MovieChat Forums > Superheroes and Villains > Question regarding the race/gender-swapp...

Question regarding the race/gender-swapping of roles


Obviously some CBM's and TV shows have come under the spotlight (and some attack) for race and/or gender swapping established characters. My question is, do you think that whenever these characters get their next cinematic or TV reboots the next incarnations could revert to their original gender/race, or do you think they're more likely to stay as they are now - either because of genuine feelings that to do otherwise would be a backward step, or simply for fear of criticism?







"A big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff" The Tenth Doctor explains all.

reply

I doubt we'll return to a world where most leading hero characters are simply white men by default as they were when most well-established characters were created.

I'd like to think, that we'd get to the point where people aren't that concerned about the race of the character. I remember people being mad that Jessica Alba was cast as the Invisible Woman. She's white-skinned, she's hot, she's blonde(at least the dye or wig is), but just the knowledge that her father was from Venezuela infuriated people. In our multi-cultural, mixed-race society, does it really matter if, say Mary Jane Watson, is a natural green-eyed redhead? So she'll be mixed-race. Why should characters created forty or fifty years ago in very different times, be frozen in that time. You're talking about new incarnations of these characters. Reboots. Each generation should get its own versions of these characters. I'm not married to white Peter Parker Spider-Man. Why not Miles Morales? Why not Silk? The new generation doesn't care what race or gender these characters are. It's all new to the kids. It's the old fogies like me who'll complain. "How DARE they make the Kingpin a big, black guy." Even though Michael Clark-Duncan was as imposing as any non-CGI character could be. Ultimately, who cares? These characters don't belong to any one set of artists or writers or to any one generation of fans. They are continually reborn and should reflect our society.

There's always free cheddar in the mousetrap

reply

There is race and gender but there is also actors matching the characters physically completely.

I say match actors to the comic book character as much as possible. I personally do not like race changes.

Reboot and cast better. Many ethnicities are represented in the books. Just pick the right characters to add diversity.

reply

Those are exactly my thoughts you just expressed them better

reply

I have loved Thor & Cap since I was a child of 6 back in 1966 when there was this poorly animated show called Marvel Super Heroes.

I do not like what I see on the comic book sites of what they are doing with either of them in the books.

Thor didn't have to be female. Why would he have to surrender his identity that far, give up the name he was given by his father? The female weilding Mjolnir should have been given a different name.

On the other hand, Jimmy Olsen as a black guy-why not?

I liked Captain Marvel, but they gave him a nice send off graphic novel & made the next one with that name female. They didn't steal his backstory. They gave her one of her own.

That's fine.

I'd love to see the male one because I'd love to get Adam Warlock as well

reply

I think the P.C. era will wane and people will not care if characters look how they looked when they were created. Perry White was white way longer than he was black. Kingpin is a white guy again. People won't even care about Domino or the Thor character in 10 years, so they will probably make them white next time because THEY ARE WHITE CHARACTERS.

The comics are the source material and will always be what the spinoffs spin off of. Unless they change in the comics, fans will think of them as a certain race or sex.

reply

I’m okay with it. though I find this a little unnecessary since the comic book world is so diverse that you don’t need it.

If studios want black superheroes there is black Panther, storm, Riri William blade and Miles Morales. To name a few

There is no need to make Tony Stark black when you have War Machine who can take the lead now that Tony is dead.

reply