ok this seems to be getting notes outside of my circle so iâm going to add some more context to this
so in a july 2013 interview with entertainment weekly, andrew garfield said that heâd been discussing the possibility of a bi peter parker with marc webb, the filmsâ director, and matt tolmach, one of the producers. this was just a little over a year before the amazing spiderman 2 was released. choice quote:
Recently, he says, he had a philosophical discussion with producer Matt Tolmach about Mary Jane or âMJâ to fans. âI was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ,â he tells EW. âAnd I was like, âWhat if MJ is a dude?â Why canât we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality?  Itâs hardly even groundbreaking!âŠSo why canât he be gay? Why canât he be into boys?â
Garfield even has an actor in mind: âIâve been obsessed with Michael B. Jordan since The Wire. Heâs so charismatic and talented. Itâd be even betterâweâd have interracial bisexuality!â The star has clearly suggested a sexually flexible Spidey to his director, Marc Webb, as well. When EW later mentions the idea to Webb, the director says, âMichael B. Jordan, I know.â Oh, so heâs heard this too? âUh, are you kidding?â
so, in andrewâs own words, he was ânot jokingâ about this, and michael b. jordan was not just a random suggestion andrew threw out during an interview - heâd actually discussed the possibility with the director.Â
for what itâs worth, michael b. jordan was open to it. in a july 2013 interview with vh1, michael said:Â
Spider-Manâs Andrew Garfield recently said that the superheroâs sexuality is open to interpretation, and he named you as someone heâd want to play his gay lover in the film, should Marc Webb choose to go that route.
No thoughts on that, but I am a fan of Andrew. Heâs a talented actor, I admire his work, and Iâd definitely love to work with him in the future. Heâs a funny guyâheâs got a sense of humor and I love people that wonât take themselves too seriously all the time, so itâs cool for him to come out and say how he felt or joke around or whatever. It was fun, I laughed at it.
itâs worth noting that one month prior, in june 2013, it was announced in the hollywood reporter that shailene woodley, originally cast as mary jane, would have all of her scenes cut from spiderman 2. note this excerpt from the article:
âI made a creative decision to streamline the story and focus on Peter and Gwen and their relationship,â said Webb. âShailene is an incredibly talented actress, and while we only shot a few scenes with Mary Jane, we all love working with her.â
The plan now is for Watson, one of Peter Parker/Spider-Manâs iconic love interests, to be introduced in the third movie.
It is likely that Woodley will not return and that the part will be recast.
âOf course Iâm bummed,â Woodley told Entertainment Weekly, which first reported the news. âBut Iâm a firm believer in everything happening for a specific reason. ⊠Based on the proposed plot, I completely understand holding off on introducing [Mary Jane] until the next film.â
okay, so - couple things:
âwatson, one of peter parker/spider-manâs iconic love interestsâ - not âmary jane,â but the gender neutral âwatsonâ
the director complimented shaileneâs talent and work ethic, indicating that nothing in her performance was a problem; nonetheless, âwoodley will not return and the part will be recastâ
and woodley says, âbased on the proposed plot, i completely understand holding off on introducing [mary jane] until the next filmâ
and the brackets around [mary jane] indicated that she⊠didnât say mary jane. she said something else. maybe âwatson.â maybe âMJ.â
and, of course, one month later, andrew garfield and marc webb were publicly running around comic-con calling for a bisexual spiderman and michael b. jordan as MJ.Â
now, when later asked about the entertainment weekly interview, andrew claims that he was âjokingâ and that âit wouldnât make sense for peter parker to suddenly discover heâs into boysâ but then⊠he delivers a three-minute monologue about lgbt teen suicide and the importance of representation and almost starts crying. so make of that what you will.
then, shortly after comic-con, in august of 2013, stan lee was asked a couple of times about andrew garfieldâs call for a bisexual spiderman. his thoughts:
This past weekend, Comicbook.com covered Fandomfest in Louisville, Kentucky, where we reported on Stan Leeâs reaction to a question about Andrew Garfieldâs idea to make Spider-Man bisexual. Stan Lee said, âHeâs becoming bisexual? Really? Who have you been talking to? I donât knowâŠseriously I donât know anything about that. And if itâs true, Iâm going to make a couple of phone calls. I figure one sex is enough for anybody.â
In an interview yesterday with WGN radio, Stan Lee was once again asked about Andrew Garfieldâs comments. The radio host asked, âThereâs one thing that happened recently, and I think this is one thing that makes you a little bit mad. Andrew Garfield suggested that maybe MJ could be a man. Was that out of left field?â
Stan Lee replied, âBoy, that was so out of left field! I donât understand why he said that, and one of the quotes I gave, he wanted to talk about I think Spider-Man being bisexual, and my only comment was I thought one sex at a time ought to be enough for anybody.â
When asked where he thought Andrew Garfieldâs comments came from or if he was just trying to include another audience, Stan Lee said, âOr maybe sometimes you say something just to be noticed or to create a controversy, who knows? But heâs a great guy and heâs a fine actor, and I hope this doesnât hurt him in any way.â
so like⊠stan lee was not on fucking board. stan lee was talking about âmaking a couple of phone calls,â and suggesting andrew âsaid something just to be noticed or to create a controversy,â and intimated, âi hope this doesnât hurt him in any way.â
and then, of course, andrew was let go from his contract, and sony struck a deal with marvel to reboot spiderman according to a legal licensing agreement - in place prior to the andrew garfield movies, actually - requiring peter parker to be heterosexual and white.
now, earlier this year, andrew garfield took part in a roundtable discussion with several other actors, including dev patel.
at one point, around the 36-minute mark, dev mentions that he regrets participating in avatar: the last airbender, saying:
I saw a stranger on the screen, like, i didnât really relate to. And I was just like, this is a terrible extension of me. This is not what I want to represent in any way.
I love what you just said, that it felt like you were looking at a stranger, and feeling like you were perpetuating something thatâs toxic. And something thatâs shallow. And something that has no depth. No matter how much depth was attempted to be bought into it and sold. And then you go â millions and million, for me it was, you know, Spiderman stuff⊠Thereâs millions and millions of young people watching who are hungry for a hand here. Someone to say, âYouâre okay. Everythingâs okay. Youâre seen. Youâre seen very deeply.â And we have opportunities to do that with those kind of behemoth films. And more often than not, the opportunity is not taken. And itâs absolutely devastating and heartbreaking because thereâs so much medicine that could be delivered through those films.â
then the interview asks, âbut why is it not taken?â and andrew replies, âwhy do you think? why do you think?â
tl;dr andrew garfield and marc webb were lobbying for a bisexual spiderman and sony literally fired both of them, signed a licensing agreement with marvel, and rebooted the entire franchise to ensure that would not happen. thanks for coming to my ted talk.
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