Upon the successful debut of the third cinematic incarnation of Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, expect to see the web slinging crime fighter in the start of his own new franchise, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Starring Tom Holland as the titular character, the rest of his cast continues to surprise and upset many.
With the new film coming soon, it will become pretty hard to keep new castings and set images hidden from diehard fans all around. One casting, however, became a huge surprise for many. Zendaya Coleman, star of Disney’s KC Undercover and Shake It Up, was initially cast in the mysterious role of Michelle. Most fans were confused as to who was Michelle, and then why Zendaya?
Zendaya has been in the limelight for quite some time, other than her two hit TV shows, Coleman has appeared on Dancing With The Stars, has a successful music career, and was apart of an Oscar’s controversy.
Upon more speculation of who Zendaya was truly playing, the role later became revealed that the actress would be taking over Kristen Dunst’s role of Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker (Spider-Man)’s main love interest. Now the comic version, and the two depictions of the character on the film screen, has always depicted the character as a white female with red hair. To say the least there have been mixed reactions to this casting.
Jon Watts, director of Spider-Man: Homecoming, has enacted a new way to do casting. Colorblind Casting, which roles look past the race of the actor/actress in hopes to get the best talent for said role. Zendaya acts as a prime catalyst for this new wave of Hollywood. The point of colorblind casting allows more opportunities for other races and ethnicities to have the same initial chance to represent other characters.
This would not be the first instance of colorblind casting in the realm of comic book movies. Johnny Storm, or otherwise known as the Human Torch, was portrayed by Michael B. Jordan. The Human Torch in the comic book series is usually represented as white, but within the realms of the Fantastic Four movies, Jordan–a black actor–portrays the flaming character. There is also the character of the Ancient One, a Chinese mystical character that acts as an advisor for Doctor Strange; another Marvel Movie that will be released in the fall. The Ancient One, usually portrayed as a male, will be cinematically be represented by Tilda Swinton, a white actress. This instance also caused quite the controversy.
The only issue with colorblind casting is the source material. Other than out of pure respect for the author of such material, then there is no issue. Times were different back when Spider-Man was first introduced to the world. Of course it would be very uncommon for people to see a white superhero with a black love interest, but the world is different now. The movies are an adaptation of the comic books itself, and with adaptations, anything can be changed. There is no real issue here, and with that in mind, Zendaya will make the perfect Mary Jane Watson.
