The iconic superhero Spider-Man will be the next character to have an LGBT story arc in an upcoming comic book by Marvel Comics this fall.
As reported by CBN News, Marvel writer Steve Foxe first broke the news of the comic's release on social media.
"SURPRISE: I had the huge gay honor of helping to co-create WEB-WEAVER, who'll make his debut in EDGE OF THE SPIDER-VERSE #5 this September!" Foxe tweeted, according to the Daily Wire.
"Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can't — and shouldn't— represent ALL gay men," he continued. "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!"
The news of a homosexual Spider-Man was met with criticism from fans of the beloved character, resulting in Foxe making his account private.
"Dude, why do you have to ruin Spider-Man?" one user asked. "Stan Lee said not to make him gay, you're doing something out of some else idea, changing a few things and calling it original character. Don't you brainstorm before this kind of things?"
Dude why do you have to ruin Spider-Man? Stan Lee said not to make him gay, your doing something out of some else idea, changing a few things and calling it original character. Don't you brainstorm before this kind of things?
— Eduardo Lanza (@edulanza_10) June 29, 2022
Lee, who passed away in 2018, was considered the face of Marvel Comics. During an interview with The Guardian in 2015, Lee contended that he wanted to keep Spider-Man's alter ego, Peter Parker, white and heterosexual. He did add, however, that he wouldn't mind if Parker was initially created with a different ethnicity.
"I wouldn't mind, if Peter Parker had originally been black, a Latino, an Indian or anything else, that he stay that way," he told the outlet at the time. "But we originally made him white. I don't see any reason to change that."
Eric July, a commentator and Youtuber, described the latest iteration of Spider-Man as "unnecessary" and "tokenized."
"The next unnecessary tokenized Spider-Man character to be announced for the upcoming unnecessary Edge of Spider-Verse is the "first gay Spider-Man" known as "Web-Weaver," he tweeted.
The next unnecessary tokenized Spider-Man character to be announced for the upcoming unnecessary Edge of Spider-Verse is the "first gay Spider-Man" known as "Web-Weaver." Creator Steve Foxe calls it a "huge GAY honor!" Check out the full clip now LIVE on YouTube! pic.twitter.com/EPDJrSQ0cu
— Eric July (@EricDJuly) June 29, 2022
Spider-Man is the latest Marvel character to come out as homosexual. As Christian Headlines previously reported, Marvel introduced a same-sex Captain America in a limited comic series last year as the comic book company celebrated its 80th anniversary.
Last month, Marvel released a comic book called "Marvel Voices: Pride #1," featuring a transgender mutant superhero called "Escapade," whose character name is Shela Sexton.
Related:
Marvel to Introduce New Gay Teen Captain America in Limited Comic Book Series
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Amy Sussman/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
