Andrew Garfield's 'Gay Spider-Man' Idea Resurfaces 13 Years After His Michael B. Jordan Romance Pitch

Andrew Garfield's surprising proposal to give Spider-Man a male love interest has resurfaced 13 years after the actor revealed he wanted Peter Parker to explore his sexuality, with Michael B. Jordan as his preferred choice to play a reimagined male version of MJ.

The 2013 remarks have returned to attention as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 actress Shailene Woodley recently revisited the fate of her own deleted Mary Jane Watson scenes.

Andrew Garfield Asked 'Why Can't He Be Gay?'

Garfield first discussed the idea in July 2013, while preparing to return as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the British-American actor revealed that he had raised the possibility with producer Matt Tolmach while discussing Mary Jane Watson, one of Peter Parker's best-known romantic interests.

'I was kind of joking, but kind of not joking about MJ,' Garfield said. 'And I was like, "What if MJ is a dude?"'

Garfield then questioned why his version of Peter could not explore his sexuality, asking: 'So why can't he be gay? Why can't he be into boys?'

The proposal was never confirmed as a storyline being developed for the films. Instead, Garfield presented it as an idea he had discussed with the producer.

Michael B. Jordan as Garfield's Choice for Male MJ

Garfield already had an actor in mind for his hypothetical male version of MJ: Michael B. Jordan.

The actor said he had been impressed by Jordan since watching him in The Wire, describing him as 'so charismatic and talented'. Garfield added that the pairing could introduce 'interracial bisexuality' into Peter Parker's story.

Director Marc Webb also appeared to be familiar with Garfield's suggestion. When Entertainment Weekly raised the idea with him, Webb responded: 'Michael B. Jordan, I know.'

Jordan was never cast as an MJ character, and there is no evidence that Garfield's proposal progressed into an official plan for The Amazing Spider-Man franchise.

Garfield later returned to the subject of Spider-Man's sexuality in 2015, saying he hoped audiences could eventually see a 'pansexual Spider-Man'.

Shailene Woodley's Mary Jane Scenes Were Cut

The resurfaced comments come as Shailene Woodley has revisited her own brief history as Mary Jane Watson.

Woodley was cast as MJ in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and recently revealed she filmed around three scenes with Garfield. However, her entire role was removed before the 2014 film reached cinemas.

At the time, Webb said the decision was made to streamline the film and keep its romantic focus on Peter and Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. Mary Jane was instead expected to be introduced in a planned third film.

That sequel never materialised.

What Happened to Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man?

Garfield debuted as Peter Parker in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man before returning for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014, which featured Jamie Foxx as Electro and Dane DeHaan as Harry Osborn.

The franchise subsequently changed direction, with Tom Holland taking over as Peter Parker as Spider-Man entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Garfield eventually got another chance to wear the suit in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, appearing alongside Holland and Tobey Maguire. The film grossed around $1.9 billion (around £1.4 billion) worldwide and gave Garfield an unexpected return to the superhero role seven years after his second solo film.