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Spider-Man should stay white and straight in the movies, says comic book veteran Stan Lee

'I’m just not too happy changing what has already been established'

Daisy Wyatt
Wednesday 01 July 2015 15:00 BST
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Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. The actor’s father is Jewish
Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man. The actor’s father is Jewish

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A recently leaked memo stating Spider-Man should remain white and heterosexual in the upcoming movie sparked questions about how committed the film industry really is to diversity.

But the superhero’s co-creator thinks it is important that Spider-Man remains as he is.

Former Marvel Comics president Stan Lee said he sees “no reason” why there couldn’t be a non-white or homosexual super-hero in years to come, but doesn’t like the idea of comic book characters changing in the films.

“The only thing I don’t like doing is changing the characters we already have,” he told E! News.

Peter Parker's mixed race replacement Miles Morales has sparked hope a non-white Spider-Man will be cast in the near future
Peter Parker's mixed race replacement Miles Morales has sparked hope a non-white Spider-Man will be cast in the near future (Marvel)

“For example, I’d like Spider-Man to stay as he is, but I have no problem creating a superhero who’s homosexual.

“I have no problem with having a black one, a Latino one, a Chinese one, anything – the whole world is our playground. The whole world has heroes we can draw from.”

He added: “I’m just not too happy changing what has already been established.”

With black-Hispanic teenager Miles Morales re-cast as Peter Parker in Marvel’s major Spider-Man comic book last month, there is hope that a film in the near future could include a non-white actor.

Tom Holland will replace Andrew Garfield as the next Spider-Man
Tom Holland will replace Andrew Garfield as the next Spider-Man (Anthony Harvey/Getty Images)

British actor Tom Holland has been cast as the next Spider-Man in the upcoming reboot of the film due out in 2017.

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