(Right) Tom Holland at the London Critics Circle Film Awards in 2013. Image courtesy: AFP
New Delhi:
Little-known 19-year-old Brit Tom Holland has just been announced as the new Spider-Man taking over from Andrew Garfield in a reboot of a hugely successful superhero franchise, it appears that the movies are way, way behind the comics.
Miles Morales, the mixed race teen who has played a version of the webslinger in the comics since 2011, will now replace the white-skinned Peter Parker as the headlining Spidey. Miles took over as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe and now will be the star of a series titled Spider-Man. He will be the only Spider-Man there is, unqualified by a prefix such as Utimate, Amazing and suchlike.
Miles is the son of an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother and takes over superhero responsibilities in a timeline and universe in which Peter Parker is dead.
On Marvel.com, the creators of Miles Morales spoke about the change of guard. Writer Brian Michael Bendis said, "Miles will be the Spider-Man that is trying desperately to balance his life as a high school student and his super hero career. He will be the character that is wrestling with power and responsibility in a very raw way."
Artist Sarah Pichelli said, "He doesn't live an ideal life, he's not a genius, he's not rich, has a complicated relationship with his family, and we lived with him (during) the conflicts coming just from having super powers. Miles slowly earned the readers' affection [as he was revealed] to be a complex and unique character, strong enough to be finally included in a bigger picture."
On-screen, however, Spidey is still white. The Independent reports that a leaked email from Sony, which has owned the film rights to the Spider-Man character since 1999, specified that the superhero must be "Caucasian and heterosexual" in the Marvel film that is calendared for 2017. Sony and Marvel inked a mutually beneficial deal in February, which allows Spider-Man to cross over to the Marvel film universe that includes The Avengers.
Meanwhile, back in the comics, Marvel is expanding its character diversity with additions such as a Ms Marvel who is both female and Muslim, a female version of Thor and a black Captain America.
Miles Morales, the mixed race teen who has played a version of the webslinger in the comics since 2011, will now replace the white-skinned Peter Parker as the headlining Spidey. Miles took over as Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe and now will be the star of a series titled Spider-Man. He will be the only Spider-Man there is, unqualified by a prefix such as Utimate, Amazing and suchlike.
Miles is the son of an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother and takes over superhero responsibilities in a timeline and universe in which Peter Parker is dead.
On Marvel.com, the creators of Miles Morales spoke about the change of guard. Writer Brian Michael Bendis said, "Miles will be the Spider-Man that is trying desperately to balance his life as a high school student and his super hero career. He will be the character that is wrestling with power and responsibility in a very raw way."
Artist Sarah Pichelli said, "He doesn't live an ideal life, he's not a genius, he's not rich, has a complicated relationship with his family, and we lived with him (during) the conflicts coming just from having super powers. Miles slowly earned the readers' affection [as he was revealed] to be a complex and unique character, strong enough to be finally included in a bigger picture."
On-screen, however, Spidey is still white. The Independent reports that a leaked email from Sony, which has owned the film rights to the Spider-Man character since 1999, specified that the superhero must be "Caucasian and heterosexual" in the Marvel film that is calendared for 2017. Sony and Marvel inked a mutually beneficial deal in February, which allows Spider-Man to cross over to the Marvel film universe that includes The Avengers.
Meanwhile, back in the comics, Marvel is expanding its character diversity with additions such as a Ms Marvel who is both female and Muslim, a female version of Thor and a black Captain America.
