Of course race is an issue. This is America.  The reason why people are talking so much about it is the same reason Marvel made the change: it's a very provocative thing in our country.  It's okay to have "Black" superheroes. Actually some of them are even called "Black"[whatever]. Even if they are not called "Black"[whatever], their costume could be "urban" to signify their demographic.  This Ultimate Spider Man thing is kinda different becuse he's not coming in as "Black Spider" and he doesn't have dreads flowing out of the top of his mask. He's just coming in as plain ole Spiderman, top tier Marvel hero.   In the eyes of some Americans, this is above the station of a Black person. We could argue about the percentage Americans who feel a certain kind of way about this (including those who genuinely try to be PC and will read the book anyway), but I suggest that the average American sees some young (fictional) Black kid as unworthy of this honor.

The thing is about this new guy isn't that he is black or a different race, it's simple of the matter that he just isn't Spider-man no matter how much he wants to be. (I'm not a marvel fan) Just like Batman who is a well known character like Spider-man it felt different when Dick Grayson took up the mantal. If this new guy can be spider-man but act NOTHING like the orignal and take it in a different direction his OWN direction then it would be cool.
 
One thing that bugs me though is that they say they are going with the minority type of thing well...Black people are not that lesser known in comics asian people are.

It's okay to have "Black" superheroes. Actually some of them are even called "Black"[whatever].          

Does The New Ultimate Spider-Man's Race Matter?
 
No.
 
'Nuff Said!

wtf why would it matter anyone getting pissed that the new super heroe is black is freakin racist btw a bit out of subject in a way (im not a marvel fan so i don't too much of whats going on in the marvel universe) last i hear peter parker was spider man,so what happened to him? did he die?

The real reason I think people are freaking out about this is that this guy isn't Peter Parker. We all know that Peter is Spider-Man so having someone else as Spidey is just weird.

wtf why would it matter anyone getting pissed that the new super heroe is black is freakin racist btw a bit out of subject in a way (im not a marvel fan so i don't too much of whats going on in the marvel universe) last i hear peter parker was spider man,so what happened to him? did he die?

Like a lot of people mentioned when Donald Glover had a semi-real Twitter campaign going to be the new Spider-Man, Peter Parker's race is not an essential part of his character, so, if it's plausible to see the original Spider-Man and the one most people know to be the Spider-Man as another race, then an all-new one is perfectly fine and is exactly the kind of stuff the Ultimate line should be doing. Ultimate is about re-creating these characters/franchises and making them accessible to a new audience and as a middle-class white guy I'm ok with Marvel exploring role models for other kids, I'll always have the other 90% of comic book characters to relate to and aspire to. And regardless of skin colour, the true inspiring thing about Spider-man is his resolve and undying morals against all odds. And that will be the big takeaway from this character.

People are really jumping the gun though on calling his race his main characteristic, it's what everybody is talking about right now because, from the short story in Ultimate Fallout, there's not much to take away about who the character is beyond that and as we have seen time and time again(Cap America dead, Superman turning against the US, Cap America reborn etc.) the media likes to use the storylines in comic book to encapsulate the feelings and characteristics of America. "Could a black Spider-Man exist in the 70's and 80's?" "SHOULD Spider-Man be an ethnic minority?" etc all of these questions are just headlines that are in turn supposed to make the reader question the state of America.

I for one will hold off judgement of the character once we see who he is rather than what his race is.

I don't care about his race. I'm more worried about Aunt May, Gwen, and Mary Jane--are they just done, or are they going to get a part to play in Miles' story?
 
And the Ultimate Universe isn't so set on not bringing characters back from the dead as they'd like you to think. Exhibit A: Gwen Stacey.
(And I was 98% sure she would be the new Spider-man with some latent Carnage powers. *Sigh* My imagination gets me too riled up sometimes.)

I think the real thing that troubles me is why people assume you have to be the same race as someone to relate to them in the first place. I'm a black man, raised up around black guys, and most people tell me I'm the whitest guy they know. To be honest I probably relate more to Peter then I do Luke Cage. I don't feel like the race of a character should even matters when it comes to relating, I think how they act and react to what they deal with does. I could care less about race in my stories as long as they can 1) put a good story behind it, 2) don't make the whole series about race 3) use a whole bunch of stereotypes. To be truthful I hated Luke Cage for a long time because of the way he was portrayed as a black man and I never related to him

So, as someone who is interested in comics but can't really get them anywhere (marvel and DC suck at selling that stuff in germany it seems) ... is there any word on how the new Spiderman got his powers? Does he have the same powers as Peter had?

in a world: where the death of a hero...
that could hardly pay the rent left an empty space... 
when simply just being a loser wasnt enough... 
a black hispanic teenager that could also hardly pay the rent was destined to take his place.
 
spiderman returns!
 
 
 
 
 
it's another stupid idea from marvel! i call it a monday.

I think it does matter because it could give him a radically different worldview from Parker's and change his priorities. His background will be different and perhaps more interesting.

It doesn't matter what race Spider-Man (or any super hero) is, as long as there are cool stories and race isn't a major issue. 
Not that that wouldn't be an interesting story aspect but it shouldn't be a hook. 
If marvel can continue to deliver a teenager with powers, juggling school life and super hero identity, I'll be happy.

who cares as long as there are good stories

Yahoo news beat Comicvine to this. CV sure is slow.

This is excellent, the only thing wrong with it is that this discussion is even taking place. My mate Anders Breivik begs to differ with me though; this is all to "politically correct" he says, and he is very concerned about losing traditional values, which he says is intimately connected to letting "these people" in, ultimately replacing all white people.

This shouldn't even be a big media thing. It should be about an Alternate Universe Spider-Man being dead, not about the fact he is Latino or Black. 
 
Its 2011, we shouldn't be getting up in arms over someone who isn't white. CNN is saying Spider-Man should be race neutral. What does that even mean? Idiots at my work place are telling me that Spider-Man can't be Black, because he's white. The general non-comic public don't understand its an alternate reality. My Girlfriends Mum asked me what I thought about Spider-Man being Black and Gay, because thats being thrown in there. 
 
Honestly, it shocks me that a group of people like comic fans, who most commonly represent the bullied, oppressed and socially isolated people should be so bloody bigotted and closed minded. We're all people who're brought together for a love of comics because they provide something for us, an escapism away from being bullied because we like science, or we're fat, or we're gay or we're of a different ethnicity. We should all know what its like to be singled out and different, so to see such vitriol against what is essentially just a different story with a different character under a familiar brand is..well, its upsetting. We shouldn't be driving our group into even smaller groups because of racism and misunderstanding, we should be a single, unified community under one banner. 
 
I'm not saying you have to like every character but for goodness sakes, don't dislike this one because he's Black. That's just daft.

No, I never cared for the new Spider-man's race, what I actually cared is in his name and if he was a character that already existed, for me, being a random character with a random name was what make me feel a little sad, but then I imaginated the posibilities and I started to like the idea... 
 
I would love that at least he was named Miguel O'Hara ;_;... 
 

no, it does not matter. just hope he not gay.

Unless you live in some kind of Midwest-Southern racist state i think being a multiracial super heroes is fine.; especially in New York/L.A.

To all Ultimate Universe haters: Go #$%# yourself you change hating racist pieces of *&%$. I'll have you know this is my favorite line of comics because it' s more realistic. Haters, I bid you go day.

When I see a person, I do see their skin color. I'm not afraid to admit it. Because I'm smart enough to know that acknowledging the differences alone doesn't make you a bigot. There are so many things that make up 'self', and ethnicity is one of them. We are beautifully complex creatures, and nothing is wrong with observing and appreciating the details that weave our uniqueness.  
 
Now, on to the business of diversity being "shoved down our throats", and "comics making a big deal about it," 'cuase I'm lost. I am seriously without a clue as to what most people mean by that. In real life, I'm sorry, but going back to all these different things that make a 'self', some of these things can be observed with the casual eye about an individual, and those things can and sometimes does effect how society treats them. If that were to happen, would that be "shoving it in your face?" It doesn't have to happen in every single panel. But, completely glossing over some of the awkward moments and un-niceties the world offers becomes a little stale and misses out on opportunities for character development. 
  
In the early days of comics, minorities did not have the buying power that they have now. The demographic that did often would buy what would allow them to indulge in a power fantasy of seeing their super-selves being great, mighty, and heroic. In abundance. They were specifically catered to because quite simply, they had the economic buying power. Today, that demographic is ever decreasing and almost everything else is growing, not only in number, but in buying power as well.  
    While so many are crying "political correctness", please keep in mind: the comic industry is dying. And if dying is too strong a word, let's just say that it's not making the money it did ten to twenty years ago. It's a mad dash to figure out how to save it. "Should we re-number our books to be more friendly to those who may be intimidated by decades of long and complex continuity? 'Why, by god, we may never know until we try!'" "Should we make our comics more easily available to the iPad/Kindle/iPhone generation of e-readers?? 'Comics on-the-go?? Why, that's a splendid idea!!'" "Have you noticed that there are more people who don't read comics than there are who do, and a lot of the ones who don't, do not look like our heroes...could they some how feel...left out?? 'Why, the Census Bureau Reports have been saying that before 2050, the US will be minority-majority nation. Let's make comics that reflect the world as it really is today, and tomorrow!!TO THE FUTURE!!!'" 
 
    For the comics industry, it's about survival. There is a reason why they renumber. Why they have event after event. Why they deliberately "spoil." Why they do controversial things like change the ethnicity of characters. It's because half the time, all they have to do is mention it once, and it starts a wild fire of controversy. They don't have to shove anything down your throat, you will do it for them. In chat rooms. On blog sites. On social networking sites. Moan and complain. We are nerds. We show our love for the things we enjoy by trying to posses encyclopedic knowledge of the things we celebrate and treat the beloved source material like scripture. Most nerds are afraid of change. It's who we are. But the world is changing. Evolving. So should we. Because if we keep treating comics like the "He-Man woman Haters Club", we are going to be inside that thing when it burns down, while everyone else is just looking at us like the Dodo.  
    Too many of us are treating comics like Lenny does rabbits in 'Of Mice And Men.' "George, I just want to pet it, and rub it, and treat it like my very own". And then you wind up killing the damn thing in your hand. Open up your palm. Relax.  Breathe. Let new readers who may not have previously been interested in comics in so the industry can stay alive. Otherwise, what can I say, but, "it's been real."

Race will be an issue as long as you keep talking about it. Define Miles as a kid and not a half black, half latino kid. If Marvel didn't address the topic of his ethnicity and just said "This is your new Spider-man" it would have been a small but powerful step in the right direction.

I'm confused. I am not an american. But you people didn't care about race when electing your president, but when a super-hero goes black you say "WTF"? 

The idea of having more minorities in comics is a great idea, but I don't like having them shoe horned in. In the examples in the article, Batman, Captain America, and Iron Man, it made sense when they were replaced because they were replaced by people close to them. In this case Miles has no relation to Peter. Why not just have him be his own hero?

Doesn't matter who they put in the suit cause, sales will plummet so far so fast they'll have to bring back Peter Parker and relaunch the book.

Pro tip: if you're talking about whether or not something matters, then it matters. Something not mattering doesn't inspire discussion.

Doesn't matter who they put in the suit cause, sales will plummet so far so fast they'll have to bring back Peter Parker and relaunch the book.

No matter how they portray the guy, as long as he's in interesting stories then it's all good for me. Nuff said.

now JJ is a white supremacist

As I am a general Spidey hater(noir, 2099, and marvel zombies spidey being the only exceptions so far), I just do not care.  Even if I did,  I wouldn't hate him because he's not white and possibly not straight.  I just don't see race/orientation as that big of a factor in whether or not I like a character.  So I just don't care. :/

Very well written article. I enjoyed that read.   Honestly, I think Marvel is trying to be too politically correct lately. It's not necessary. I'm not saying I'm against ethnically diverse heroes, but Marvel shouldn't feel they need to bend to the political spectrum.

@Osiris1428 said:

When I see a person, I do see their skin color. I'm not afraid to admit it. Because I'm smart enough to know that acknowledging the differences alone doesn't make you a bigot. There are so many things that make up 'self', and ethnicity is one of them. We are beautifully complex creatures, and nothing is wrong with observing and appreciating the details that weave our uniqueness.  
 
Now, on to the business of diversity being "shoved down our throats", and "comics making a big deal about it," 'cuase I'm lost. I am seriously without a clue as to what most people mean by that. In real life, I'm sorry, but going back to all these different things that make a 'self', some of these things can be observed with the casual eye about an individual, and those things can and sometimes does effect how society treats them. If that were to happen, would that be "shoving it in your face?" It doesn't have to happen in every single panel. But, completely glossing over some of the awkward moments and un-niceties the world offers becomes a little stale and misses out on opportunities for character development. 
  
In the early days of comics, minorities did not have the buying power that they have now. The demographic that did often would buy what would allow them to indulge in a power fantasy of seeing their super-selves being great, mighty, and heroic. In abundance. They were specifically catered to because quite simply, they had the economic buying power. Today, that demographic is ever decreasing and almost everything else is growing, not only in number, but in buying power as well.  
    While so many are crying "political correctness", please keep in mind: the comic industry is dying. And if dying is too strong a word, let's just say that it's not making the money it did ten to twenty years ago. It's a mad dash to figure out how to save it. "Should we re-number our books to be more friendly to those who may be intimidated by decades of long and complex continuity? 'Why, by god, we may never know until we try!'" "Should we make our comics more easily available to the iPad/Kindle/iPhone generation of e-readers?? 'Comics on-the-go?? Why, that's a splendid idea!!'" "Have you noticed that there are more people who don't read comics than there are who do, and a lot of the ones who don't, do not look like our heroes...could they some how feel...left out?? 'Why, the Census Bureau Reports have been saying that before 2050, the US will be minority-majority nation. Let's make comics that reflect the world as it really is today, and tomorrow!!TO THE FUTURE!!!'" 
 
    For the comics industry, it's about survival. There is a reason why they renumber. Why they have event after event. Why they deliberately "spoil." Why they do controversial things like change the ethnicity of characters. It's because half the time, all they have to do is mention it once, and it starts a wild fire of controversy. They don't have to shove anything down your throat, you will do it for them. In chat rooms. On blog sites. On social networking sites. Moan and complain. We are nerds. We show our love for the things we enjoy by trying to posses encyclopedic knowledge of the things we celebrate and treat the beloved source material like scripture. Most nerds are afraid of change. It's who we are. But the world is changing. Evolving. So should we. Because if we keep treating comics like the "He-Man woman Haters Club", we are going to be inside that thing when it burns down, while everyone else is just looking at us like the Dodo.  
    Too many of us are treating comics like Lenny does rabbits in 'Of Mice And Men.' "George, I just want to pet it, and rub it, and treat it like my very own". And then you wind up killing the damn thing in your hand. Open up your palm. Relax.  Breathe. Let new readers who may not have previously been interested in comics in so the industry can stay alive. Otherwise, what can I say, but, "it's been real."

Tabernacle preach, synagogue speech, and my the mo' flushin' Mosque Mosh, folk!!!! Ain't nothin' left to do but pass the collection plate after that rousing sermon. 

@Osiris1428: Well said!

  @Silkcuts said:

Did anyone comment on Donald Glover?  He wanted to be Spider-Man and how that is possible. 

THAT is the reason I'm not feeling good about Miles as Spiderman.  I mean I'm not crazy about the fact that he has no connection to Peter at all (at least, not in what I've read of Ultimate Spiderman), but they can always retcon something believable. 
 
My big fear is that they saw all the Donald Glover hype on twitter (I don't like Community, so i didn't follow it) and decided "if we put in a character who looks like this actor, then we can license it out as a way to make an easy buck." And THAT makes it feel dishonest when they say that they want the comic to reflect the diversity of the real world. 
 
…and apparently, according to Bendis, that was a major factor in their decision.