Will Smith has fueled suspicion that his son, actor Jaden Smith, is in talks for a key part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In January, Jaden Smith added fire to rumors of him being cast as Spider-Man by sharing a photo of himself wearing a Spidey mask. He wrote as he shared the photo, “Wya I’m Tryna Swing By.”
Miles Morales originally appeared in Sony's animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, where he swiftly won over the audience's hearts. Miles was also the first Spider-Man of color in the movie.
Jaden Smith's father, Will Smith, has now reportedly confirmed that Jaden is MCU's Miles Morales, in a statement obtained by POPTime,
"My son is preparing himself physically and mentally to get a place as one of the characters who will make history for the first time in the saga of a movie that many already know and ask for."
Jaden Smith's alleged casting intensifies the question of Miles Morales' ethnicity on the internet
Rumors circulating on social media that Jaden Smith will play Miles Morales in the live-action film are causing quite a stir, and that stir is being caused mainly because the ethnicity of the actor does not match that of the character written in the MCU comics.
Morales, the son of an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, was born and reared in Brooklyn, New York City. Miles is a proud member of the vibrant Afro-Latino community. He dances salsa while wearing Timberlands and speaks Spanish with his mother.
Jaden Smith, on the other hand, hails from a mixed ethnic background of African-American, African-Creole-Barbadian, and African-Creole-Jamaican.
That is why fans on Twitter are outraged that Marvel could go to this extent of misrepresentation on ethnic grounds. Some fans have even openly declared that they will not continue watching the franchise if this rumor is true.
Fans on Twitter have taken to strongly objecting to this casting decision rumor by Marvel, as they believe Marvel should reconsider their opinion. Casting Will Smith's son to play the titular character in a live action movie seems like a blatant abuse of power to the fans as Jaden is much older to play the part.
Fans also unanimously let it be known to marvel that Spiderman is apparently the story of an ordinary kid from an unknown neighborhood rising to power, and they wouldn't mind if Miles were to be cast as some lesser-known actor like Dallas Dupree Young.
They have all welcomed the fact that a fresh face would suit the character better than Jaden.
Some fans even pointed out that Will Smith supposedly winning the Academy Award for Best actor this year is a weird coincidence to this sudden casting decision.
According to fans, correct representation matters as the Afro-Latino community has very few roles to their name. They have vehemently requested Marvel that half the ethnicity of Spider-Man of color should not be erased off just like that.