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DC Comics is About to Give Us a Black Batman

Doom85

Member
Well they shouldn't take up 'the mantles' of these characters. Each became the heroes they are due to unique circumstances. Not a costume to put on and be the superhero. Iron Man was a tech genius with money and had the armor built as his heart had shrapnel in it. The suit helped him live. Superman is from a destroyed Krypton. Batman is a playboy with cash and was a detective who sought out seedy criminals. Spiderman was Peter Parker who was bit by a radioactive spider in a freak accident and gave him the powers. Captain America was injected with the Super Serum in the 1940's. Each also became popular due to the fact they were fully fleshed out, unique characters who many could relate (or envy) and made us love them. It would be (and is) stupid to replace those people with new faces to carry the 'mantle'. It doesn't and shouldn't work that way. Created new characters, not bury the popular original ones.

Well, you better time-travel back to the 1950's and tell them not to create Hal Jordan or Barry Allen who ironically went on to become much more popular than either Alan Scott or Jay Garrick so your last point is kinda amusing.

Also, why shouldn't it work that way? Simply saying it's "stupid" or "shouldn't work that way" isn't a very good reason to me, heck the latter is kinda frustrating because that just limits story potential if this were NEVER allowed to happen. A new character is a new character regardless of what their superhero identity is. Hal Jordan was not Alan Scott. And most of the legacy characters do have their own personalities, goals, supporting casts, etc., thus they are by definition unique characters. The powers should not be what defines their characters so there shouldn't be an issue with legacy characters. Your descriptions of these characters are pretty shallow as they only focus on powers and their talents, you don't mention Tony's cockiness or struggles with alcohol, Superman's desire to always do the right thing, Peter's constant poor handling of his social life, etc. If the legacy characters had these exact personalities then yeah that's an issue but most of the time that's not the case. Like, good god, I'd begin laughing if someone claimed Guy Gardner was anything like Alan or Hal.
 

GAMETA

Banned
It all depends on how they make him as a character.

Is the fact that he is black the sole reason of his existence? If so it's propaganda.

If not, then it could actually be pretty awesome.
 
So how is this not culture appropriation?

Can we have a white Black Panther?

I think this new trend is quite ridiculous, and shows how biased this extreme liberalism is. Why not create new characters, new stories to include everyone, instead of doing it to existing characters?
 

Doom85

Member
So how is this not culture appropriation?

Can we have a white Black Panther?

I think this new trend is quite ridiculous, and shows how biased this extreme liberalism is. Why not create new characters, new stories to include everyone, instead of doing it to existing characters?

The Black Panther is a mantle steeped in tradition that dictates it must be held by the ruler of Wakanda, a nation of entirely black people. So for a white person to be Black Panther would mean you'd have a single white person ruling over a nation of all black people. I shouldn't have to spell out why that looks fucking bad.

Batman is a mantle created by a single guy and has no connection to any of Gotham City's traditions nor was there ever any racial element to it. Bruce even said in Dark Knight Rises that anyone can be Batman. When Bruce "died" for a while in the comics, Dick took the mantle and Bruce had no issue with it.

People need to stop immediately bringing up Black Panther when this sort of thing happens as it's not comparable at all. If a white guy became the new War Machine, that would be fine and not problematic at all. Black Panther is not the same equivalent, it isn't a typical type of superhero mantle, it's connected to the tradition and culture of a nation of all black people.

And I already covered your last point, and apparently something that's happened since the 50's qualifies as "new" now.
 
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Nymphae

Banned
The Black Panther is a mantle stepped in tradition that dictates it must be held by the ruler of Wakanda, a nation of entirely black people. So for a white person to be Black Panther would mean you'd have a single white person ruling over a nation of all black people. I shouldn't have to spell out why that looks fucking bad.

Lore excuses aside, no famous black character will ever be race swapped for a white guy, ever.
 

Doom85

Member
Lore excuses aside, no famous black character will ever be race swapped for a white guy, ever.

Maybe not entirely "swapped" (not really the best wording since usually the previous heroes are still around or come back), but adding on to the legacy past them has totally happened with Kyle and others coming after John Stewart or Carol Danvers coming after Monica Rambeau for example.
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
Well they shouldn't take up 'the mantles' of these characters. Each became the heroes they are due to unique circumstances. Not a costume to put on and be the superhero. Iron Man was a tech genius with money and had the armor built as his heart had shrapnel in it. The suit helped him live. Superman is from a destroyed Krypton. Batman is a playboy with cash and was a detective who sought out seedy criminals. Spiderman was Peter Parker who was bit by a radioactive spider in a freak accident and gave him the powers. Captain America was injected with the Super Serum in the 1940's. Each also became popular due to the fact they were fully fleshed out, unique characters who many could relate (or envy) and made us love them. It would be (and is) stupid to replace those people with new faces to carry the 'mantle'. It doesn't and shouldn't work that way. Create new characters, not bury the popular original ones.


Barry Allen was replaced by Wally West for over 20 years as The Flash ... Did you complain then?
 

DeafTourette

Perpetually Offended
So how is this not culture appropriation?

Can we have a white Black Panther?

I think this new trend is quite ridiculous, and shows how biased this extreme liberalism is. Why not create new characters, new stories to include everyone, instead of doing it to existing characters?

See above about legacy characters...
 
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