of deal that will allow Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel films alongside Captain America, Iron Man and others.

The announcement is being met with huge joy and speculation from fans everywhere who have wanted this to happen since the Disney Marvel Cinematic Universe started.

It is still not known when or where Spider-Man will first show up or who will be donning the webbed blue and red costume this time around. There has been a release date for July 28, 2017, However itā€™s expected that Spidey will show up soon in one of the many Marvel films that will be released between now and then.

The idea of yet another Spider-Man film reboot has made a few fans question if it is time for an actor of color to take on the role of Peter Parker.
Back when the ā€˜Amazing Spider-Manā€™ reboot was announced there were outcries from fans to have Donald Glover play the role of Peter Parker. Donald is something of a geek-genre fan favorite and the idea of him being involved in a superhero film really appeals to many comic book film fans.

Donald is a great actor, he is familiar with the source material, and he is funny. Some would say he is the perfect person to bring Peter Parker to life on screen.

However, as amazing of a person he is, Donald Glover was born African America. A fact that seems to disqualify him from playing a fictional character in a comic book inspired Science fiction film.

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It seemed like no matter how many folks wanted it to happen there were an equal number of people that were dead set against the idea of Donald being anywhere near the film.

Shortly after, a new character ā€˜Miles Moralesā€™ was created to replace Peter Parker as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Miles is African American and Hispanic so I guess he was created to kind of please two groups at once and Mr. Glover even lent his voice to the character in an episode of a Spider-Man cartoon.

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So all was well, right?

Well, yes and no. Peter Parker is still white and they created a Black/Hispanic character just in case they ever decided to put Miles Morales in a film but with news of another reboot coming the fans have started up again about Donald Glover and the idea of an African American Peter Parker.

Personally, I honestly donā€™t care either way. The last few films were not very good and they were not very good even with a white person playing the role.

I feel like there are so many pieces in play when telling a good story that race is the last thing that should matter. There is no reason Peter Parker canā€™t be Black, or Hispanic, or Asian. It really doesnā€™t matter.

Donald Glover would have been an interesting choice so why not let him do it.

I know this may shock a few people but it has more to do with ā€˜brandingā€™ and little to do with the producers of the film being ā€œpersonally racist.ā€

Stop me if you have heard this one before; A young, white, dark haired, geeky loner has something amazing happen to him that pulls him out of his mundane world and launches him into an adventure where he is special and the center of everything.

I have just explained the plot to Spider-Man and like 90 percent of all modern fantasy.

A large part of this has to do with the fact that many of these stories are written to appeal to young, dark haired, geeky, loner guys looking to escape into a story where they are the hero.

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Funny enough I as a black kid was able to escape into the world as well. I could see myself as Peter Parker even though he looked nothing like me.

There is this idea in Hollywood that if you cast a black lead in a film, the film automatically become a ā€˜black filmā€™ and only black people will come to watch. There is a fear that all those young geeky white guys will run away from a black Peter Parker because they would no longer be able to identify with him.

Andrew Garfield played Peter Parker in the last two films and he got into a bit of trouble when he said that he wondered if Peter Parker was Jewish, or could be gay. Again, folks on the internet freaked out. Andrew was breaking the formula and bursting the bubble.

For some reason these guys canā€™t wrap their heads around being a fan of a gay Peter Parker or even a Jewish Peter Parker, which is strange since Spider-Man was created by Jewish people.

I understand why many folks would want to see fictional characters like Peter Parker mix it up and be a little different. Maybe have a new type of actor take on the role and do something interesting with it.

However, there will always be people that lose their crap over going against the formula.

Hollywood, will most likely, at least for now stay on the safe route, and do what has worked for so long.

Spider-Man is a billion dollar franchise and they are not going to risk it by trying something creative and new. This is sad because there was once a time when the idea of a teenager crawling up walls and fighting crime was the crazy new thing.

Itā€™s funny how time seems to wear down risk and creativity, especially when money is involved.

I could be wrong; they could be calling some young black actor to play Peter Parker right now.

I doubt it, but it could happen.