Andrew Garfield on Spider-Man: ‘Why Can’t He Be Gay?’
With all eyes on the comic book world during Comic-Con and ample talk of gay rights issues with the recent SCOTUS rulings, Andrew Garfield decided to combine the two and ask a question about Spider-Man, the hero he portrays: “Why can’t he be gay?”
Garfield told Entertainment Weekly that he recently had a discussion with Matt Tolmach, the producer of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” about MJ, or Mary Jane, one of Spider-Man’s love interests. He mentioned the state of the character’s sexuality and the prospect of having a man in his web-slinging arms.
“I was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ,” he said. “And I was like, ‘What if MJ is a dude?’ Why can’t we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality? It’s hardly even groundbreaking!”
Garfield has a point, especially with the recent legal battles and the summer’s packed Gay Pride Parades, and Mary Jane’s future in the films was uncertain to begin with. It was recently revealed that Shailene Woodley’s, who was playing MJ, scenes were cut from “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” leaving speculation on how the films will handle her character.
Some Spider-Man fans have shown, though, that they’re protective of the superhero’s portrayals. When Donald Glover was suggested as the new Spidey before Andrew Garfield was cast, many on the internet fiercely rejected the idea of a non-white Spider-Man.
That hasn’t stopped Garfield, as he already has a male Mary Jane in mind. He suggested Michael B. Jordan, star of the Sundance buzz pic “Fruitvale Station.”
“It’d be even better,” he said. “We’d have interracial bisexuality!”
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is set to be released in 2014.
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