Spiderman goes brown, some Americans see red

Marvel Comics has unmasked a half-black and half-Latino Spider-Man, and the superhero’s background is making more headlines than his crime fighting abilities. The new Spidey, Miles Morales, was introduced this week in the latest issue of Marvel’s Ultimate imprint of the comic, which offers a modern take on the superhero universe. As the story goes, the multiracial kid from Queens steps in for the longstanding Spider-Man, Peter Parker, who dies fighting his arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin. (In the separate and long-standing Marvel Universe imprint, Peter Parker remains alive and well.) [caption id=“attachment_54780” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“This handout image courtesy of Marvel Comics shows a frame from Ultimate Comics Fallout #4 shows Spider-Man peeling his webbed mask back August 3, 2011 to reveal a new face and it’s black. AFP/Ho/MarvelComics”] [/caption] Morales’ introduction has, predictably, prompted racists to come out of the online woodwork. Here’s a sampling: I like the idea . He can dance much better than Peter Parker, his girlfriend has a huge onion, and his father isn’t dead, he’s in prison! A black boy under the mask just don’t look right . This opens up a whole new story line with a whole new set of problems. Who is going to believe a black man in a mask is out for the good of mankind? I’m not racist but they need to stop turning minorities into superheroes and stick with the origins ! Broadcaster Glenn Beck also went on an incomprehensible rampage that seemed to indicate that a multiracial Spidey was a threat to American traditions. White was right All of this vitriol based on a biracial comic book character in a country that fancies itself a “salad bowl” of cultures and backgrounds, and where optimists (or ignoramuses) like to claim that they’ve reached a harmonious “post-racial” society now that the United States has a half-black president. Let’s be clear: Obama was elected despite the racists. And the fact is, his white mother from Kansas became a useful racial neutralizer. And if a comic book character with slightly darker shading rankles so many, it begs the question: How much closer are Americans to Martin Luther King, Jr’s ideal, where we are judged in real life “not by the colour of our skin, but by the content of our character”? Ultimately, some Americans still can’t seem to stomach a non-white avatar of a classic hero, even a fictional one. For centuries, Americans have been indoctrinated by film, TV, and media, which has taught them that cowboys, police officers, romantic-comedy protagonists, and rock-and-roll band frontmen ought to fit a familiar (read: white) profile. Should the hero actually turn out to be a racial minority or gay, well, that’s the kind of stuff that makes headlines. Americans can’t even handle a non-white hero even when the character is explicitly created to be a minority. Last year’s brouhaha over M Night Shyamalan’s film “The Last Airbender” is a salient example. Though the film was based on a Nickelodeon TV series featuring Asian and Native American characters, the director hired an all-white cast. When one actor dropped out, he was replaced by Dev Patel, who gained international attention for his role in “Slumdog Millionaire,” but this didn’t quell the charges that the film had been “whitewashed.”  Asian American groups called for a boycott of the film, which was panned by critics and fans alike. Film critic Roger Ebert, who was critical of the all-white casting choice , demanded to know: “Why would Paramount and Shyamalan go out of their way to offend these fans? There are many young Asian actors capable of playing the parts.” [caption id=“attachment_54771” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“A Still from Spideman 3. AP /Columbia Pictures, File.”] [/caption] Shyamalan, to his discredit, seemed oblivious to the Asian American community’s concerns, and argued that his name on the movie poster was already a victory for diversity. Diversity is inevitable So in some dark and antiquated corners of the entertainment industry, conventional wisdom seems to be that Americans can’t relate to minority protagonists. But those who still subscribe to that myth are missing the real headline. According to the 2010 US Census data, American won’t be a white-majority country for long. The Associated Press reported that for the first time in US history, minorities make up the majority of babies born in America, which is “part of a sweeping race change and growing divide between mostly white, older Americans and predominantly minority youths…” Marvel has apparently gotten that memo. “When the opportunity arose to create a new Spider-Man, we knew it had to be a character that represents the diversity—in background and experience—of the twenty-first century,”  said Axel Alonso , Marvel Editor in Chief. “Miles is a character who not only follows in the tradition of relatable characters like Peter Parker, but also shows why he’s a new, unique kind of Spider-Man—and worthy of that name.” Still, the comic book company has been criticised for pandering to minorities, and cashing in on the Obama presidency, and for possibly embarking on a marketing stunt. But who can fault Marvel for doing solid market research and realising that their future readers are kids who look like Miles Morales, and not Peter Parker? As Spider-Man artist Sarah Pichelli told reporters , she believed that “sooner or later, a black or gay or both character will be considered absolutely normal.” (Though the rumours are swirling, Marvel says Morales is not gay .) To Glenn Beck and the other naysayers out there, brace yourselves: American diversity is inevitable, at least in the Marvel Ultimate universe. Miles Morales isn’t a one-off; last year, a new Spider-Girl was introduced. Her name is Anya, and she’s half Mexican and half Puerto Rican.