Posted on 07/16/2014 10:32:40 PM PDT by Cronos
Marvel is making big changes this year. In a special announcement made on the Colbert Report this evening, the comics giant will this fall have Steve Rogers pass his star-spangled shield on to Sam Wilson, making Wilson (otherwise known as the Falcon) the first black man to take on the official role of Captain America.
...Falcon, one of Cap's oldest allies, has been rumored for weeks as the most likely candidate to carry on Steve's legacy. After all, Wilson was there to save the former super soldier's life before the end of issue 21. Created in 1969, he was Marvel's first African American superhero. (The honor of first black Marvel superhero goes to Black Panther.) He's far from the first character to replace Rogers as the iconic American hero — James "Bucky" Barnes, also known as the Winter Soldier, is just one hero to take up the mantle for a time — but he's the first person of color to hold the moniker officially. In an interview with Marvel, series editor Tom Brevoort said, "While Sam shares many of Steve’s beliefs in a general sense, he’s also a very different person with a very different background. He didn’t grow up in the 1930s, he’s a modern day man in touch with the problems of the 21st Century."..
(Excerpt) Read more at theverge.com ...
I like the idea. Much as the Green Lantern has passed on the ring over the years, this makes sense and - unusually - it is internally consistent within the Cap universe.
As a girl, I remembered seeing my first black Barbie. I asked my mom why all of the dolls had the same name! Then they had Ken, and some other girl dolls,with other names, but why “black Barbie”. Isn't it better to have your own ID not just be known as the black version of a white character?
I like The Harry Potter series. Out of the blue JK Rowling says Dumbledore was gay. She wrote the books, but why after everything is published, movies made, is someone suddenly gay? Who cares? It wasn't a part of the stories. I guess she just wanted new publicity. Next, will we find out Snape was a bisexual transgendered drag queen?
“Ok, I’ll admit I’m not big into the comic/super hero thing BUT why can’t there be new characters? Why do we find out after years some character is gay, black, now a woman? Can’t find money in the budget to support new characters?”
Answered your own question. It’s money, plain and simple. You have a built in fan base - who will complain like mad about a change in the art style, never mind the character - and they are the ones laying down the cash. Same as with the rash of superhero movies - they get made because they sell tickets and usually make their money back in buckets.
Yet writing a character can get boring when you get a new writer on board. Think about it for a second - would you take any job where you had to do every last little thing exactly like your predecessor? You want to add your own flourishes and tweaks, even if it’s something as simple as making coffee. People love to create. take that away and it’s like Matt LeBlanc says in Lost in Space: “And the monkey pushes the switch.”
I just read yesterday that they’re preparing to do a female Thor
*****
Yup.
http://comicsalliance.com/marvel-female-thor-black-captain-america-announcement-colbert-report/
And, CBS News tonight had a segment - Archie gets murdered saving his gay friend ...
I want to be irritated by this nonsense, but we’ve all watched this world slip into madness. I have my memories of a less ridiculous time to enjoy, along with some popcorn to munch on during the apocalypse.
People read one series or another (usually more than one) for years - for decades. They collect back issues, know story lines, debate trivia, etc.
It takes a while for a new character to catch on, if they catch on at all.
In this case, race doesn’t really affect anything - the character could probably be any race.
Captain Kenya, with his sidekicks ValJar and Eric the Red
“Fighting whitey and injustice In all its forms”
Agree. I don't see why it's wrong to do this.
...and the super secret, double probation surprise element is that she will keep her penis!
Why not? All the commercials show the black guy as the smart one that makes all the right choices, and the white guy as the idiot duffs who can’t do anything right. It’s commercial cuckold on the white boy.
I agree. Blacks are known the world over for their ravenous reading habits.
Soon: a female playing the role of Spartacus.
I kinda liked the freeze guy in The Incredibles.
Just imagine the “outrage” if the race roles in those commercials were reversed.
Now, you have to ask - isn’t that, in itself, “racist”?
You can cast a guy one race as buffoonish, but not someone of another.
You wanna shock me? Cast Rosie O’Donnell as the next Wonder Woman.
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