[Harbinger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Benn Roe

Well, part of the problem is that you consider a person of colour portraying a white comic character, or a woman portraying a male one, to be a "butchering" of that character. Can you stop and think about that opinion for a second? Butchering? Is whiteness an essential part of Valkyrie's character, or Heimdall's, or MJ's? Is maleness an essential quality for Ghost? Blue Marvel's point is a good one. What is it about these changes that really bothers you? Are you similarly bothered by changes of non-essential qualities in costumes? Story details? Surely you see that many costumes undergo changes to help them better translate to screen, and that stories often deviate from source material to better reflect the times, or better integrate with the new context of the over-arching storyline. Why is it then such a stretch to accept that these race and gender swaps also serve an important need?

Are you really advocating for the MCU to introduce brand new characters, not pulled from the comics, as the better vehicle for serving diversity? Somehow I don't think that would go over any better with grognard oldhead comic fans. It goes without saying that Marvel should be focused on introducing an array of diverse new characters in the comics, but you do understand that most of Marvel's popular, iconic characters built up that popularity over 40+ years, and new characters are rarely going to be immediately marketable as A-listers, so even that is a pretty underwhelming solution? Not to mention, many of Marvel's newer non-straight white cis-male characters who have gained traction, like Miss Marvel and Miss America Chavez, are often widely decried as illegitimate by "fans" espousing the same thinly-veiled subconscious racism and misogyny as you, because they're not straight white cis-men, so obviously they only exist to serve some insidious agenda that dares to threaten the refuges of white men by forcing them to read stories about black and brown people.

Diversity is absolutely crucial, and there is no obvious, uncontroversial path to get there, but only because white men are feeling increasingly threatened for reasons we often don't understand ourselves. You have work to do, dude. The feelings you're having don't come from any place other than bigotry, whether you're ready to process that or not.

The whole reason im constantly bothered by as you say is because if a change occurs in the movies then marvel tends to do the same in the comics. And yes i personally feel that the way a character is sone in the comics they should be portrayed that way in the comics. As i have said time and again its just a means for the untalented to pass of characters they changed in a sad attempt to be diverse etc. The characters as they are have earned their fandom and to alter them just to fit a political/social agenda does a disservice to the character, the fandom and the creator(s).

Yes i feel that making a new character for the movies would honestly be a better move then slapping a familiar name and costume on someone. Look at michelle from sonys spider movies. She is clearly NOT mary jane watson but she has been well received so that is evidence that a new, original character created just for a movie can work.

Yes fans or others decry when a new character is introduced but your examples of kahn and chavez have earned their fandom along with others who were introduced with them. And oh i recall how many people here when batshit when the recent new warriors comic was introduced and how many people here hated it because it was the OLD characters of the team but an entire NEW team of heroes. Sure they weren’t the warriors I or others grew up with but a new team for the current generation of potential young readers.

And lastly dont presume to know whats in my head. I do not hate any one being or beings because of their race gender etc. People love to throw words like misogyny, bigotry etc. shame people into falling in line with their views. You, and others, perceive what you think is something along those lines and use it to jump on a person. Those feelings you your perceive that only come from bigotry do not. They come from a desire to see true expansion and inclusion by not taking away from what it is but by adding new to the roster to truly add inclusion and iverse characters. Change just for the sake ( perceived sake ) change is wrong.

And fyi my favorite reads of iron man were when jim rhodes was iron man. That is a great example of how change, done organically, can and does work.