Many people don't like change, but change is inevitable. , Marvel's chief creative officer, Joe Quesada, conveyed important news on the Colbert Report. Get ready for major changes in the Marvel comics arena.
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| Anthony Mackie as Falcon |
Captain
American’s longtime associate, the Falcon, who happens to be African American,
will be assuming the role of Captain America and toting his red-white-and-blue
shield. The news of Captain America’s racial makeover comes on the heels of
another surprise this week from the comic book publisher: The mighty Thor will
be transformed into a woman in new a story line unfolding later this year.
Cynics
might say that these are simply publicity stunts, but that’s being
short-sighted. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that to spin out more movies and
television shows, Marvel needs to appeal to a broader demographic than just the
typical (i.e. white and male) comic book geek.
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| Samuel L. Jackson
|
Marvel
has been trying to increase diversity for a while. The publisher has already
changed Nick Fury from a cigar smoking white guy into a more urbane African
American with a shaved head, a character tailor-made to played by actor Samuel
L. Jackson in Marvel films. This transformation long predates the Marvel movies
in which Samuel L. Jackson appears; Nick Fury’s demographic shift goes back to
2001 in the Marvel Ultimates comic book series. The notion of the Falcon
donning Captain America’s costume, by contrast, is a more seamless concept that
doesn’t disrupt the complicated continuity of the sprawling Marvel universe.
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| Scarlett Johansson |
A female
Thor would potentially bolster Marvel’s paltry list of female superheroes with
the power to open a movie. The company already seems likely to make a Black
Widow film starring Scarlett Johansson. A woman brandishing Thor’s major hammer
has the same box office possibilities.
These
changes protect Marvel in other ways. The company has turned such relatively
unknown actors as Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) into
stars. Their agents have surely suggested that they are entitled to significant
salary increases if their contracts are to be renewed. Perhaps the actors and
the agents may not be so bold now that Marvel isn’t so dependent on cute
superpowered white guys.
Another
interesting note for Marvel Heroes fans, look for Mr. Fantastic AKA Reed
Richards, leader of the Fantastic Four, to join the fold in 2015. After being
bathed in cosmic rays, Richards received the power of amazing elasticity. He
uses his ability to stretch his body seemingly infinite lengths to form giant
fists, shrug off attacks and for various shapes to traverse the environment. Mr.
Fantastic possesses incredible intellect and is capable of creating and
wielding amazing inventions that have saved the universe countless times.
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