Spider-Man has never been particularly fond of staying in one lane, and Andrew Garfield is happy to keep the mask flexible. Beyond Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, the web-slinger has appeared in wildly different forms, from Miles Morales and Cindy Moon to the noir-suited Spider-Man Noir and rebellious Punk Spider-Man. Garfield said in 2013 that he could imagine a gay Spider-Man, and 13 years later, his view has not changed.

In an ever-changing Spider-Verse, Garfield sees no reason why a gay hero could not slip into that iconic suit.

Andrew Garfield first floated the idea of a gay Peter Parker in 2013, and the question has hardly aged out of relevance. Since his final outing in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, four live-action Spider-Man films and two animated Spider-Verse movies have expanded the character’s possibilities. Yet Garfield’s original thought still lingers.

“It was an exercise in rebellion that I felt passionate about, I just still believe that anyone can be in that suit,” Andrew Garfield said. He reaffirmed to Entertainment Weekly the sentiment that sparked his 2013 remarks. For Garfield, Spider-Man’s enduring appeal comes from the character’s ability to transcend identity and allow anyone to see themselves beneath the mask. The suit, he believes, should remain open to everyone.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Garfield also recalled joking with producer Matt Tolmach about making MJ a man and exploring Peter Parker’s love life. He even suggested Michael B. Jordan as a possible partner, praising his charisma and talent. Thirteen years later, Garfield still sees that playful idea as a perfectly natural possibility.

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While nobody can predict the future of a gay Spider-Man, and look back at comics for evidence, one thing seems almost certain: whoever wins his heart is in for a very complicated romance.

Spider-Man may be one of fiction’s greatest heroes, but Cupid has never exactly been on his side. Peter Parker’s romantic history is practically a scrapbook of heartbreak, danger, and spectacularly bad timing, with Gwen Stacy’s death becoming the defining canon event and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage eventually falling victim to One More Day. Felicia Hardy, Betty Brant, and Carlie Cooper also discovered that dating the web-slinger comes with considerable fine print.

It has become something of a canon event, right alongside Uncle Ben’s death and Aunt May’s many brushes with tragedy: Spider-Man can save the city, but his personal life usually pays the bill. There are exceptions, however, with Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson finding lasting happiness in worlds such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Renew Your Vows, and the MC2 timeline. And with Andrew Garfield still rooting for a gay Spider-Man, perhaps the next web-slinger could finally bring a new kind of love story to the suit.

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