I’ve been noticing a trend in Sci-Fi shows as of late.
Casting a Black female lead with a White male lead. In shows like Eureka,
Sleepy Hollow and recently CW’s new Flash TV series, the female lead has been a
Black woman. Some would say this is progress. But I say it’s going too far.
Don’t get me wrong I’m all for diversity in science fiction
and fantasy. But I’m not a fan of token diversity. In the case of Eureka and
Sleepy Hollow, both of these roles were written for White actresses. And in
those cases they got lucky and found talented Black women who were a good fit
for the role.
However, in the case of CW’s The Flash this kind of casting
throws off the entire dynamic of the Flash mythos. In the comics Iris West is
Barry Allen’s future wife. And her nephew is Wally West. And Wally West goes on
to become Kid Flash. Does this mean Kid Flash is going to be a token Black
character like in the wretched New 52 comics?
The Wally West most of the world knows and loves from the
comics and Justice League Unlimited cartoon is a red-haired White kid from the
Midwest. And everyone knows Wally West inherits the Flash role when Barry Allen
dies in the Crisis.
I’d hate to see all that great storytelling lost in the translation
of this adaptation if this show goes that far. And the casting of a Black Iris
West seriously puts that at risk. The last thing comic fans need is a SCANDAL
in a promising show like The Flash.
In a the case of shows like Sleepy Hollow and Eureka there
were legions of fans who wanted to see the White man pursue a romantic
relationship with his Black female lead.
However, I wonder if those same fans would be rallying for
these interracial couples featuring White Men and Black women would want them
to come togthether if a producer made a sci-fi show Black man in the lead role
with a White woman. Would there be protest? Or would they give it the negative
and downright hostile reception some viewers gave Hancock a few years ago when
it was in theaters?
Sci-fi shows are trying to diversify their casts. That’s a
good thing. However, there’s always been clear double standard when it comes to
the casting of leads of color when it comes to gender. A Black woman can be
seen with a White male lead performer as a love interest and the reaction is
positive. However when the reverse is presented in the case of a movie like
Hancock or a Worf/Troi or a Worf/Dax situation there’s anger and outrage.
In these cases I
have to wonder if sci-fi truly about equal opportunity? Or is it about
showcasing the same racism featured in shows like SCANDAL in a futuristic
setting?
We always see White guys like Captain Kirk chasing all sorts
of Alien females of different ethnicities and species. But we’ve yet to see
Black men like Ben Sisko or a Blade pursuing all sorts of alien and vampire
females in sci-fi and fantasy stories.
I have my concerns about Iris West’s change of ethnicity in CW’s
The Flash. When it comes to intellectual property I personally follow the rule
of do unto others as they’d do unto me. I wouldn’t want my Black charactes
changed into White ones, so I don’t like watching White people’s characters
changed into Black ones. Personally I’d be pissed at the idea of a White
E’steem paired with a Black John Haynes. Or a White Isis in a Nubia filled with
Black people.
And the reason I’d be pissed about it would have nothing to
do with race. It’d have to do with story.
The way I structured stories such would be completely thrown
off. Both Isis and The Temptaiton of John Haynes were structured to revolve
around Black culture and Black history. Both characters are designed to be
Black. And the whole idea of a White woman in those roles prevents people from
enjoying a story about the way I originally intended it to be written and would
prevent audiences from seeing the message that I’m trying to convey to them.
Yeah, I know a lot of these comic book and sci-fi novels came
about during the time when White Supremacy was at its apex. And that the
sci-fi, fantasy and comic book worlds are filled with mostly White characters
made by White men. But shoehorining Black people into stories doesn’t help
diversify them. It prevents people from getting an adaptation that’s true to
the source material.
I’m hoping The Flash has a long run on TV this time. And I’m
hoping to see the real Wally West, the red-haired kid who loved his uncle so
much he followed in his footsteps to become a hero in his own right. I want to
see that story come to the screen, because it’s compelling and powerful and
would make for powerful television drama. And the casting of a Black Iris West
can prevent that storyline from reaching the screen.
What truly helps diversify the Comic book, Sci-fi and fantasy
genres is promoting Original Black Science fiction and fantasy produced by
Black writers, artists and publishers like myself. Audiences deserve comic
books, science fiction and fantasy stories where Black characters are featured
as the main characters, not shoehorned into stories where they don’t fit or
tokens that add nothing to the story.
Moreover, audiences deserve Black characters that are created
to be Black. Characters like Cyborg that come from the Black experience are
rich and multi-dimensional and add to comics like The New Teen Titans. They represent
true diversity because they are intentionally part of a truly diverse cast, not
a token who is just added there after the fact to make it appear the cast is
diverse on the surface.
Again, I’m all for diversity. But I believe if a story
features all the characters are of a certain ethnicity when the writer creates
them, then all the actors who play them in the adaptation should be the same
ethnicity. Shoehorning a Black or minority actor into a role that wasn’t
written for them doesn’t make a story more diverse or enrich the experience, it
reeks of political correctness gone too far.
It would have been better if the Flash series utilised an already existed POC character like with Chunk or Linda Park.
ReplyDeleteI wish they'd have started using the rogues myself Ad. Also wish they'd stop killing the villains. How are we going to get to the Rogues if they kill the bad guys every week?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm not happy about Simon Stagg getting killed. Kills Metamorpho's origin in this universe unless Flash Time travels.
I did see Linda Park in a cameo. What she's doing here when she's Wally's wife I don't know. This series is a mess IMO story wise.
This was a very well written blog entry.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see black actors/actresses portray characters who were originally black, preferably created/written by black people.
White owned media will always portray the white man as the "alpha male". They're just stroking their ego's. So even though I'm not a fan of IR mixing, I'm not going to spend my time on how/why white society hates masculine black men. I'd rather support black-owned media, that way, we can decide for ourselves how we want to be portrayed.
Cheers.
Hey just loved reading this post. Could you provide some information on popular white men black women who get married but they had to fight for their wedding rights?
ReplyDeleteI guess you have not watched The Originals, on that same channel, because Marcel has romanced just about half the white cast in this short time. Nobody has complained. Nobody has thought it was outrageous or even weird. Nobody has even cared that he's black. Because, unlike Hancock, his show is actually good.
ReplyDelete