Hollywood has tried being inclusive for quite a few times. But not always it has managed to be successful. There will always be people who either love it or hate it.
Loved It – Arthur Curry (Aquaman) – Jason Momoa
One of the most positively received race swapped characters, Arthur Curry aka Aquaman of the DC Extended Universe is played by Jason Momoa. Momoa has German, Irish, Hawaiian, and Native American ancestry. The moment it was announced Momoa will be playing Aquaman, we knew we were about to see a very different take on the character. Momoa did not disappoint.
Hated It – Callisto (X-Men: the Last Stand) – Dania Ramirez
Callisto is a very popular mutant in the Marvel Comic Book Universe. The third X-Men movie had nothing too pretty to look at. It was almost unsalvageable. But Fox wasting a character like Callisto by giving it to Dania Ramirez, whose mechanical expressions made us squirm every time she was on screen, was a big blunder.
Loved It – Hogun (Thor) – Tadanobu Asano
Tadanobu Asano got very little screen time. But he was the best out of the trio known as the Warriors Three. He received much hatred in social media when the casting for Thor was first announced. But Asano proved everyone wrong. Hogun is one of the most liked supporting characters in the Thor franchise.
Hated It – Catwoman (Catwoman) – Halle Berry
If there was a penny every time we cursed the day WB Studios came up with the script for Catwoman, we would have had enough to buy an entire island by now. Halle Berry was chosen entirely for her sex appeal. The people wanted Selina Kyle but we got Patience Philips. It wasn’t exactly race-swapping per se but it still angered the fans because the movie created a new character rather than working with the original one. All because the writers and casting-in-charge of the movie had the bright idea that all there is to Catwoman is her beauty. They forgot how complex a character she is. The fact they tried to play the race card to make an extra buck is so evident.
Loved It – Heimdall (Thor) – Idris Elba
There are still thin-skinned folks who say a black man should not have played Heimdall. There reasoning is that a race of extra-terrestrial Gods hailing from a distant part of the universe should be white. Heimdall, as a character, was cooked up in different times. Times are different now. Had Elba done a bad job, we would be the first ones to call him out. He did a marvelous job playing Heimdall and no one could have done better than him.
Hated It – Jimmy Olsen (Supergirl) – Mehcad Brooks
Mehcad Brooks encountered a lot of racist trolls online when he was cast as Jimmy Olsen in Supergirl. Olsen is a white character in the series. We are against the racist hatred thrown the actor’s way. That is not justified and we condemn it in every manner possible. But truth be told, Brooks did not do a good job as Jimmy Olsen. Maybe that was why he was demoted from being a series regular in the show.
Loved It – Hugo Strange (Gotham) – B.D. Wong
Hugo Strange, in the comic books, is a mad genius and scientist who hails from Eastern Europe. he had not made a live action appearance in any show or movies till Gotham happened. B.D. Wong is an American-Actor of Chinese descent who played the mad genius in the Fox TV series. And boy did he carry that sinister aura well.
Hated It – Alicia Masters (Fantastic Four) – Kerry Washington
Alicia Masters is a major supporting character in the Fantastic Four comic book series. She is a pillar of support for Ben Grimm. In 2005’s Fantastic Four movie, Kerry Washington plays a visually challenged POC Alicia Masters. The Scandal actor could have made the role a huge hit. The movie just sidelined her like a pile of leaves during the fall.
Loved It – Perry White (Man of Steel) – Laurence Fishburne
Idris Elba as Heimdall angered a lot of people. Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, the man that runs Daily Planet, had the opposite effect on the fan base. Up until Man of Steel, Perry White had always been played by a white actor. But Fishburne was so good in the role nobody dared say anything against him.
Hated It – Johnny Storm (Fantastic Four) – Michael B Jordan
The very first thing online trolls did after hearing Jordan’s casting was extremely ungentlemanly. There is no place for discrimination and prejudice within us comic book fans. While we we condone the discriminatory slurs used against him, one thing was for sure though – Jordan’s take as an actor on Johnny Storm was not as good. Fox unnecessarily complicated the issue by making one of the Storm siblings white. You either do it right or do not do it at all.
Loved It – Nick Fury (The Avengers) – Samuel L Jackson
Would you agree to a White actor to playing Nick Fury after seeing Samuel L Jackson’s iconic performance as the character? Don’t answer. That was a rhetorical question. Fun fact – Marvel wanted Samuel L Jackson to play the character so bad they even agreed to model the new Nick fury in his image in the comics if he agreed to be a part of the MCU. The rest is history.
