Stan Lee, James Gunn Respond to Zendaya Casting Controversy

Over the past few days reports have been circulating that Zendaya will be portraying Mary Jane Watson in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. This has led to some social media backlash with some questioning whether the actress is right for the role considering how the character is portrayed in the comics (i.e. Zendaya is black). Now a man who knows a thing or two about Marvel and its creations is adding his voice to the mix: Stan Lee.

Screen Shot 2016-08-24 at 12.44.39 PM

“If she is as good an actress as I hear she is, I think it’ll be absolutely wonderful. The color of their skin doesn’t matter, their religion doesn’t matter. All that matters is that this the right person for the role,” Lee told the Toronto Star. Lee isn’t the only one in the Marvel universe speaking up either. Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn had this to say on Twitter:

He continued on Facebook, saying:

The web-slinger, played by Tom Holland who made his Spidey debut in Captain America: Civil War, will return on July 7th, 2017 when Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theatres.