Affirmative Action Heroes Part 2
By Brandon Alexander
As mentioned in part one of this posting series, I believe that we need more leading and prominent roles for people of color in superhero films. That is not to say that there aren’t many; we all remember Michael Jai White as Spawn, Wesley Snipes as Blade, and (as I mentioned in part one of this post) Halle Berry as Catwoman. Even Will Smith played an original superhero of sorts as Hancock,
But these characters represent one of the major problems with Hollywood: the disproportionate amount of work that goes to whites and blacks for important roles. The Wolverine looks to be strong in casting a large majority of actors of Asian descent, but it still pales in comparison to the stronghold. And with that said, I’ve compiled a small list of characters I’d like to see represented in a Hollywood (or Independent) movie:
Black Adam
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| You can’t say that this wouldn’t be a dope shot. |
Am I asking for a Captain Marvel movie? In so many words, no. I think Black Adam could be a phenomenal Super-Man villain (though he may be too similar to Zod) as seen in the movie where Superman teams up with Captain Marvel.
Black Adam is a character with a lot of depth and the right amount of motivation that is needed for a Hollywood villain.
Though, Adam would not necessarily need to be a bad guy. At times he’s viewed as an anti-hero, and a movie showing his origins may allow us to see his spiraling towards evil. A character from Egypt would also be a great opportunity for commentary on the current happenings in Egypt and some of the other countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
I think this is a near can’t lose situation. You have a complex character with near limitless power and one of the few costumes that would look great on screen with little adjustments.
Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
He’s already built a small following after his appearance on the popular show Young Justice and I think this is prime time to further develop the character while at the same time diversifying the current DC roster.
Insects aside, the Blue Beetle is sort of a Spider-Man- esque character and I believe that DC can take a note from Marvel on how not to do a teenage super-hero movie. We’d also get a good look at Texas’ beautiful mountainous landscape since the film would hopefully be based in El Paso.
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| Blue Beetle from Young Justice |
Honestly, he doesn’t even have to be the star of the movie, I think he’d make a great comic-relief character (with a larger role) in a big picture-type film.
Armor
A few months ago I finally got around to watching the X-Men Anime, one of a few of Marvel’s titles that got the Rising Sun treatment. Her character was the catalyst for the majority of the movie and though I don’t really care too much for her in comic book form, in the anime she was strong and captivating.
Her powers are also unique and I can see a director and cinematographer using them to brighten the screen and add excitement.
Mr. Terrific (Michael Holt)
Hopefully DC has room to cast the “third smartest man on Earth” in one of their movies. I guess Batman’s on of the people in front of him, but since the DC film universe shows Batman to be of slightly above average intelligence, I’d say that Mr. Terrific could be bumped up to number two.
Mr. Terrific is the ideal character on many levels: he has a tragic backstory, is extremely smart, and is a technology master (so I guess we can combine the last two). If you’ve read any Mr. Terrific, you know that a major battle he has is within his atheist beliefs since the tragedy. That could be a great subplot to a larger movie (actually, it sounds a lot like Iron Man 3).
His costume and mask would need to be revamped to something more civilian, but I would love to see the T-spheres on the big screen. If he wasn’t too busy playing the Falcon in Captain America 2: Winter Soldier, I’d say Anthony Mackie would be a good fit for this role.
Forge
It’s difficult to find a Native American superhero that doesn’t seem stereotypical, but Forge is by far one of the most unique characters. Even his power is pretty clever when you stop and think about it. He’d be a strong supporting character if they ever make an X-Factor movie (Strong Guy needs to be on film).
I think they should get rid of his natural magical abilities altogether and focus on his relationships with others.
Samurai Jack
By far everyone’s favorite samurai (followed closely by Afro), there are few cartoons that were better than Samurai Jack and I think his story (with a little rewriting) would translate beautifully to screen. He’s a cult icon with a huge underground fan base, but I still see this movie dropping as a dope independent movie.
This would be more of an art film than blockbuster, so I’d like to see a lot of colorful and dramatic shots with a crazy sound track (perhaps by the Rza?). Don’t lie to yourself, you know this movie would be dope.
Heroes for Hire
Who are we kidding? Though most of them are stereotypes and are dated, this rag tag team is one of the realest in the comic book world. They provide a good dosage of comedy mixed with crime fighting and I think this would be the less serious (and more fun) version of the Avengers.
That’s my list, what superhero/ comic book characters would you like to see brought to the screen? Comment below with your suggestions.
The Film Chronicles 