What do you think about changing the race/gender of well established comic book characters for the sake of diversity?

Entertainment & Arts
In recent superhero movies and TV shows, characters like The Human Torch, Nick Fury, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Electro, and the Kingpin have all been changed from white guys to black. And the comics have given us a black Spider-Man, a female Thor, and a gay Iceman.

Most of these characters have been around since the 1960s and have a rich history. Do you agree with changing them now? I find it hard to justify since they'd never in a million years make Wonder Woman a man or change the race of Black Panther, Blade or Storm. Plus, anyone is free to make new characters of any conceivable race or orientation.

What do you think about changing the race/gender of well established comic book characters for the sake of diversity?

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What do you think about changing the race/gender of well established comic book characters for the sake of diversity?
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Most Helpful Girl

  • I feel like if that's how they've been then they should stay the way they were. If they want to add more diversity they should create new characters instead.

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Have an opinion?

What Girls Said 5

  • Chalk it up to alternate universes. xD
    Honestly, if the casting is good, I don't mind switching up the race for characters. I think Samuel L. Jackson makes a good Nick Fury. Also I think I read somewhere that the Nick Fury in Avengers verse was actual Nick Fury's son, who is black? All I know is in the Captain America comics he was white but, eh. And it's not like these characters are based specifically on their race, you know?
    This does bring up a good question though - like, I'm okay with this but I'm not okay with Scarlet Johansson being cast as Kusanagi in the new GitS movie. o_o;;

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    • Yeah, I don't want ScarJo for that role either but it has nothing to do with political correctness. It's the simple fact that the Major is Japanese! And it's a Japanese property, set in Japan. I'm like, if you wanna change stuff then just make your own thing, but don't take someone else's creation and disrespect it.

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    • My understanding is that the movies rebooted Nick Fury as a black man. Only later did Marvel decide to make him black in the comics as well, so people wouldn't be "confused". The comic writers came up with a way to do it, but the change didn't happen organically, it was a directive from Marvel to harmonize their comic and movie universes. Personally I feel that since the comics are the original source material, the movies shouldn't be dictating what happens in them. But if you like it, that's great. At least the comics have done a better job than the movies at explaining or justifying some of these radical changes.

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    • No, sorry - you're right. I went back and checked the dates from the movies. I thought the comics had come out earlier than the Avengers movies and then I remembered the Iron Man 2 came out even earlier and SLJ was in it already so you're right.

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  • That's the most stupid thing someone could do. I do not agree. I'm not sexist or racist or homophobic. But this is bullshit

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  • i don't care for comic but i say just make a new comic

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  • It's just a new interpretation. It's interesting to play around with established characters. Plus in comics there are a lot of alternate time lines, contradictions in canon, etc. anyway; there's definitely room for creativity

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  • I'm not all that invested in the skin color or sexual orientation of the characters, but agree that it's just as easy to make up new ones.

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    • Or gender. I didn't leave that out intentionally. Superheroes are generally defined by character traits and special featuresthst could go any which way.

      Reply

What Guys Said 3

  • i think it is stupid, especially gender swapping them, a female Thor, really? and you are right they will never change it from a girl to boy or black to white, it basically tells people that it is wrong to be a white straight male

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  • Why the fuck would u want to lose Samuel L. Jackson in a MARVEL MOVIE?

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    • I don't. Just questioning why they need to change characters in general. If you were a diehard fan of the Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD comics, you might feel differently. They could've just given Sam Jackson's character a new name.

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    • Ahh, I see.

      Maybe it just wasn't realistic, because in this time period the workforce isn't composed of all white guys.

      That's how it was, back then.

      Reply

  • Bad idea in my opinion. I don't mind changing the race/gender of a well established comic book character so long it's not just for the sake of diversity. If there's a very good story behind it and it all makes sense then fine. If the characters are separate then fine. Like for example Nick Fury. I like both Nick Furys.

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    • Also, Black Panther comes from the Black Panther movement. Of course they wouldn't make him a different race.

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    • I mean the idea of him comes from that movement. Not his character. His character came from a fantasy part of Africa.

      Reply

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