Get ready comic book readers, you’re about to get your first ever gay Spider-Man.
Back in 2015, a Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Entertainment legal licensing agreement stated that Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man must always be a straight and Caucasian man. This information came out of a massive document leak from Sony that included 276,394 private files, emails and financial data. The contract went into effect in September 2011 and listed “mandatory” character traits for both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. This includes the caveat that Spider-Man is “not a homosexual (unless Marvel has portrayed that alter ego as a homosexual).”
But it seems that Marvel Comics is not under such a limitation. And now, LGBTQ comic book fans will be getting their first gay Spider-Man.
Web-Weaver
my design for the brand new Spider, debuting in Edge of Spider-verse 5 pic.twitter.com/vl2qVUtGVq— kris anka (@kristaferanka) June 23, 2022
According to Inside The Magic, Edge of Spider-Verse #5 will explore and introduce this new version of the classic hero. The series is meant to play with the character’s mythos and introduce readers to new concepts and versions of the web-slinger. This includes a T-Rex version called Spider-Rex.
Steve Foxe, the writer of the series revealed the new variant over Twitter. Foxe stated that a new character named Web-Weaver will be gay but clarified that the character isn’t meant to represent all gay men.
“Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t–and shouldn’t–represent ALL gay men,” Foxe wrote. “No single character can. His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY…which you can experience for yourself in September!”
https://twitter.com/steve_foxe/status/1541501184992755713?s=20&t=hqvzq_JvLQ_eEhqGfghHQw
Kris Anka, the artist behind the comic, also shared a synopsis of the upcoming issue, which gives us an idea of the character’s backstory.
“Three brand new Spiders get their start here! WEB-WEAVER: A not-so-mild mannered fashion designer at Van Dyne gets spider-powers and shows us a very different kind of Spider-Slayer. HUNTER-SPIDER: Imagine a world where Sergei Kravinoff got Spider-Powers. You are not ready for the most hardcore Spider yet! Both of these and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the filmmakers behind the Spider-Verse movies, create a new Spider just in time for the END OF THE SPIDER-VERSE!”
Of course, there has been some pushback to the announcement of a gay Spider-Man. But this is ultimately a multiverse/Spider-Verse story. As such, these characters are mostly created for fun and not for long-lasting impact to the Marvel Comics mythology. BUt, we’ve now opened the door to this character. Who knows where or how we might see him next?
In the meantime, we’ll be getting ready to see him for the first time in Edge of Spider-Verse #5 this September.
Source: Variety, Inside The Magic,
That’s awesome! I personally would have liked a less feminized version but it’s nice to have gay representation. I like everything but his eyes.