Why is Spider-Man White?

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 4:21pm

THE DEVIN'S ADVOCATE: WHY IS SPIDER-MAN WHITE?

Why is Spider-Man white?

Don't give me a smart-ass answer like explaining the coloration process of comic books or the heritage of Tobey Maguire's parents. The question is simple: Why is the character of Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, a white person?

It's sort of a weird question, but it's one that gets right to the heart of how race is approached in popular entertainment, especially in the superhero genre. And the answer is that there's no reason. Peter Parker's racial heritage has no impact on his career as Spider-Man, if not for the least reason that his outfit covers every single square inch of his body - he could be Samoan, for all the people of the Marvel universe know.

White and male is the default. It's the standard setting for characters, especially in popular fiction. In fact, the more people who aren't white that you put into a comic, book or a movie, the more likely it is that the comic, book or movie will find itself getting marginalized and put into the 'urban' section of the store. The more women you put central to a comic, book or movie, the more marginalized that will also become.

White's just where it starts. It's not even conscious, I imagine. In fact I bet it's the other way around - the creation of a black or Hispanic or Asian character (in any popular fiction, but especially superhero stories) probably begins, on some level, with that character's race. And that's kind of a problem.


More...

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:02pm

Who cares what fanboys think? If it were 15 years ago, you can bet they'd be talking to Will Smith for Spiderman.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:08pm

Well now that they are targeting the "Twilight" demo with the reboot Donald Glover hasn't got a prayer of even being considered.

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:10pm

I had no idea who he was. No way that dude plays Spiderman.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:12pm

I love Donald Glover. If he really did play Spiderman that would make me want to see it.

I'm not sure I agree that 15 years ago studios would have given it to Will Smith. People get really funny when they see or hear about non-white people in a role that's usually associated with a white person.

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:16pm

I don't know Donald Glover's work, but I bet he'd be better than some white kid with a Justin Beiber hairbowl which is what we're going to get.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:22pm

He used to write for 30 Rock and is on Community now. He's also in the hi-larious Mystery Team, which just came out on dvd.

I don't necessarily know that he's right for Spiderman (and I think the Twitter campaign was more or less a joke), but I see no reason that any traditionally "white" superheros have to always be portrayed that way.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:24pm

I'm once again still Team Lerman. :)
Updated On: 6/2/10 at 05:24 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:27pm

yea, I agree. In fact with the exception of Magneto who has to be Jewish I can't think of a movie superhero currently popular for whom race is an issue at all.

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:29pm

I'm probably the wrong person to ask this question, because I don't really give a flying fig if they cast Max von Sydow as Spiderman, but it is funny (and sad) to see what a tizzy some people get into under the mere suggestion of the idea. I love the comment below the article saying casting a black Spiderman was an assault on white culture.
Updated On: 6/2/10 at 05:29 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:34pm

The funny thing about playing race cards is that everyone seems to have a deck. If Spider Man were played by a black actor, someone could ask why does the black superhero have to have his skin completely covered before he is taken seriously? And if Mary Jane is white, why couldn't Hollywood find a black actress for her part? Or if Mary Jane is black, why isn't a black man good enough for a white girl? I assume the reason Peter Parker is white is because it was how he was originally drawn and created, which was a sign of the times. But hey, I have no problem with going against convention. Bring on the gay Flash!

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:40pm

I don't care who plays Spider-Man, as long as they're good at it.

Why am I white? That's what I want to know. Why, God, why?

[tazber]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:40pm

True Matt.

Everyone has an angle. If you want to get upset about race you can easily find (or distort) any scenario to suit your agenda.

But most of these characters were conceived in the first half of the 20th century. There are many more racially diverse characters now.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:46pm

Well, yeah, there can always be an agenda behind something. But I can't think of a valid reason why Spiderman has to be white.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:48pm

"Bring on the gay Flash!"

Batman and Robin aren't good enough for you, Mister?

[twinbelters]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:57pm

Frankly, I think this is ridiculous and is a slight offense to Spiderman's creator, Stan Lee. His book is not about this issue and if Spiderman were suddenly black it would have to be explained and have a reason for being beyond "oh, he's black now because there should be more black people in entertainment."
Why isn't Spiderman gay? Why isn't he transgendered or pygmy?

Why don't we make a white Blade movie, then? Perhaps all of the X-Men should be black to satisfy this concern? The reason Peter Parker is white is because he is a square nerd modeled after people like Stan Lee and his friends at the time who grew up in New York. Peter Parker and his family have an extensive mythology and color blind casting simply doesn't apply here.

I can't believe when Beyonce wanted to play Wonder Woman who is a Greek character. Halle Berry played Catwoman but the movie completely reworked the previous mythology and was not attempting to be Selina Kyle. If there was a demand for a Storm/Black Panther movie then it would happen.

My partner has always complained that there are not enough Chinese people on Firefly. The way that show was cast was by picking who was the best actor for the part and I think that is how such decisions should be made.

I love Donald Glover.

This rant will detonate in t-minus 5, 4, 3, 2....

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 5:57pm

Well, I have yet to see them make out or star on Modern Family. But as long as rebooting a superhero franchise is popular, why not go for the hot guy in the red unitard?

[strummergirl]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 6:00pm

After inexplicably kicking Sam Raimi and his franchise to the curb to start basically at year zero with Spiderman switching things up like changing his race, (which is hardly unprecedented with graphic novel/comic book adaptations, Angelina Jolie's character in Wanted was black in the Millar graphic novel as a more recent example) while having no bearing on the story arch or mythology, actually sounds like a much better reason to have made such changes in the first place.

Catwoman has been presented in different races by some great woman. I see no problem with this and like PRS, I see no reason why Spiderman has to be white. His mythology and roots as Peter Parker (which is being heavily concentrated on in this new work) is actually very color-blind imo.
Updated On: 6/2/10 at 06:00 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 6:06pm

The gay contribution to cinematic super heroes: Judge Dredd.

Go on, girl! You git those bad boys!

[strummergirl]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 6:18pm

How can it be a slight to Lee (or Steve Ditko for that matter)? They're both alive and have green-lighted, as far as I know, a lot of Marvel comics-based movies that take their fair share of liberties and some were just incredibly ill-conceived which I think are far more offensive to their work and characters. Who says square nerds cannot be black anyway?

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 6:25pm

My extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful opinion: Donald Glover's a heckuva lot more attractive than Tobey Maguire. That's all I'm saying.

Also-- weirdly enough, when the first Harry Potter movie first came out (I was seven), I was upset that Hermione was white, just because when I read the books, I always imagined her black. The books never mentioned her race, just said that she had bushy hair and brown eyes, but I always had this clear image in my head of how she looked. I guess I see why people don't want a black Spiderman-- because he didn't match their mental image, but either way, race is something you don't really notice after a good five or ten minutes of a movie/play anyway. (Prime examples-- Broadway's Little Mermaid, Les Mis revival, 110 In The Shade revival?)

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 6:26pm

"Well, I have yet to see them make out or star on Modern Family. But as long as rebooting a superhero franchise is popular, why not go for the hot guy in the red unitard?"

Point taken on both counts, MisterMatt. This isn't them making out, or starring on Modern Family, but here's
Batman and Robin in bed together, contemplating a shower.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 7:01pm

"I was upset that Hermione was white, just because when I read the books, I always imagined her black. The books never mentioned her race, just said that she had bushy hair and brown eyes"

That's racist

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 7:18pm

I always thought Batman would work well with a black actor. He always seems to appear out of the darkness, then fade back into it, which seems more difficult with a lily-white exposed jawline.


JK Rowling described Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson as being black, though, so I tended to assume white unless otherwise mentioned.

Updated On: 6/2/10 at 07:18 PM

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 6/2/10 at 7:18pm

My son's teacher is black and has a granddaughter named Hermione, and yes, she's named after the Hermione character in Harry Potter. :)