Andrew Garfield is standing by his longtime belief that Spider-Man could be gay.
More than a decade after first proposing the idea, the "Amazing Spider-Man" star revisited his 2013 comments in a recentinterview with Entertainment Weekly. Garfield said his support for a more inclusive version of theMarvel superhero has not changed.
"I just still believe that anyone can be in that suit," Garfield told the outlet while promoting his upcoming historical drama, "The Uprising,"which is set to arrive in theaters Sept. 11.
Garfield said his original remarks were partly an "exercise of rebellion" but reflected a belief he continues to hold. Spider-Man’s widespread appeal, he argued, comes from the character’s ability to represent people across different
backgrounds and identities.
"That's the point of why it's such a kind of universally beloved character, one of the greatly beloved characters in the history of fiction," Garfield continued. The "We Live in Time" actor said the superhero's costume allows audiences to look beyond qualities such as race, gender and sexual orientation. Instead, viewers can see themselves beneath the mask.
"Anyone can project themselves into that suit," he said.
"I like the idea of a place where everyone is being honored and everyone is being included, and it was just a kind of act of saying, 'Well, why not?' And you’ll be telling on yourself if you have a strong opinion either way," Garfield said.
Garfield first raised the possibility of a gay or bisexual Spider-Man during a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." At the time, he recalled discussing the idea with producer Matt Tolmach and wondering whether Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker’s longtime love interest, could instead be a man.
"What if MJ is a dude? Why can't we discover that Peter is exploring his sexuality? It’s hardly even groundbreaking!" Garfield said in the 2013 interview. "So why can’t he be gay? Why can’t he be into boys?"
The actor also floated Michael B. Jordan as a potential love interest, praising the star’s talent and charisma. "It'd be even better – we’d have interracial bisexuality," Garfield said.
Jordan later joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Erik Killmonger in 2018’s "Black Panther."
Garfield portrayed Peter Parker in 2012’s "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its 2014 sequel, starring opposite Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. He later returned to the role alongside fellow Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Tom Hollandin 2021’s "Spider-Man: No Way Home."
Although the big-screen versions of Peter Parker have only been shown in relationships with women, Marvel Comics has introduced a gay character with Spider-Man abilities. Web-Weaver, whose civilian identity is fashion student Cooper Coen, made his debut in a 2022 issue of "Edge of Spider-Verse."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Andrew Garfield still wants a gay Spider-Man: ‘why can’t he be gay?'
