Kevin Feige Points to 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' as Example of Marvel’s Diversity Push

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige chatted with Vulture about the studio’s continued efforts to diversify its movie lineup. Recently, Marvel and Feige came under fire for casting Tilda Swinton in the role of “the Ancient One,” typically an Asian character in the Doctor Strange comics.

Feige told Vulture he heard the feedback and noted that Marvel’s diversity will make another leap forward in its upcoming slate. Zoe Saldana will return as a lead in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Tessa Thompson will co-star in Thor: Ragnarok, and Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, and Forest Whitaker are among the names in a predominantly black cast for Black Panther.

This is a marked improvement from Marvel’s phase one, where a predominantly white cast took center stage. Feige pointed to Spider-Man: Homecoming as the Marvel movie that will be among the most diverse comic-book films ever made. Joining Zendaya in that film will be Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, Donald Glover, Hannibal Buress, and Laura Harrier.

The Marvel Studios president said that director Jon Watts and his team “came in and had pictures of real high schools, and they are as diverse as you could imagine. That was something that was important to us, to set it apart from other Spidey films that have been made — to carve that niche — and to have it represent the world today.”

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