Spider-Man is Jewish, according to Andrew Garfield.
He’s The Amazing Spider-Man, and he’s very much Jewish – this according to the man that plays the superhero in the latest franchise, Andrew Garfield. The British-American actor, who was brought up Jewish, suggests that Spidey’s neuroses are a sure-fire sign that the character is culturally Jewish.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Hits In May
“Spider-man is neurotic. Peter Parker is not a simple dude. He can’t just switch off,” Garfield told Time Out. “He never feels like he’s doing enough. And Peter suffers from self-doubt. He ums and ahs about his future because he’s neurotic. He’s Jewish. It’s a defining feature.” Whether or not Spider-Man is of Jewish religion has been the subject of feverish internet speculation for years, but it seems Garfield, 30,has already made up his mind.
“I hope Jewish people won’t mind the cliché, because my father’s Jewish. I have that in me for sure.” The actor says of Spidey: “He’s an over-thinker. It would be much easier if he was a life-saving robot.”
“He is misunderstood , like Jesus,” Garfield claims. “I don’t mind the Jesus parallel for Spider-man. Jesus is an awesome guy. When Pontius Pilate said: ‘They say you’re the son of God. If you’re the son of God tell me.’ Jesus was like: ‘I know who I am, bitch.’
Andrew Garfield [L] and Emma Stone [R] in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’
Spider-Man creator Stan Lee is Jewish-American and once compared his most famous character to another biblical figure, David.
Lee wrote: “To me you can wrap all of Judaism up in one sentence, and that is ‘Do not do unto others.’ All I tried to do in my stories was show that there’s some innate goodness in the human condition. And there’s always going to be evil; we should always be fighting evil.”
According to the Independent, some Spider-Man scholars believe Peter Parker’s story is an allegory for post-War Judaism in America. Many Jewish children were orphaned as a result of Nazi atrocities (Parker is an orphan) and the Parker is often described as a “good, smart boy” who lives in Forest Hills, Queens – home to one of New York’s largest Jewish communities.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx, hits theaters on May 2, 2014.
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