Marvel just unveiled a gay Spider-Man with a ‘fearlessly femme identity’
Web-Weaver from Edge of the Spider-Verse (Image: Twitter)
Marvel Comics is introducing a new, gay Spider-Man in its Edge of the Spider-Verse comic series.
Web-Weaver is described as a “not-so-mild mannered fashion designer at Van Dyne [industries]”, the company owned by Janet Van Dyne aka The Wasp.
After he gets his spider powers, he “shows us a different kind of Spider-Slayer”, according to a description of the comic posted to Twitter.
Eisner-nominated writer and editor Steve Fox, who helped co-create the character, expressed his excitement on Twitter, saying: “Surprise: I had the huge gay honour of helping to co-create Web-Weaver, who’ll make his debut in Edge of the Spider-verse this September!”
Fox was extra vigilant in ensuring that Web-Weaver felt uniquely identifiable and not just a generalisation of the queer community, he explained.
“Something I realised immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t – and shouldn’t – represent ALL gay men,” Fox said. “No single character cant.
“His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY… Which you can experience for yourself in September!”
Capping off an eventful Pride month for fans, costume designer Krisanka shared the design for the character on June 23, explaining: “From the jump, I looked at a lot of McQueen and Mugler for this as inspiration.”
Web-Weaver
my design for the brand new Spider, debuting in Edge of Spider-verse 5 pic.twitter.com/vl2qVUtGVq
— krisanka (@kristaferanka) June 23, 2022
Web-Weaver’s costume features flared sleeves, a ruff, yellow detailing and lashes on the spider lenses.
The character is set to debut alongside three other renditions of Spider-Man in issue five of the new Edge of the Spider-Verse series.
The first issue, which featured fan-favourite Spider-Man Noir and even a Spider-Rex dinosaur hybrid, is set for an August 3 release date.
This year’s Pride Month has been huge for comics, with both Marvel and DC representing more of their fans than ever before. New characters and old favourites have both taken steps towards inclusivity.
One such example was the announcement of a Pride-themed mini-series from Marvel Comics, featuring a new trans superhero, Escapade, and her mutant turtle sidekick.
DC also continued the story of Superman Jon Kent and his boyfriend, Jay Nakamura, in DC Pride 2022, which was released on June 15 to critical acclaim. The character initially came out as bisexual in 2021.
