Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man must always be heterosexual AND Caucasian, according to a the licensing agreement between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel Entertainment.
The requirements were disclosed as a part of another massive document release by WikiLeaks, which released this week 276,394 private files, emails and financial data onto its servers.
Sony Pictures and Marvel reps declined to comment on the licensing agreement, first reported by Gawker.
via Variety:
The contract went into effect in September 2011. It lists “mandatory” character traits for both Peter Parker and Spider-Man — and the agreement includes the caveat that Spider-Man is “not a homosexual (unless Marvel has portrayed that alter ego as a homosexual).”
The Peter Parker/Spider-Man character was created in 1962 by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in “Amazing Fantasy #15? as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Parker was portrayed as a teenager dealing with adolescence and being a costumed crime-fighter, complete with super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, and to react quickly to danger with his “spider-sense.”
The agreement spells out that mandatory Spider-Man traits must always strictly conform to the following list: male; does not torture; does not kill in defense of self or others; does not use foul language beyond PG-13; dose not smoke tobacco; does not sell/distribute illegal drugs; does not abuse alcohol; does not have sex before the age of 16; does not have sex with anyone below the age of 16; and is not a homosexual (unless Marvel has portrayed that alter ego as a homosexual).
With all of the Spider-Man movie reboots going on, it might be time to switch things up pretty soon.
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