Stan Lee causes Spider-Man controversy

Stan Lee is a comic book legend, a film cameo expert and most importantly the man who co-created everyone’s favourite superhero – Spider-Man. However following on from Drake Bell’s offensive comments regarding Caitlyn Jenner, Stan Lee is the latest high profile name associated with Spider-Man to find themselves under fire, this time about Marvel casting Tom Holland as the next Spider-Man.

Lee’s comments have sparked up a previously dead debate that surfaced following several casting rumours for the next Spider-Man and that debate is – should Peter Parker be anything other than white, heterosexual? He told Newsarama:

"“I wouldn’t mind, if Peter Parker had originally been black, a Latino, an Indian or anything else, that he stay that way. But we originally made him white. I don’t see any reason to change that.”"

On the subject of Spider-Man’s sexuality, he said:

"“I think the world has a place for gay superheroes, certainly, but again, I don’t see any reason to change the sexual proclivities of a character once they’ve already been established. I have no problem with creating new, homosexual superheroes. “"

Stan Lee goes on to further explain his point of view by adding

"“It has nothing to do with being anti-gay, or anti-black, or anti-Latino, or anything like that,” Lee said. “Latino characters should stay Latino. The Black Panther should certainly not be Swiss. I just see no reason to change that which has already been established when it’s so easy to add new characters. I say create new characters the way you want to. Hell, I’ll do it myself.”"

As you can see Stan Lee clearly falls on one side of the debate regarding pre-existing characters, whilst his detractors hold the opinion that keeping Peter Parker as a white, heterosexual male is a backwards step in the diversification of superheros.

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