What Exactly Is Wrong With The Castings Of 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'? | The Odyssey Online
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What Exactly Is Wrong With The Castings Of 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'?

If the characters are written and portrayed well, who really cares about appearences?

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What Exactly Is Wrong With The Castings Of 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'?
Screen Rant

With the cinematic version of Spider-Man being rebooted again (this time in the hands of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), the new film entry titled "Spider-Man: Homecoming" seems to contain a promising cast.

He may be young and not that well known yet, but Tom Holland is an excellent choice for the role of Spider-Man, and this role could really fire up his career. After watching him debut as the beloved wall crawler in "Captain America: Civil War," this is already clear. First of all, at the age of 20, Holland has the closest age to a high school student seen in Spider-Man movies. Out of all of the cinematic Spider-Man actors, Holland seems more capable of taking his youth and bringing it to life within Peter Parker/Spider-Man. In his short debut in "Captain America: Civil War" where he meets Tony Stark, he talks about his hobbies, such as reading books and building computers. He also discusses how he has wanted to play football but can't because he is different. He then goes on to say that he is fighting crime to prevent another "bad thing" from happening, which is believed to be implying the death of his Uncle Ben. With Tom Holland playing the lead role in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," we may see a much more conflicted character compared to the ones played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Holland has said that this version of the web-head will have a much different side as he is a kid balancing his life as a 15-year-old teenager with various high school obligations and a superhero trying to protect New York City.

Then there are Peter Parker's high school classmates being rebooted as well. Zendaya, a 19-year-old singer and actress, is rumored to be cast as Peter Parker's love interest and classmate, Mary Jane Watson, while little known 20-year-old actor Tony Revolori is playing his rival, Flash Thompson.

These two castings are also within reasonable age differences, but the issue that fans are having is a matter of appearance. What exactly is wrong with Zendaya and Tony Revolori playing Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," respectively, when neither of them look anything like the comic book characters?

You could ask the same question about Marisa Tomei, an attractive 50 year old woman who is playing Peter Parker's Aunt May. In the comics, television shows, and movies, Aunt May has usually been portrayed as a much older woman, probably in her 70's or maybe even 80's. While Peter Parker has always been a younger superhero, he will be only 15-years-old in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." So if he is that young in this adaptation, why does Aunt May have to be much older? Yes, families are different and there are teenagers with aunts and uncles that old, but the new casting of Aunt May makes sense. She doesn't necessarily have to be an older woman - she just has to be the caring guardian of Peter Parker, regardless of her age. As Aunt May said in "Captain America: Civil War," "they (aunts) come in all shapes and sizes."

With all of that said, the same ideas go for Zendaya and Revolori. Neither Zendaya nor Revolori are white like MJ and Thompson, respectively, and it's understandable that accurate resemblance of comic book characters is important to fans. For all we know, Zendaya may be dying her hair red and Revolori may actually look good in a letterman jacket. However, in this case, accurate portrayal may be more important. Some of the castings in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" may be questionable, but in reality, there are other aspects besides appearance that could make the choices good ones, such as age, general acting, and chemistry with other actors. Also, the characters of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" should be written so that they are somehow based on their source material personality and backstory. If the characters are written and portrayed well, who really cares about the appearance? Regardless of appearances, they're going to play important people to Peter Parker, and possibly great ones at that.

If you're still not convinced, take a look back at when Ben Affleck was cast as Batman for the DC Extended Universe. Fans all across the world thought Affleck was going to be a horrible choice for the caped crusader, probably because he was unsuccessful as Daredevil back in 2003 and he has not been seen in all that many dark productions. But when "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" rolled around, they were proven wrong. Quite frankly, Affleck's Batman was really one of the few things praised about the film.

We may not know a whole lot about the specific plot of "Spider-Man: Homecoming." However, with the cast and characters in mind, and the fact that it's going to be part of Marvel Cinematic Universe, the new adaptation of Spider-Man has potential to show a completely revamped side to the popular superhero, no matter how much backlash there is.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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