Never Not A Nerd

This is pretty interesting news for Spidey-fans: Donald Glover, well known comedian and comedy-actor from Derrick Comedy and NBC’s Community has begun a campaign to get himself an audition for the role of Spider-Man in the oncoming reboot of the franchise.  Many people are intimidated by the idea of such drastic change by having an actor play Spider-Man who also happens to be funny.  I mean, people got really used to Tobey Maguire and he isn’t funny.  I think the problem is that fans aren’t going to know what to do with a Spider-Man who’s funny.  Making Spider-Man funny doesn’t change his story at all.  It would be a different case if they made Captain America funny, because not a lot of people cared for the funny back in the 1940s.  After all, back then they made funny people drink from different water fountains.

You guys realize I’m using funny as a replacement for black right?

But it’s true, my primary argument for Don Glover to play Spider-Man is that he’s funny.  And not only that, but he’d do a great job in the role.  For some reason or another, a guy with Glover’s personality and poise just feels right for the role.  He just had that same kind of presence that you’d expect Peter Parker to have.  Like he would know exactly when to be funny and when to be serious.  Unfortunately there’s a total brouhaha over the internet about the fact that he’s black, and that Peter Parker was never black, and that blah blah blah whatever.  With a character like Spider-Man I personally couldn’t care less.

Like I said before, it isn’t like they’re making Captain America black.  Remember when there were rumors swirling that Will Smith would play Captain America?  That bugged me a little.  Mainly because with his character the story would, in fact, need to change.  Cap was an American icon during WWII.  Had he been black I think his icon status would have been a bit different.  But with Peter Parker?  Nothing needs to change.  He’s just a kid from Queens that gets bit by a spider and gets powers.  That’s it.  So I don’t find any problem with Donald Glover playing Spider-Man.  In fact the more I think about it the more I get into the idea.

Think about it.  Donald Glover is a pretty funny guy, but he has that ability to portray a type of guy who’s pretty brainy, pretty jokey, and has difficulty due to people always getting on his case.  Picture him in the role.  Just try it out.  Imagine him fighting the Green Goblin.  Now imagine him saying something witty to distract Norman long enough to save Gwen Stacy/Mary-Jane Watson.  Now picture him getting chewed out by J. Jonah Jameson.  DOESN’T ALL OF THAT FEEL RIGHT?  Not only that, but he could probably rock the old school Peter Parker wardrobe.  Sweater vest, bow-tie, button-down.  Dude, it’s practically what he’s wearing in the picture I chose.

Here is where Glover, like a reasonable man, says he doesn’t want to be handed the role, rather he just wants a chance at it.

And here is the Facebook group devoted to him getting the audition.  Work hard.  Maybe we can get this to happen.