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Marvel films, it's time for a Black female lead

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As the husband of a European, and as someone whose parents and probably entire family voted Brexit I agree.


I am somewhat disappointed you didn’t get the point of me sharing that anecdote however.
I got it

I always believed for example, and I might get hate from this but who cares, that the original SW film was great because the characters fit into the archetypes, the hero, the old mentor, the rogue, the damsel.
You mean in a galaxy far, far away the only humanoids are white ones? I guess the black guy got the role of the best friend sidekick in the TESB & ROTJ. Lucas lacked imagination or the casting director did.
 
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I got it


You mean in a galaxy far far away the only humanoids are white ones? I guess the black guy got the role of the best friend sidekick in the TESB & ROTJ.

You missed the bit where first he had to be shady and betray his friends. Always bothered me in the Lando story, that part.
Of all the main characters, the one I think I would cast with that in mind for the originals, is probably Princess Leia. Dark skinned princess would have blown minds at the time, and I can’t bring myself to switch Alec Guiness for Sidney Poitier. On the other hand, it really screws with making her Luke’s sister, and I wouldn’t ditch Mark Hamill either. But hey, the force moves in mysterious ways.
I don’t know enough about seventies cinema to come up with good alternate casting for Leia, since the only Black Actress from that period I can think of is Pam Grier, and I only know her cos I watched Jackie Brown.
On the plus side, I am not a fan of seventies cinema, so I would have to seriously reach even if I wanted to recast the White cast with other white cast who weren’t in Star Wars.
 
You missed the bit where first he had to be shady and betray his friends. Always bothered me in the Lando story, that part.
Of all the main characters, the one I think I would cast with that in mind for the originals, is probably Princess Leia. Dark skinned princess would have blown minds at the time, and I can’t bring myself to switch Alec Guiness for Sidney Poitier. On the other hand, it really screws with making her Luke’s sister, and I wouldn’t ditch Mark Hamill either. But hey, the force moves in mysterious ways.
I don’t know enough about seventies cinema to come up with good alternate casting for Leia, since the only Black Actress from that period I can think of is Pam Grier, and I only know her cos I watched Jackie Brown.
On the plus side, I am not a fan of seventies cinema, so I would have to seriously reach even if I wanted to recast the White cast with other white cast who weren’t in Star Wars.

In the 1970's the only acceptable role to nonwhite wash would be Obi Wan, old and sexless, he was no threat to anyone , the perfect part for an old Asian or Black actor. There was no way they were going to have a black Leia, kiss white Hans Solo unless she looked so called, racially ambigious. Such an actor could still be Luke's sister but it would mean one of them was adopted or one of the parents was not white - shock horror!
In an ideal world I would have cast Diahann Carroll as Leia, she was fairly well known at the time.
 
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but the idea of casting people based on their race or gender.. and THAT is the reason.. is not any less wrong. It's, at best. overcorrecting.

I always believed for example, and I might get hate from this but who cares, that the original SW film was great because the characters fit into the archetypes, the hero, the old mentor, the rogue, the damsel. Like a pulpy sci fi comic book that kids read in the 40s. I would be fine with Finn if they actually gave him something more than being a buffoon, or Rey if she was not a mary sue.. ind of not feeling an 80 year old Leia though.. people could call that agist or sexist though but my main thing is that it just doesn't seem to fit . Diversify all you want.. but not everything fits
After parity is actually reached, then you can start talking bout "overcorrecting".

Hate to break it to you bunky, but Rey is the hero in the new trilogy, the same role Luke had in the Original Trilogy. She's no more a "Mary Sue" than Luke or any other male film lead. Finn didn't strike me as a buffoon. He's a hero, but one of a different stripe. A man running from his past and like Han in the OT, somewhat self serving. Also like Han he can be source of humor. Would you call Han a buffoon?

What's wrong with an older Leia becoming a leader or a mentor? Characters can age and new ones can step into the roles once held by the character.. Leia doesn't have to be the "damsel" forever. Though calling her an archetypical "damsel" is hilarious. She was ballsier, tougher, smarter and more competent than Han and Luke combined. :lol:

What doesn't fit? Women and people of color as heroes, mentors and rogues??
 
but the idea of casting people based on their race or gender.. and THAT is the reason.. is not any less wrong. It's, at best. overcorrecting.

People have ALWAYS been cast based on their race and gender. It was generally "let's cast the white guy."

I always believed for example, and I might get hate from this but who cares, that the original SW film was great because the characters fit into the archetypes, the hero, the old mentor, the rogue, the damsel. Like a pulpy sci fi comic book that kids read in the 40s.

So black people can't be archetypes?
Levar Burton as Luke Skywalker... that could've been cool...
 
not saying that. Sure they can. I guess what I'm saying might be difficult to understand.. I'm just fine with a franchise sticking to its roots .. like the old man mentor form the original film.. that seems like they pulled it right out of an old comic book. Having an 80 year old Leia flying around.. just because she is Leia a character I liked a lot in the originals doesn't mean I am interested int the character as an old lady.. that's just me..
Same could be said for a white character: I'm interested in them at a certain time. Not always interested in them when they become a lot older and no longer fit into the archetype. Yes we all get older.. but that doesn't mean our entertainment always has to be about aging. Sometimes I just want to watch something without the burden of reality
 
not saying that. Sure they can. I guess what I'm saying might be difficult to understand.. I'm just fine with a franchise sticking to its roots .. like the old man mentor form the original film.. that seems like they pulled it right out of an old comic book. Having an 80 year old Leia flying around.. just because she is Leia a character I liked a lot in the originals doesn't mean I am interested int the character as an old lady.. that's just me..

A lot of it is just you.
 
not saying that. Sure they can. I guess what I'm saying might be difficult to understand.. I'm just fine with a franchise sticking to its roots .. like the old man mentor form the original film.. that seems like they pulled it right out of an old comic book. Having an 80 year old Leia flying around.. just because she is Leia a character I liked a lot in the originals doesn't mean I am interested int the character as an old lady.. that's just me..
Same could be said for a white character: I'm interested in them at a certain time. Not always interested in them when they become a lot older and no longer fit into the archetype. Yes we all get older.. but that doesn't mean our entertainment always has to be about aging. Sometimes I just want to watch something without the burden of reality
Dude, comics did not invent the aging mentor trope. It's been around for almost as long as people have been telling stories. Lucas's sources were more than old comics and movie serials And he was willing to stray from them as needed
 
am I agist or sexist by saying I'm not interested in 70 year old Leia as a character? It's just I'm not interested.
Hey I think Nora Satie is a fantastic SW character.. doens't mean I want to see her lead a movie
 
I think the argument he is trying to make is that when a white dude does something cool it is just cool. If a black dude does something cool it comes with the political subtext that they only wanted to cast him to show he is equal. For a white dude to be recast racism in the world has to end in order for any need for politicals or statment to be needed. Otherwise stick with familar tropes all the time and do no deconstruction. Jason
 
Dude, comics did not invent the aging mentor trope. It's been around for almost as long as people have been telling stories. Lucas's sources were more than old comics and movie serials And he was willing to stray from them as needed
Lucas used Joseph Campbell’s writing as a template. Which was basically breaking down all myths and stories told through human history into the key elements. Lucas just added lasers and spaceships. Its why people connected to it, it took what’s deeply rooted in mythology, religion, stories, and history and gave it a fresh coat of paint.
 
I think the argument he is trying to make is that when a white dude does something cool it is just cool. If a black dude does something cool it comes with the political subtext that they only wanted to cast him to show he is equal. For a white dude to be recast racism in the world has to end in order for any need for politicals or statment to be needed. Otherwise stick with familar tropes all the time and do no deconstruction. Jason

So FSM is suffering from WMDH syndrome - WhiteMaleDefaultHuman syndrome. All other humans are just guests to the homo sapien club when invited
 
I'm NOT interested in 70 year old Leia.. whether or not it was her first appearance. 70 year old Ben.. I was interested in. Just a question of what I want to watch. Jayson1 and Awesome Possum are right as to what I'm trying to get at but no matter how I phrase it I'm going to look like an agist and sexist. Yes people age. That doesn't mean they are more interesting and more entertaining . If the Lord of the Rings poster had incorporated a picture of an old hobo on it right next to Gandalf and Frodo, I can say well I'm not interested in that character in my mythic fantasy
 
Not that I'm one to defend RandyS, but you attributed that quote to the wrong person. Guy Gardener said that quote about Lauren Ridloff.
Oops, sorry about that Guy.
I wasn't trying to be negative, it's just the right word for what happened, other wise it's a movie starring 15 white dudes and Angela.
I knew you weren't being negative, I was just pointing out that she hit even more points in the diversity department than you included. Which I think it great, people with diabilities are still a pretty under represented group with this kind of stuff, and it's even rarer still for them to actually be played by a disabled actor.
 
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