Current Events > "A black Superman?!?"

(+) Yeah! (+)

SolidSonicEX posted...

Foppe posted...

Kek.

What's that from?

Blazing Saddles, one of Mel Brooks movies.
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Im up for Shaq to play the role of steel again

Val Zod. Enough said.
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On one hand, I kind of hate the whole "let's take a character that is best known one way and just change it to change it."

But on the other...I don't know. Superman has been done so many fucking times and DCEU is in such a fucked up state that I can't really give a shit about this change. If they had never done a Superman movie before? Sure. But like...there's been plenty of Superman at this point.

If anything, the only thing I find wrong with this is that it seems like they're just pandering because Black Panther did so well. But once again, if black people aren't offended who am I to be offended?
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So why not asian Superman? Black actors have way more opportunities than asian actors. Nobody ever says "let's give Asians opportunities".

MakoReizei posted...

A black sheriff?!?

And why not? It worked in Blazing Saddles.

X-Pac_Heat posted...

lolife67 posted...

Or we'll say it's because the actor they want to play him happens to be black. So that brings us back to why that's a problem for some?

Because they want Superman to be white like he's been for the majority of mainstream media? I thought that was obvious...

The post stated the only reason to make Superman black was for pointless diversity and had no artistic merit. I explained why that was not so. There's no artistic merit to keeping him white so, if they found an ethnic actor who could portray the character, then there's nothing inherent in Superman's story that precludes him being a POC.

Zikten posted...

So why not asian Superman? Black actors have way more opportunities than asian actors. Nobody ever says "let's give Asians opportunities".

We got one in the comics.
Kong Kenan is Super-Man, a member of Justice League of China.
Other members includes Bat-Man and Wonder-Woman.

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Because Kal-L isn't dark skinned. If they want a "black" superman have them introduce steel or something.
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Zikten posted...

So why not asian Superman? Black actors have way more opportunities than asian actors. Nobody ever says "let's give Asians opportunities".

As of Rebirth there is a Chinese Superman.

Honestly Clark Kent is white but Superman doesn't have to be. Just don't have him be Clark Kent.
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soulunison2 posted...

Im up for Shaq to play steel again

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_Goggalor_ posted...

Instead of asking why Superman can't be black, ask yourself why he should be. There's no reason besides pointless diversity with no actual artistic purpose or value.

This. All this "diversity for the sake of diversity" really just comes across similar to an annoying schoolyard fad. It's just inserting artificial real-world controversy, and what's worse is that it's often in lieu of telling a compelling story (or reimagining of one, as the case often is)

Zikten posted...

So why not asian Superman? Black actors have way more opportunities than asian actors. Nobody ever says "let's give Asians opportunities".

Dean Cain was Superman
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Milkman5 posted...

Give him shorter hair and a beard, and this design would be fine. He looks too much like a pretty boy threre and not believable.
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lolife67 posted...

X-Pac_Heat posted...

lolife67 posted...

Or we'll say it's because the actor they want to play him happens to be black. So that brings us back to why that's a problem for some?

Because they want Superman to be white like he's been for the majority of mainstream media? I thought that was obvious...

The post stated the only reason to make Superman black was for pointless diversity and had no artistic merit. I explained why that was not so. There's no artistic merit to keeping him white so, if they found an ethnic actor who could portray the character, then there's nothing inherent in Superman's story that precludes him being a POC.

Fuck off with that shit. You people act like the only characters white people should play are Klan members with that shit reasoning

X-Pac_Heat posted...

Fuck off with that shit. You people act like the only characters white people should play are Klan members with that shit reasoning

The problem is that for the vast majority of Americans, especially for the comic writers who created these characters 50+ years ago, a straight white man was the default option. When you made a character that was black, a woman, or gay -- they usually had huge issues surrounding their identity that depend on them being a minority. Luke Cage is the way he is because of the way black Americans have been treated by the police, Wonder Woman has to make it in a Mans World, etc.
That's why redheads are so common in comics. It was an easy way to make a minority major character without pissing off your racist readers. It's why you have multiple redhead characters become black in live action adaptions, that's sorta what they were getting at.

There are a few characters where being white is intrinsically tied to their character. Steve Rogers, for instance, is a good example. He's Captain America, hero of WW 2, and is literally the ideal Aryan master-race. To have him fight against the Nazis is great storytelling. Or someone like Bruce Wayne. The Waynes are old money, they've been there since before the country existed. Without major changes to history (which would work in an alt-Earth like where whites were the slaves in colonial America), Bruce being white makes sense.
Contrast with a character like Blade. He's black, but it's not part of his identity. You could have a white Blade and it wouldn't really change anything.
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Don't fuck with the iconography.