This post contains links to social media posts using racist and homophobic language.
Summary
- Spider-Man: Lotus, a fan-made film, has gained attention for its exploration of Peter Parker's grief and internal struggles, but controversies surrounding the talent involved have garnered significant negative attention.
- Warden Wayne, the actor playing Peter Parker, faced backlash for offensive remarks, but issued an apology, citing his upbringing and desire to fit in. Responses to his apology varied.
- Director Gavin Konop was also accused of offensive behavior, and he apologized for past actions in high school, which he deemed embarrassing. The film's VFX team quit due to the controversies.
A new Spider-Man film is set to release online soon, but Spider-Man: Lotus is already drumming up equal parts excitement and controversy. Spider-Man has long been one of Marvel's most popular superheroes, and that status has translated to dozens of interpretations in live-action and animated films, tv shows, and shorts. Like many Marvel and DC heroes, Spider-Man has also been the subject of several fan-made projects, some using their limited resources to deliver high-quality interpretations of new and classic stories alike. However, Spider-Man: Lotus is proving that not all press is good press.
The fan-made project, which aims to present a grounded and emotional take on a famous Spider-Man comic, drummed up hype with a successful crowd-sourcing campaign and video updates. However, allegations against several of the talent involved have given the project significant negative attention in the lead-up to its release. How the fan film's controversies will affect the final product - and if it even stays up online for long - are yet to be seen.
What is Spider-Man: Lotus?
Spider-Man: Lotus is a fan film that aims to explore Peter Parker's grief after the death of his girlfriend and his internal struggles about how to be a hero and stand up for others in the face of insurmountable personal loss. The movie first gained attention when an IndieGoGo campaign succeeded in raising $112,079 USD in early 2021. Per the campaign, the project is "not for profit," presumably in an attempt to skirt issues of copyright from Marvel/Disney.
The IndieGoGo campaign also offered fan-investors a variety of rewards for their support, including hard copies of the movie and other promotional merchandise. Over time, the project gained more attention for its high production values. A video from July 2023 shows a brief clip of Spider-Man web-swinging through New York, and other snippets have detailed a high-quality Spider-Man suit and cinematic musical score. However, excitement has been tempered by allegations, confirmation, and discussions of offensive behavior by the movie's creator and lead actor.
Spider-Man: Lotus Controversies Explained
Spider-Man: Lotus Actor Warden Wayne Accused Of Using Of Racial Slurs
In Spider-Man: Lotus, Peter Parker is played by Warden Wayne. While the actor looks the part, screenshots from user @Thnnndr surfaced on Twitter in June 2022 showcasing offensive, racially insensitive remarks. Of course, any accusations and screenshots need to be taken with a grain of salt, but that month, Wayne responded with a lengthy statement of his own on Twitter, contextualizing and apologizing for his remarks.
In the statement, Wayne claimed to feel "gross" about how he spoke when he was younger. Though several paragraphs long, the apology blames Wayne's behavior on his upbringing, claiming that growing up "in a homeschool conservative environment in a small town in Arkansas" pushed certain values on him that he would later come to see as wrong. Furthermore, he goes on to explain that because his friends engaged in racist language and behavior, "All of it quickly became part of my vocabulary because of the lifestyles around me, and I didn't want to be excluded."
The message goes on to say that when Wayne later left "his bubble," he was informed about how his thoughts, speech, and actions were wrong, and he changed. He offered a sincere apology to those hurt by his remarks. Responses on social media were mixed, with some praising the openness and bluntness of the apology and others finding the explanation to be deflective and unconvincing.
Spider-Man: Lotus Director Gavin J. Konop's Racist And Homophobic Comments
In light of the allegations of racism aimed at Spider-Man actor Warden Wayne, Spider-Man: Lotus director Gavin Konop spoke out. In a now-deleted Twitter post, Konop expressed that he's "just as disgusted by those messages as anyone else is." Konop continued, explaining that he was aware of the actor's past thoughts and behavior and had been very clear that he disapproved. Specifically, he claimed that "this is going to live with him for the rest of his life – there’s nothing he can do about it, and that’s the reality that he has accepted.”
However, the situation became more complicated as new allegations surfaced, this time aimed at Konop himself. Again via a now-deleted Twitter post, user @Berkmanboom shared screenshots of texts from the director containing racist, homophobic, and otherwise offensive remarks. Konop released an apology on YouTube in which he explained that, in high school, he "was pretty much just a giant loser" and frequently found himself in online communities saying the most offensive things he could think up to gain attention and acceptance from others. He claimed that, looking back, his actions were "completely embarrassing" and "hated that that's the type of kid that he was."
In the same video, Konop also speaks to the domino effects of such allegations. While admitting to and apologizing for insensitive remarks, he also calls out the large number of fake screenshots that made the rounds shortly after to capitalize on the situation. These largely centered on his behavior around others working on the projects, which he says are simply untrue.
Spider-Man: Lotus' VFX Team Quits The Project
Amid the controversies surrounding the film's writer/director and lead actor, the movie's entire VFX team decided to step away from the project mid-development. In a video released on YouTube by VFX artist Max Aurnhammer, the prior behavior of Wayne and Konop is called "shocking and disappointing to see," and Aurnhammer felt that the project "no longer aligned with what Spider-Man represents as a character." Then, the video goes on to show off impressive work that had been done in modeling and animation before the team's departure.
Spider-Man: Lotus Is Technically Illegal
While not tied to any recent or breaking reveals, the issue stands that Spider-Man: Lotus, like all unsanctioned fan films, is technically illegal. Speaking with Newsweek, director and producer Stefano Da Frè spoke about why Spider-Man: Lotus is a particularly risky project. According to him, one of the big reasons small, fan-made projects involving Marvel superheroes aren't shut down is that, "in the past it was easy to distinguish between Marvel Studio's version and a fan-made version." However, cinematic production values and incredible special effects may reasonably cause confusion among casual viewers.
Da Frè claims that another part of why fan films are often left alone is that they aren't distributed in a way that makes any profit and that it'd often be a bigger PR nightmare to take fans to court than let non-profit projects slide. However, Spider-Man: Lotus may force Disney's hand. He explains, "what these fans are doing is in fact completely illegal and should those fan-based films find themselves in a tangled web of controversy, especially that of Spider-Man: Lotus, you'll quickly see the studio's reaction to protect the 'image' and 'integrity' of the Spider-Man franchise." So, it's possible Spider-Man: Lotus may still have legal hurdles.
How To Watch Spider-Man: Lotus
Spider-Man: Lotus is set to release on YouTube on August 10, 2023. The movie will presumably be uploaded to director Gavin J. Konop's YouTube page, which currently features several update videos and clips of the project. Whether Spider-Man: Lotus is able to escape the trappings of its controversies or if the movie will succumb to outside drama is yet to be seen, but viewers can soon decide for themselves whether the project is worth a watch or not.