Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Tony Revolori Received Death Threats Over His Role

It’s no secret: Flash Thompson isn’t one of Spider-Man‘s most beloved characters. The boy may be a well-known rival to Peter Parker, but his reputation for bullying has made the character unsavory over the years. Spider-Man: Homecoming hopes to change the public’s perception of Flash just a tad, but that did not stop fans from sending actor Tony Revolori death threats over the gig.

Recently, the actor chatted with CBR about his work with Marvel Studios. The actor talked about his unique take on Flash, and Revolori admits the fan reaction to him playing the longtime bully was very aggressive.

“I’m not what the character was in the comic books,” Revolori stressed. “I’m not, and we can say that clearly and easily — and there’s still people who will hate that fact. It was very disheartening to receive hate mail and death threats and things like that.”

It’s definitely disconcerting to hear that Revolori received threats over his casting. When news broke that the actor was cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Internet was quick to buzz about decision. Many applauded Marvel Studios’ choice to hire a POC actor to play Flash; In the comics, the character is traditionally depicted as an overly macho white jock, but Spider-Man‘s setting in Queens necessitates more real-life diversity. Still, there were some who questioned the casting, but Revolori says he used the negative feedback as motivation.

“It’s hard, but then I realized they love this character so much… this is just their passion,” the explained.

“I am passionate about things myself, being sports or movies or things like that. I understand where they’re coming from. Maybe they went about it a wrong way, but I took it all as constructive criticism. What can I do to do it right? Then I did what I had to, to be the Flash that they could be happy with, and sure, they won’t be happy with it anyway. But I gained 60 pounds for the role, and I did what I had to,” Revolori continued. “I think that was one of the hardest things in the beginning, to be in that bubble of all this hate, and then just trying to walk out of it unscathed.”

UP NEXT: Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoiler-Free Review

You can find the official synopsis for Homecoming below, which has a 4.13 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings.

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.

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