7/10/2023 0 Comments Spider man homecoming castThis isn't to say that "Spider-Man: Homecoming" plays dumb about the fact that race exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is unfortunate that Sony and Marvel could see their way clear to creating a diverse supporting cast for Spider-Man, but not toward casting a person of color in the titular role, especially considering that (a) Miles Morales, a black-Latino Spider-Man, already exists in the comics and (b) parts of Morales' story were used for inspiration in this movie. ![]() He adds, "Spit some funny lines, look amazed, live vicariously, and your greatest aspiration is to be the backup tech guy for the white hero." Even though Parker's best friend Ned is played by Filipino actor Jacob Batalon, "his character is straight out of the Asian-Minority Sidekick to a White Hero handbook," Johnson writes. While Jason Johnson of The Root acknowledges that "the depiction of Queens, N.Y., in general and Peter’s high school are great," he also points out that "as the characters get closer to Peter, the diversity becomes less impressive and more like window dressing." Johnson is correct in noting that all of the main characters - Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Michael Keaton as The Vulture - are played by white actors. While many praised the production well ahead of release for including multiple actors of color in multiple roles, some were unsatisfied with the final result - and perhaps rightly so. But did the producers' stated effort to promote diversity and inclusivity succeed? That remains unclear. ![]() Its $117 million box-office haul this weekend would seem to speak to that. If "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is to be judged solely on its ability to unite a diverse audience behind a fun motion picture, it seems to have succeeded wildly. Inside the theater, the audience seemed to be having a fantastic time. Men and women of all races, skewing young, laughing at the right cues, gasping at the appropriate plot twists and cheering when the credits began to roll. ![]() Before a screening of "Spider-Man: Homecoming," an informal poll of the first half-dozen people of multiple ethnicities going into the theater revealed only one true takeaway: By a 5-to-1 margin, they preferred the original series of Spider-Man movies (2002-2007) over the more recent one (2012-2014).
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