During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly (not .ie, boo!), actor Andrew Garfield stated the following:
"I was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ, 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! ... So why can't he be gay? Why can't he be into boys?"
In fact, Garfield was so enticed by the prospect that he's already cast his love interest: "I've been obsessed with Michael B. Jordan since The Wire. He's so charismatic and talented. It'd be even better - we'd have interracial bisexuality!" What's more, he's already mentioned these ideas to The Amazing Spiderman director Mark Webb.
Now, let's look at the evidence here: Peter Parker has to keep his private life a secret, and when Spiderman does bust out of the closet, it's in figure-hugging spandex onesies complete with cod-pieces. But aside from that, is the realisation of a gay superhero too far away? If the idea of an anything-but-straight lead character in a huge tentpole blockbuster spelling box office doom did exist, then surely last year's billion-dollar making SkyFall - with it's not exactly straight villain Raul Silva - blows that fear out of the water? Plus in 2012, Marvel comic books featured its first gay wedding, and has featured several gay characters in its history, including the original Green Lantern and a new version of Batwoman, although admittedly none have been as high profile as Spiderman is. Though the current incarnation of Spiderman in the comics is a half-black, half-hispanic teenager, with creators hinting that he may very well be gay, too.
So what do you think? Would you be bothered to find out that Spiderman likes boys? Or do you think it would fundamentally change the character that people have loved for decades?