Donald Glover as Spider-Man?

[zero]

After seeing the laughably bad "leading" candidates for the role, I'm totally on board with this:

Internet campaign pushing for "Community" star Donald Glover as Spider-Man

In the latest of the recent spate of grassroots Facebook campaigns, fans have begun an effort to get Community’s Donald Glover cast as the next Spider-Man. After last week’s reveal of the five (relatively unknown) actors in contention to play Peter Parker in the upcoming reboot of the franchise, i09’s Marc Bernadin wrote a piece arguing that “the last thing Spider-Man should be is another white guy.” This spurred the suggestion from commenters that Glover (previously a writer for 30 Rock) would be a great choice.

Glover himself has actively supported the campaign, tweeting, “I don’t want to just be given the role. I want to be able to audition. I truly love Spider-Man.” He asked his Twitter followers to retweet the “#donald4spiderman” hashtag, which rose to the third top trending topic in the U.S. Monday night. And in about 24 hours, the Facebook fan page already has over 3,000 members. While they're at it, we wouldn't mind campaigns for Alison Brie as Mary Jane and Ken Jeong as the Green Goblin.

[Toe]

Purely because I love Community, I support this. Plus, it would be something different for a change.

[apsham]

I do't really see why the "last thing we need" is for Spiderman to be "another white guy".

[TKz]

I'd love to see Glover as Spidey, I just hope they don't do the typical thing they do and change every single character black. I can definitely get down with a black Spider-Man, but that doesn't mean that Mary Jane, Harry Osborne, Doctor Octopus and so on need to black too.

Though I'd look forward to Glover as Spidey, I don't think they could ever top the casting in the first film for Harry and Norman Osborne.

[GoGo Yubari]

Absolutely. I have no doubt he could play Spidey, and his own personal history (part of his stand-up is about him being a black nerd when he was a kid) makes me think he could pull off Peter Parker. I've seen people getting petulant over the idea that Spider-Man is and has always been white, but the truth is he's a character that honestly doesn't have any race involved in who he is and what he represents. There are some superheroes who I couldn't buy as being black or as being white or what-have-you, but Spider-Man is an everyman character and I could buy any actor, regardless of race, as playing a bookish kid from New York City who comes from lower-middle class roots.

And I don't really think it's so much that Spider-Man doesn't need another white guy, it's just that I also think it's entirely valid to cast a talented black actor as Spidey and I haven't seen a case against Glover that isn't "SPIDER-MAN ISN'T BLACK!!!"

[TKz]

Hopefully Tracy Morgan is cast as Uncle Ben.

[TCO]

“the last thing Spider-Man should be is another white guy.”

Really? Obviously what was wrong with the last Spider-Man series was Toby Maguire's ethnicity. I'm sorry but what Spider-Man needs is another white guy because get this, Peter Parker is white. I'm not sure about those unknowns but if the guy doesn't look like Parker from the comics I'll be put off. It's not a race thing either, I'd be disappointed if Robbie Robertson was white too. It's OK with Kingpin because MCD was so perect for the role and even for Nick Fury because Samuel L Jackson is so badass but you can't change the fundamental look of your main player.

If he does get it though, I nominate Morgan Freeman for Uncle Ben and Rose from Lost as Aunt May.

[SeanDMan]

If Donald Glover is Peter Parker, then Uncle Ben cannot be anyone other than Danny Glover.

[GoGo Yubari]

Yeah, Danny Glover would be fucking perfect as Ben. Aunt May... man, Ruby Dee is perhaps slightly too old but fuck it, give it to her, she's awesome.

[LL!]

If Donald Glover is Peter Parker, then Uncle Ben cannot be anyone other than Danny Glover.

This is the correct answer. This will add 1000% to my already 100% backing of this idea.

[Captain Kirk]

I think Jamie Bell would do alright at it. (Y)

[King Ellis]

Casting a black guy is one thing but a gay guy? Spiderman isn't a dong lover. :/

[brenchill]

Danny Glover as Spider-Man? Come on now.

[K]

"the last thing Spider-Man should be is another white guy."

Peter Parker is white.

So were the Kingpin and Nick Fury.

[maninblack]

I think the difference between Kingpin, Fury and Spidey is that the first two aren't perceived as being on the same level as Spidey. They're not marquee chracters, so Marvel is less likely to revamp Peter Parker as an ethnic minority.

Edited June 2, 2010 by maninblack

[GoGo Yubari]

The thing is, there's honestly nothing to revamp. What changes about Spider-Man by making him black other than the color of his skin? What about him is so inextricably white that there's no way a minority could hope to portray his character?

I mean, a lot of people are treating this like it makes Spider-Man more interesting if he's black, and that's something I... well, I get where they're coming from. I do. And I do think that culturally it sends an important message. But what I want is the most fitting actor to get the job. It doesn't mean it has to be Donald Glover, but he shouldn't be disqualified from playing him because he's black. There are superheroes who need to be white (Captain America is the most obvious example, and don't say "he could be Isaiah Bradley" because sorry, but even if I like Isaiah's story I'm a comic book geek and I want my Cap movie to be about Steve Rogers), and there are superheroes that need to be black (hi Storm), and Middle Eastern (Dust of the New/Young X-Men comics), and so on. Spider-Man is not in any of those groups, and to me saying that he is almost defeats the entire point of who he is and what he stands for.

[Noah]

As long as Spidey isn't played by somebody from Twilight as was rumoured before, I'll live with it.

Edit:- To be honest GoGo I wouldn't care if Captain America was black. Maybe its the fact that I've never been the biggest Cap fan and thus any change to his character wouldn't affect me that much but honestly I wouldn't care about his colour.

[SeanDMan]

They could always do a spinoff with Captain African America.

[Noah]

Actually at the risk of taking this off-topic I've never really cared for many of Marvel's marquee hero's

Iron Man I've also never liked outside of the recent movies and his appearances in the Spidey cartoon of the 90's

[K]

With grape soda, comes great responsibility