Last week it was announced that beloved character Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker, will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in time to appear in the next Captain America installment: “Civil War.” In the original comics, Cap and Iron Man fought over the future of superheroes, and Spider-Man played a pivotal wildcard role in the debate.

The announcement also brought the news that Andrew Garfield would likely not be reprising the role. The Internet then exploded with suggestions for a successor to slip into the Spidey suit. What was refreshing about the suggestions is that it seemed a majority of people advocated for an actor of color. Top fan choices include Donald Glover (“Community”), Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and Alfred Enoch (“How to Get Away With Murder”).

The fact that the knee-jerk reaction from much of the Internet was to nominate actors of color is an encouraging and welcome sign of an ongoing improvement toward more diverse representation in the media. This, along with hit TV shows such as “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” as well as the new “Fresh Off the Boat,” shows that we as a culture are moving in the right direction.

Keeping in mind that we are not there yet, this recent public opinion shows that equal representation in the media is something that is necessary and something that people are fighting for. Especially with Spider-Man often being one of the first superheroes people are introduced to, this kind of change could help to shape our perception of who can be a hero.

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