Saw Iron Man 3 on Friday. Much better than Iron Man 2, but the original movie is still the best in my book. The Extremis story line felt like a kind of letdown. I feel that it could have been done a lot better. And while what was done with The Mandarin, while actually quite brilliant, did end up being disappointing in hindsight. The Mandarin is Iron Man’s Joker. I won’t spoil it for you, but let’s just say he is not what any Iron Man comic fan will expect. Anyway…
So I felt compelled to write a post in the wake of a potential rumor floating around the web about the Fantastic Four reboot. Click here to get the deets. Now read the comments. Open Nerd-on-Nerd violence. Go on. I’ll wait.
For those who didn’t click, basically the rumor is that they want to cast the talented Michael B. Jordan (no relation to the basketball legend) as Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
For those who haven’t read an FF comic or seeing any of the terrible FOX films, Johnny Storm is white. Michael B. Jordan is black.
As expected, comic book nerds exploded in outrage.
Many are staunchly opposed to the change. Some going as far as threatening to boycott the film. The side that is for the change are calling the ‘purists’ racists. Basically its like a Jedi vs Sith fake lightsaber fight at a Comic Convention but with a 1000x more vitriol.
We have seen this type of reaction before with race changes in casting for film adaptations. In Thor, when Idris Elba was cast as the Norse god Heimdall, many ‘purists’ were livid. When the adorable Amandla Stenberg was cast as Rue in the Hunger Games, the barefaced fury of some ‘purists’ over the fact that they mourned the loss of a fictional character that ended up being black on screen was quite appalling.
And let’s not forget the backlash when Donald Glover (Community) jokingly campaigned to be the next Spider Man when the film franchise reboot was in its early stages.
Its understandable that people are attached to these longstanding characters that have existed in other mediums and appear a certain way. However, a change here or there in a film adaptation will not change the novels already written or the televisions series or the 50+ years of comics that the characters have endured in. Its a film adaptation, nothing more, and indicative of how these purists are completely missing the mark when defending the source material they love so much.
Let’s face facts here. When characters like the Fantastic Four came to be in the 1960s, there were next to no non-white superheroes in existence. Seeing someone like George Takei on TV in a non-stereotyped role for an Asian was groundbreaking. Nowadays, that is still the case in our mainstream society, which is sad given how racially diverse this country is and what a global ecosystem we live in. Seeing more heroes that are non-white is not just welcome, its essential.
Now I’m not saying that it is not a jarring transition to see a character that has been drawn/created one way appear completely different onscreen. I get that completely. But for me, I’d be more concerned that the spirit of the characters and their story are respected. If that is completely changed just for changes sake, then all that passionate anger and fury and boycotting is understandable.
As of right now, my biggest concern is whether or not this FF reboot will not suck eggs like the last films did. Whether or not they cast a black Johnny Storm or make his sister Sue black too are the least of my worries (though that would be kinda cool). I’ll reserve my judgement until the film comes out…or at least the first full trailer.
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