TWCL

darrell31316 · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 31

In Marvel's defense, they were among the first, if not the first to introduce black superheroes, villains and supporting characters, starting back in the mid 60's (Black Panther, The Prowler, Dr. Bill Foster for example).
The motive to make the ultimate Nick Fury black was not to arbitrarily make white characters black. It was to shake readers out of their complacency, to do the unexpected, which is the motive behind most of the changes seen in the ultimate line.

Shea · Joined: 30 Nov 1999 Posts: 5

darrell31316 wrote:

It was to shake readers out of their complacency, to do the unexpected, which is the motive behind most of the changes seen in the ultimate line.

You mean like making Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch a couple? I'm pretty sure some of these are "for the hell of it" decisions.

Zaron · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 945

darrell31316 wrote:

The motive to make the ultimate Nick Fury black was not to arbitrarily make white characters black. It was to shake readers out of their complacency, to do the unexpected, which is the motive behind most of the changes seen in the ultimate line.

When I see Marvel take some heroes that are normally black and make them white, then I'll believe this.
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darrell31316 · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 31

Zaron wrote:

When I see Marvel take some heroes that are normally black and make them white, then I'll believe this.

You got a point there, gotta agree.

darrell31316 · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 31

Shea wrote:

darrell31316 wrote:

It was to shake readers out of their complacency, to do the unexpected, which is the motive behind most of the changes seen in the ultimate line.

You mean like making Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch a couple? I'm pretty sure some of these are "for the hell of it" decisions.

Yeah like that, although I think more thought went into it than "for the hell of it". There is a little bit of logic to that particular decision. I think that making them lovers was intended as a spoof--or an exaggeration-- of the relationship the mainstream Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch used to have during the 60's.

In those early issues of The Avengers and The X-Men, they were portrayed as unusually close siblings, so inseparable that even then it made you wonder about them. You never saw one without the other. They did everything together, whether it was joining the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, quitting the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, joining the Avengers, quitting the Avengers and on and on. You would have thought they were lovers the way they fretted over each other's wellbeing.

By the 70's the two of them were portrayed as more independent (and more "normal"). But it's their behavior during the 60's that (I think) gave rise to the idea of making their "ultimate" counterparts lovers.

Sorry, I probably went way, way off topic. I'm kind of a fanboy.

Casual Notice · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 1:04 am Post subject:

Either that or Jay Naylor wrote the Avengers Ultimate bible.
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thefro3po · Joined: 16 Oct 2006 Posts: 245 Location: Winter Park, FL

Zaron wrote:

When I see Marvel take some heroes that are normally black and make them white, then I'll believe this.

I think David Hasselhoff could pull off the Blackpanther. Laughing

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lead sharp · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 78 Location: Merseyside

thefro3po wrote:

Zaron wrote:

When I see Marvel take some heroes that are normally black and make them white, then I'll believe this.

I think David Hasselhoff could pull off the Blackpanther. Laughing

Now there's a video I want to see.

The fixer (his villain name) in Thunderbolts who had a sort of jet costume, I think it was him that was turned black under the witness protection program or some such.

Quick edit, it was The Beetle!

Ashvegas · Joined: 22 Jun 2012 Posts: 2

I was wondering what had happened with Nick Fury when he turned up as Samuel L Jackson in the first Iron Man Movie my reaction was WTF (I grew up reading Marvel comics in the 70's and Nick Fury was always this white bloke with a full head of hair) then I found out that the change was done in the Ultimates and they based the new version in the comic on Samuel L Jackson, it was a bit confusing to start but Sam Jackson is definately better than the Hoff

Clint Wolf · Joined: 15 Apr 2010 Posts: 298

The story goes that they wanted to use SLJ's likeness for Nick Fury in the Ultimates, and Jackson's deal was something akin to, "I'm okay with this, but if there's ever a movie version, you call me up first." (obviously this was post-Hoff)

I can't remember if it was Mark Millar or Bryan Hitch or both who had the weird brainstorm to basically make Nick Fury be Samuel L. Jackson, but there you are. Millar at least does seem to do a lot of things purely based on cool factor.

I still dream of that alternate universe where there was a bitchin' Nick Fury movie starring Kurt Russell. Barring that, the Avengers was the first time I felt like I was watching Nick Fury the character and not just SLJ. The look is different, but 99% of what I've always loved about Fury was there, and I was duly pleased.
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Ashvegas · Joined: 22 Jun 2012 Posts: 2

I always thought Kurt Russell would have been perfect as Nick Fury, the way I heard the story was that Marvel usesd SLJ's likeness without permission and when he was told about it he contacted Marvel and said he didn't have a problem as long as they cast him in any movie, pretty much boils down to the same thing

Old Herb · Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 21

New onset of blacksploitation, maybe.

Tskingdom · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:57 am Post subject:

Black Kingpin in Daredevil was bigger "that's not right" moment for me. Certainly not the only thing "not right" in that movie.
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Traegorn · Joined: 16 Feb 2010 Posts: 141

Really? Because I thought the only GOOD thing about that film was the casting for Kingpin.

Casual Notice · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 11:24 am Post subject:

Really? Now the idea of a black Kingpin never bothered me, but Michael Clarke Duncan? I mean the guy exudes less evil than a kitten. Maybe Ving Rhames or the guy who played Will Smith's Uncle in Fresh prince of Bellaire...(or Michael Chiklis, if they went the white route and he wasn't already the Thing).

Actually, the film was cast well (except for MCD), it was just so poorly directed it was almost funny. (On the plus side, without it, we wouldn't have all those Youube AMVs of Bring Me to Life).
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