Far From Home Spider-Man: Far From Home General Discussion and Speculation - Part 1

[Dark Raven]

Jessica Drew was English. There were so many distinct things about her that to turn her into a generic agent with no powers seems rather pointless.

Why even bother to feature her if they're not going to actually make her Spider-Woman? Just to use that name? Why not use a different name for an agent?

Jessica Drew Spider-Woman was my favourite super heroine growing up. I've wanted to see a proper adaptation of her, not just some bastardised version shoe-horned in somewhere for the sake of it.

Of course, it would fit in with everything else about the Homecoming franchise where they slap names like Ned Leeds or even "MJ" on characters who bear no resemblance at all to the their comic counterparts.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Maybe the WILL make her Spider-Woman. She just may not start out that way. Wait and see.

 

[Abudefduf]

Yeah, but how? Will a radioactive spider bite her? One of the key differences between her and Peter is that Jessica has had her powers since she was a kid.

If it were up to me, I would've made her a HYDRA experiment that was at some point freed and then recruited by SHIELD or the government.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Yeah, but how? Will a radioactive spider bite her? One of the key differences between her and Peter is that Jessica has had her powers since she was a kid.

If it were up to me, I would've made her a HYDRA experiment that was at some point freed and then recruited by SHIELD or the government.

This isn't the comics, so she can get them in the movie itself. Or in a future one.

 

[Dark Raven]

Yeah, but how? Will a radioactive spider bite her? One of the key differences between her and Peter is that Jessica has had her powers since she was a kid.

If it were up to me, I would've made her a HYDRA experiment that was at some point freed and then recruited by SHIELD or the government.

They could've kept the Hydra angle. Even though it's been done to death on AoS, it would've been something that happened long in the past. Jessica was meant to be someone from a different time period.

I don't want her too modern anyway. She should feel like she stepped out of a Hammer horror film and, unlike Captain America who was welcomed when he returned from a long period of suspended animation, Jessica was shunned and feared.

She has a really great character arc which could've been explored separate from Spider-Man. From isolated loner out of time to being used by Hydra to eventual rehabilitation and integration back into society.

The Buffy spin-off "Angel" was the closest thing to the tone of Spider-Woman: A dark private eye from a different time period with super powers fighting off supernatural enemies in LA.

 

[Abudefduf]

This isn't the comics, so she can get them in the movie itself. Or in a future one.

Yeah, that's true. My worry is that Sony may have barred Marvel from using her powers in the MCU because they're planning to give her a solo later down the line.

Come on, you know that's totally something that Sony would do.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Yeah, that's true. My worry is that Sony may have barred Marvel from using her powers in the MCU because they're planning to give her a solo later down the line.

Come on, you know that's totally something that Sony would do.

Sony could always make their own Spider-Woman movie with Julia Carpenter, etc. The mantle has been used by many. I am not writing off that possibility. I'm just saying we don't know what Marvel is doing with Jessica Drew at this point.

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

This isn't the comics, so she can get them in the movie itself. Or in a future one.

That is my thought, the origin story may be the spoiler they are trying to hide since the casting can't be hidden from the entertainment news industry.

 

[Web-Head]

Jessica Drew was English. There were so many distinct things about her that to turn her into a generic agent with no powers seems rather pointless.

Why even bother to feature her if they're not going to actually make her Spider-Woman? Just to use that name? Why not use a different name for an agent?

Jessica Drew Spider-Woman was my favourite super heroine growing up. I've wanted to see a proper adaptation of her, not just some bastardised version shoe-horned in somewhere for the sake of it.

Of course, it would fit in with everything else about the Homecoming franchise where they slap names like Ned Leeds or even "MJ" on characters who bear no resemblance at all to the their comic counterparts.

Exactly. We shouldn't assume any of the supporting cast will be like they are in the comics because well, they won't be.

 

[Abudefduf]

She has a really great character arc which could've been explored separate from Spider-Man. From isolated loner out of time to being used by Hydra to eventual rehabilitation and integration back into society.

Drew does have a very interesting backstory, one that would've been cool to explore in a movie.

Sony could always make their own Spider-Woman movie with Julia Carpenter, etc. The mantle has been used by many. I am not writing off that possibility. I'm just saying we don't know what Marvel is doing with Jessica Drew at this point.

Sony may believe that a spin-off based on a character from the beloved MCU has a far better shot at being successful than one starring a wholly unfamiliar one, and they wouldn't be wrong.

That said, you're right... it's too early to jump to conclusions. I'm just not sure I trust either Sony or Marvel to make the right call. when they collaborate, weird things happen.

 

[Marvel united]

They'll probably get a "POC" to continue their virtue signaling.

There was no "virtue signaling" in Homecoming. Considering the racial makeup of New York, it made perfect sense for the cast to be diverse in 2017.

 

[Abudefduf]

Speaking of Numan Acar's IG posts...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BldklFihlbw/?hl=it&taken-by=numanoffice

numanoffice
Have a nice weekend. What an exciting week. So many new people and impressions. You can do everything and everything you can’t, you can learn. #enjoy #live #life #moment #london #istanbul #berlin #spiderman #spiderwomen #spiderboy #marvel #studios #avengers #homecoming #spidermanhomecoming #farfromhome #tomholland #marvelcomics #marvelstudios

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't know if that hashtag means anything for the movie. If you've seen the way people use hashtags to get things to trend on Instagram, they'll just search the most popular ones that are even just vaguely related and then attach their post to it so that more people see it.

 

[Abudefduf]

I've looked through some his other posts and nope, the hashtags are always related to the content of his pictures.

 

[Web-Head]

He hashtagged Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders earlier.

 

[Abudefduf]

Exactly. This guy is trying to give Tom Holland a run for his money.

 

[Loki882]

Jessica Drew being in the film is fine, but she should be Spider-Woman. Turning her into a generic agent (and we already have multiple "female agent" characters in the MCU anyway) seems very, lame honestly.

 

[SwiftFox]

Julia Carpenter is shared between Marvel and Sony like Jessica Drew.

That said, if they start Jess out with no Powers they could go with the angle that she had them and lost them somehow. In the comics the Skrulls kidnapped Jess but restored her powers so Veranke could pose as her. I saw a synopsis for the Captain Marvel movie (take it with a huge grain of salt but it seemed plausible)
[blackout]that stated a few Skrulls stayed behind on earth when Carol went to space. If (BIG HUGE IFF) that winds up being the case, it's entirely possible they go the secret invasion route in restoring Jessica's powers.[/blackout]

IF the Jessica rumors are true. Of course I'm just speculating and am probably 100% wrong

 

[Spider-Fan]

We can take it with a grain of salt, but it still needs tagged. Since it is a possible spoiler (though unlikely, still tag those).

 

[SwiftFox]

Wonder how old she will be and if they cast PoC actor

They were looking for an actress in her early to mids 20s last I heard.

Oops sorry!! Thanks for tagging it for me.

 

[danethemichael]

Changing the skin color of a character just feels unnecessary unless they happen to find an actor who gives the best performance for that role that is non-white.

I mean casting in Hollywood is rarely actually about who gives the best performance.
But the bigger issue is that most comic book characters are white, that's why Black Panther was such a big deal.
Tell me, did changing Perry White to Laurence Fishburne ruin Man of Steel? Did Idris Elba ruin Thor?
Representation is important, and yeah, ideally the role goes to the person who gives the best performance. That person doesn't have to be white. It's cool if they're a POC, and often that is actually beneficial, because people need to see themselves on screen.
There are just as many talented actors and actresses who are POC as there are who are white, and they deserve a chance to be seen.
Why would this person need to be especially good if they weren't white?
Comic books in the 60s and film in the present day are two completely different mediums.
"Virtue signaling" (god what a B.S. concept) or no, it's still important that all people are represented in art. Look at Black Panther, for god's sake.
Look at all the difference Homecoming made when it decided to actually represent the actual diversity of New York.
Honestly, what's more important? Someone looking 100% like the comic book, or actual representation in an industry that has historically struggled to do that? In the end, what exactly would be lost by Jessica Drew being latino, or being black, or middle-eastern, and why is THAT aspect of the character important enough to complain over? If you REALLY care about getting "the best performance", you'll support them choosing from people with a wide variety of backgrounds.
Honestly, I'm just sick of this being bandied around as a reason people say they didn't like Homecoming. Clearly, judging by the amount of success and support these movies have garnered, the only ones who care about white characters not being white in adaptations are dudes who skulk in forums and twitter feeds.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Jessica Drew was English.

Jessica Drew was born in Transia from an American father and a French mother while raised by an Englishman named Herbert Windham and an anthropomorphic cow. It's hard to truly say what nationality she is (although I maintain she would have had an English accent growing up). She would be a French citizen and, I believe, an American citizen at birth. She wouldn't be a UK citizen. That being said, I don't think her nationality is the most important aspect of the character.

 

[Loki882]

^No it isn't.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

They'll probably get a "POC" to continue their virtue signaling.

I'm with you to an extent.

I do think that at times changing a character's race is sometimes only done to pander to a specific group or as others mentioned "trying to show representation of that group." Even the "Homecoming" team admitted that they wanted to reflect the cultural differences of Queens. However, they could've easily wrote in new characters or brought in some of Peter Parker's diverse friends without changing already established characters' races.

But Hollywood is scared and they feel if they don't do it, there will be a backlash. Which then makes them uncomfortable.

However, in the sense of the New "Star Wars" movies, they're written in new characters and want to show the vastness of the galaxy and different sects of people and it works fine. (Although, there were the racist and sexist nitwits that went after Kellie-Mae Tran. )

However, at times it works:

- Michael Clark Duncan as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. I still like his portrayal and physically he was the right man for the job. If he were alive today, I'm sure he could've been Apocalypse, Thanos or Darkseid but alas....

- Ben Urich. While David Duchovny would've been great in the role, I really like what Vondie-Curtis Hall did with the role.

- Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. He was funny and it wasn't that big of a deal.

- Will Smith as Deadshot. It wasn't what we were use to but he did make the character fun.

I'm not big into the race changes of Valkyrie, Heimdall, or Flash Thompson but it is what it is now. Ned and Liz weren't big issues because they were minor characters, but I don't think we'll ever see Ned become Hobgoblin unless Jacob loses a TON of weight which is a bummer.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

As for Jessica Drew, I like the idea of Gemma Artenon, Imogen Poots, Lily James, Olivia Cooke, Mary-Elizabeth Winstead, Daisy Ridley or Olivia Wilde but if the role went to a woman of color, Diane Guerrero comes to mind or if they wanted to go with someone closer to Tom Holland's age... Keke Palmer maybe?