Garfield's original comments and renewed stance
Andrew Garfield, who played Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), has said he still believes there should be a gay Spider-Man. In a recent conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Garfield revisited comments he first made more than a decade ago, describing them as an "exercise in rebellion" and reaffirming his belief that "anyone can be in that suit."
In 2013, during an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Garfield recalled a discussion with one of the films' producers about Peter Parker's love interest, Mary Jane Watson. "I was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ," he said at the time. "What if MJ is a dude? Why can't we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality?" He added: "Why can't he be gay? Why can't he be into boys?"
Looking back on those comments now, Garfield told Entertainment Weekly: "It was an exercise in rebellion that I felt passionate about. I just still believe that anyone can be in that suit." He went on to explain that Spider-Man's universal appeal comes from the fact that audiences can see themselves in the character regardless of identity. "You don't see skin color, you don't see gender, you don't see sexuality," he said. "Anyone can project themselves into that suit." He added that he likes "the idea of a place where everyone is being honored and everyone is being included."
Context: The expanding Spider-Man universe
Garfield's comments come as the Spider-Man franchise continues to expand through different characters, universes, and interpretations. The 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse featured the first Black Spider-Man, the first female Spider-Man, and even the first talking-pig Spider-Man, as reported by one of the two outlets covering this story. In 2022, Marvel introduced Cooper Coen, aka Web-Weaver, as the first gay Spider-Man,in the Edge of the Spider-Verse #5 comic, according to the same outlet.
Garfield's remarks do not indicate that a gay Spider-Man film is currently in development, as one of the two outlets noted. They highlight instead his belief that the character can represent people beyond one fixed identity.
Garfield's history with the role
Garfield played Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), before returning to the role via the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home(2021). He had also previously joked about Michael B. Jordan potentially playing a male version of Peter Parker's love interest, as one of the two outlets reported.
Meanwhile, Tom Holland, the current Spider-Man actor, has spoken abouthis own future with the franchise. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Holland teased a "clear vision" for his exit, mentioning passing "the baton" to the next actor. "There's a whole plan that we have been working on... since we finished [2021's] Spider-Man: No Way Home," he said, according to one of the two outlets.