deerstalker
https://blacknerdproblems.com/a-few-things-we-need-to-address-if-the-x-men-are-coming-to-the-mcu/
So, Marvel is in the process of crafting the future of their cinematic universe. While there are rumors about the Fantastic Four and the new Spider-Man film, what’s being kept the quietest is how the X-Men will be introduced. Whether it’s an upcoming surprise or a long way off, it’s a near certainty that Marvel’s mutants will not go ignored. So, if they’re going to go forward with this, there’s a few things we really need to address.
1). First and foremost, they need to realize there are more characters beside Wolverine.
Now, I realize this is a tall order for Marvel considering how much they invest in him as a franchise. Also, I consider almost 20 years of X-Men movies centering Wolverine to be a “reap what you sow” situation with the fandom. After all, fans spent the near-entirety of the 90s making such a huge deal out of this character, it was inevitable that he would become a major focus when it was time for Marvel’s mutants to hit the screen. But how many movies of Hugh Jackman and his immaculate hip-hop abs stabbing bad guys to death do we really need? They explained how Logan got his adamantium skeleton as a major plot point in X-Men 2….just to give us a whole movie re-explaining the same thing with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And I shouldn’t have to reiterate the implications of rebooting yet another handsome, white guy lead in a film franchise that already has a history of being whiter than it should be. Look, we get it…Wolverine’s a cool character, so it’s unrealistic that we’ll never see him again. But we’re talking about a franchise that has at least 60 years of characters and backstories to choose from. Certainly, we can get a fresher changing of the guard from movie to movie.
2). Cyclops deserves better.
The X-Men’s first field leader has been the source of decades worth of slander among the fandom. Granted, it’s worth mentioning that Scott Summers has had a much better reputation in the comics from the past 20 years. A murderer’s row of writers have had a hand in his rebranding over time, so it’s more than obvious he’s a worthwhile character. However, it’s the television and movie adaptations that really seal the defining ideas that make a good character into the collective consciousness. For example, it’s going to be a long time before anyone thinks of Iron Man without seeing Robert Downey Jr. in their head. That’s what a good performance in an awesome film can do for a character. Sadly, it’s had an adverse effect for Cyclops.
Decades later and the X-Men Animated Series that dominated the 90s is still the worst PR a Marvel character ever got. Between that and at least three films where his entire personality seems to revolve around Jean Grey and Wolverine, the character has become a bit of a joke outside of fanboys. And that’s a damn shame for a guy who has been training to fight giant killer robots since he was 16. For a publication whose bread and butter is representation for black characters, we’ve spent a considerable amount of time making the case for Cyclops, a white guy, being a worthwhile superhero. And the way the MCU masterfully rebranded Captain America proves that the “All American Quarterback, Born Leader” type has a willing audience.
3). Speaking of character overhauls, Jean Grey could use that MCU glow-up, too.
Aside from having Omega level powers she (sometimes) can’t control and being the object of affection for X-Men alpha males, can anyone name three defining characteristics or personality traits about her? This is certainly an issue the tv/film properties haven’t made any better, but they honestly only deserve some of the blame. With a small handful of exceptions peppered throughout the last twenty-five years or so, Jean Grey has consistently been one of the most underdeveloped characters the franchise has to offer. And considering that she’s a principal character every time she’s appeared on screen since the late 90s, that’s a pretty incredible feat. Again, this is yet another lily white character we’re talking about, but it’s a safe assumption that if/when Marvel introduces the mutant community to the MCU, Phoenix/Marvel Girl will be on the shortlist. And if we HAVE to sit through another rehashing of the Dark Phoenix story (unnecessary, yes, but also inevitable), then we should at least know more about her than we do about Pepper Potts.
4). The Black Mutant Delegation needs a stronger presence in the mutant community. Much stronger.
As far as the MCU is concerned, let’s take a quick head count of the black X-Men featured throughout the franchise. First and foremost, there’s the greatest sin of the X-movies: Halle Berry’s performance as Storm. The casting was lazy in its own way, aiming for the biggest star that would put asses in the seats as opposed to finding the best portrayal of the role. Then, there’s the dubious accent, the small handful of dialogue given to the character and, of course, the dreaded “Toad struck by lightning” line. The only other time we saw any signs of life in this character is in The Last Stand when she’s only given the responsibility of leading the team when Cyclops is rendered a weeping mess over Jean Grey because (see #2). When she is reintroduced in Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, sure, she’s depicted as more powerful, but her presence is still not remotely as strong as her comic counterpart.
After Storm, the Black Mutant Delegation doesn’t get much more shine. Spyke made a brief appearance as Guy Who Gets Stabbed By Wolverine #2 in The Last Stand. Darwin talked a big game in First Class and caught a first round knock out from Sebastian Shaw. And Bishop got mauled by sentinels in Days of Future Past. Oh and there was Zoe Kravitz as Angel, a mutant Charles Xavier found in a strip club whose screen time ran at about the length of your average lap dance.
Theoretically, one of the great attractions of the rise of mutants all across the world is that they potentially come from all walks of life. However, when we look at the characters that receive the lion’s share of the spotlight, this doesn’t seem to be the case. And honestly, the MCU could make up for quantity with quality. If the mutants listed weren’t so non-existent in their overall gravitas, one could almost overlook how few ever seem to make it into the stories at all. Almost. After 20 years of movies focused almost entirely on white mutants that have been met with modest to milquetoast success….what does this B-/C+ film franchise have to lose? With projects like Black Panther 2 and Shang-Chi being fast tracked in response to the call for BIPOC representation, the best thing Marvel could do is use this as an opportunity to take the confidence they’ve earned from their audience and roll the dice on some fresh, darker-hued faces.
When it comes to the superhero genre, Marvel is the king of the mountain. If they want to stay king, I suspect they have to take this opportunity to lean into the increased calls for true diversity and X-Men would be a good place to plant those seeds.
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The post A Few Things We Need To Address If The X-Men Are Coming to the MCU appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
So, Marvel is in the process of crafting the future of their cinematic universe. While there are rumors about the Fantastic Four and the new Spider-Man film, what’s being kept the quietest is how the X-Men will be introduced. Whether it’s an upcoming surprise or a long way off, it’s a near certainty that Marvel’s mutants will not go ignored. So, if they’re going to go forward with this, there’s a few things we really need to address.
1). First and foremost, they need to realize there are more characters beside Wolverine.
Now, I realize this is a tall order for Marvel considering how much they invest in him as a franchise. Also, I consider almost 20 years of X-Men movies centering Wolverine to be a “reap what you sow” situation with the fandom. After all, fans spent the near-entirety of the 90s making such a huge deal out of this character, it was inevitable that he would become a major focus when it was time for Marvel’s mutants to hit the screen. But how many movies of Hugh Jackman and his immaculate hip-hop abs stabbing bad guys to death do we really need? They explained how Logan got his adamantium skeleton as a major plot point in X-Men 2….just to give us a whole movie re-explaining the same thing with X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And I shouldn’t have to reiterate the implications of rebooting yet another handsome, white guy lead in a film franchise that already has a history of being whiter than it should be. Look, we get it…Wolverine’s a cool character, so it’s unrealistic that we’ll never see him again. But we’re talking about a franchise that has at least 60 years of characters and backstories to choose from. Certainly, we can get a fresher changing of the guard from movie to movie.
2). Cyclops deserves better.
The X-Men’s first field leader has been the source of decades worth of slander among the fandom. Granted, it’s worth mentioning that Scott Summers has had a much better reputation in the comics from the past 20 years. A murderer’s row of writers have had a hand in his rebranding over time, so it’s more than obvious he’s a worthwhile character. However, it’s the television and movie adaptations that really seal the defining ideas that make a good character into the collective consciousness. For example, it’s going to be a long time before anyone thinks of Iron Man without seeing Robert Downey Jr. in their head. That’s what a good performance in an awesome film can do for a character. Sadly, it’s had an adverse effect for Cyclops.
Decades later and the X-Men Animated Series that dominated the 90s is still the worst PR a Marvel character ever got. Between that and at least three films where his entire personality seems to revolve around Jean Grey and Wolverine, the character has become a bit of a joke outside of fanboys. And that’s a damn shame for a guy who has been training to fight giant killer robots since he was 16. For a publication whose bread and butter is representation for black characters, we’ve spent a considerable amount of time making the case for Cyclops, a white guy, being a worthwhile superhero. And the way the MCU masterfully rebranded Captain America proves that the “All American Quarterback, Born Leader” type has a willing audience.
3). Speaking of character overhauls, Jean Grey could use that MCU glow-up, too.
Aside from having Omega level powers she (sometimes) can’t control and being the object of affection for X-Men alpha males, can anyone name three defining characteristics or personality traits about her? This is certainly an issue the tv/film properties haven’t made any better, but they honestly only deserve some of the blame. With a small handful of exceptions peppered throughout the last twenty-five years or so, Jean Grey has consistently been one of the most underdeveloped characters the franchise has to offer. And considering that she’s a principal character every time she’s appeared on screen since the late 90s, that’s a pretty incredible feat. Again, this is yet another lily white character we’re talking about, but it’s a safe assumption that if/when Marvel introduces the mutant community to the MCU, Phoenix/Marvel Girl will be on the shortlist. And if we HAVE to sit through another rehashing of the Dark Phoenix story (unnecessary, yes, but also inevitable), then we should at least know more about her than we do about Pepper Potts.
4). The Black Mutant Delegation needs a stronger presence in the mutant community. Much stronger.
As far as the MCU is concerned, let’s take a quick head count of the black X-Men featured throughout the franchise. First and foremost, there’s the greatest sin of the X-movies: Halle Berry’s performance as Storm. The casting was lazy in its own way, aiming for the biggest star that would put asses in the seats as opposed to finding the best portrayal of the role. Then, there’s the dubious accent, the small handful of dialogue given to the character and, of course, the dreaded “Toad struck by lightning” line. The only other time we saw any signs of life in this character is in The Last Stand when she’s only given the responsibility of leading the team when Cyclops is rendered a weeping mess over Jean Grey because (see #2). When she is reintroduced in Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix, sure, she’s depicted as more powerful, but her presence is still not remotely as strong as her comic counterpart.
After Storm, the Black Mutant Delegation doesn’t get much more shine. Spyke made a brief appearance as Guy Who Gets Stabbed By Wolverine #2 in The Last Stand. Darwin talked a big game in First Class and caught a first round knock out from Sebastian Shaw. And Bishop got mauled by sentinels in Days of Future Past. Oh and there was Zoe Kravitz as Angel, a mutant Charles Xavier found in a strip club whose screen time ran at about the length of your average lap dance.
Theoretically, one of the great attractions of the rise of mutants all across the world is that they potentially come from all walks of life. However, when we look at the characters that receive the lion’s share of the spotlight, this doesn’t seem to be the case. And honestly, the MCU could make up for quantity with quality. If the mutants listed weren’t so non-existent in their overall gravitas, one could almost overlook how few ever seem to make it into the stories at all. Almost. After 20 years of movies focused almost entirely on white mutants that have been met with modest to milquetoast success….what does this B-/C+ film franchise have to lose? With projects like Black Panther 2 and Shang-Chi being fast tracked in response to the call for BIPOC representation, the best thing Marvel could do is use this as an opportunity to take the confidence they’ve earned from their audience and roll the dice on some fresh, darker-hued faces.
When it comes to the superhero genre, Marvel is the king of the mountain. If they want to stay king, I suspect they have to take this opportunity to lean into the increased calls for true diversity and X-Men would be a good place to plant those seeds.
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The post A Few Things We Need To Address If The X-Men Are Coming to the MCU appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Sometimes wishes do come true. We heard Lucasfilm was developing a Willow sequel TV series at the end of 2019, and now we know it’s true. All of it. Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed on Tuesday that the Willow series is coming to Disney+. It will begin production in 2021. Then the show will film in Wales (the same locale as the movie). The series will serve as a sequel, taking place years after the events of the original 1988 film. And if you haven’t watched Willow before, do yourself a favor and watch it as soon as possible because it’s delightful.
Lucasfilm
The Willow sequel series marks Lucasfilm’s first venture into non-Star Wars storytelling since The Force Awakens. Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) will direct the pilot. He’ll also serve as executive producer along with showrunners Jonathan Kasdan and Wendy Mericle. Kasdan penned the pilot. And don’t worry, Ron Howard, director of the Willow movie, has a stake in the new show too. He’ll be executive producing.
Chu is a big fan of the film. He named his daughter Willow. Chu enthused in the release, “Growing up in the ’80s, Willow has had a profound effect on me. The story of the bravest heroes in the least likely places allowed me, an Asian-American kid growing up in a Chinese restaurant looking to go to Hollywood, to believe in the power of our own will, determination and of course, inner magic. So the fact that I get to work with my heroes from Kathleen Kennedy to Ron Howard is bigger than a dream come-true. It’s a bucket-list moment for me. Jon Kasdan and Wendy Mericle have added such groundbreaking new characters and delightful surprises to this timeless story that I can’t wait for the world to come along on this epic journey with us.”
Lucasfilm
And we can’t have Willow without Warwick Davis in the titular role. He’s returning as Willow Ufgood. Davis said in a statement, “So many fans have asked me over the years if Willow will make a return, and now I’m thrilled to tell them that he will indeed. Many have told me they grew up with Willow and that the film has influenced how they view heroism in our own world. If Willow Ufgood can represent the heroic potential in all of us, then he is a character I am extremely honored to reprise.”
According to Deadline, Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals), Cailee Spaeny (The Craft: Legacy), and Erin Kellyman (Solo: A Star Wars Story) are all reportedly in talks to join the series. Casting information for Willow indicates the story will center on a crew trying to rescue a kidnapped prince. It doesn’t look like Kellyman will be reprising her role as Enfys Nest in the series.
If you’re not familiar with the film, allow me to summarize. Willow, a hapless farmer who wants to be a sorcerer, finds an orphaned baby. That baby is a survivor. The evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda learned of a prophecy stating a female child with a special birthmark would mean her downfall. So as a totally practical measure, she imprisoned pregnant women in the realm and killed their babies. But this baby, Elora Danan, survived. She has a destiny to be an empress, and Willow has to keep her safe. Shenanigans and adventures with a bunch of wild characters ensue.
New characters will appear in the enchanted realm of fairy queens and two-headed Eborsisk monsters. No word on whether Val Kilmer could return as Madmartigan, but hey, he and Davis seem to be pals so maybe…
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
Originally published on October 20, 2020.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of The Jedi Mind, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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The post WILLOW Sequel TV Series Coming to Disney+ appeared first on Nerdist.
By Jasmine Grant ·November 29, 2020November 29, 2020
We know you work hard for your money, and because of that, you’re constantly looking for the best deals. With the holidays around the corner, you may have a few gifts to check off the list, and Cyber Monday is the perfect shopping holiday to get it done. That’s why we’ve scoured the internet and searched for the best Cyber Monday deals that are worth your time, and coins!
You’ll find discounts galore from popular retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart. We’ve also rounded up some deals and offers from Black-owned retailers like Savage X Fenty, Mented Cosmetics and Pattern Beauty. Scroll through the gallery and add some must-have items to your cart!
01Get 25% Off at Nike.comNike Store has launched the Cyber Monday Flash Sale with 25% off select styles from Nike, Nike Sportswear and Jordan Brand. This even includes items that usually aren’t on sale. Use code CYBER25 to save.
available at Nike.com SHOP NOW 0225% Off At Pattern BeautyDon’t miss Pattern Beauty‘s 25% off cyber sale. Tracee Ellis Ross’s new natural hair care line has everything from shampoo and conditioner to edge control designed to help your curls thrive. 
Pattern Beauty available at Pattern Beauty SHOP NOW 03Up to 50% Off Smart Home Devices At Target 
available at Target SHOP NOW 04Up to 40% off Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, & moreIf you didn’t get your Black Friday shopping fill, hop on Amazon to grab a few more gifts for the kids. You’ll find tons of gifts for the kiddies and even some games for the whole family. 
available at Amazon SHOP NOW 0550% Off Instant Pot And Other Kitchen Essentials At WalmartWalmart has killer deals on the popular Instant Pot pressure cooker, as well as other kitchen items like air fryers, the indoor grills, coffee makers, blenders and the list goes on. 
available at Walmart SHOP NOW 06Up To 50% Off And Free Shipping At Ulta BeautyUlta Beauty is offering 50% off select makeup, skincare and hair items for their epic Cyber Monday sale. You can also snag free shipping on orders that total $35 or more. You’ll also get a free $20 eReward card when you buy $100 worth of Ulta Beauty gift cards. 
SHOP NOW 07Up to 65% Off Savage X FentyRun, don’t walk, to Savage X Fenty, where new members receive a whopping 65% off sitewide. Xtra VIP members will get 50% off their purchase. 
SHOP NOW 08Up to 45% Off Keurig And Nespresso Coffee Machines 
SHOP NOW 0930% off Mented Cosmetics And The Lip BarBlack-owned makeup brands Mented and The Lip Bar are offering 30% off their entire inventory. Get your beauty hauls and stocking stuffers now! 
available at Mented Cosmetics & The Lip Bar SHOP NOW 10Up to 65% Off Outerwear at Macy’s 
Macy’s available at Macy’s SHOP NOW 11Up to 80% off at WayfairEverything from furniture and mattresses to accent pillows and decor are on sale during Wayfair’s can’t-miss Cyber Monday event. You can also find amazing deals at Wayfair’s sister site Joss & Main, where the shopping code SAVE25 will save you big bucks on all home decor and furnishings. 
SHOP NOW 12Save $200 Or More On TVs At Best BuyWe can always count on Best Buy to offer killer deals on electronics, specifically TVs, during Cyber Monday. 2020 is no exception. This 39″ Insignia Smart TV has been lowered down to $100 for Cyber Monday, and its just one of many deals you’ll find at big-box electronics store this year. 
Best Buy available at Best Buy SHOP NOW TOPICS: black friday Christmas Cyber Monday gift guide Holiday Gift Guide 2020 stocking stuffersThe post Save Some Coins With These Cyber Monday Deals appeared first on Essence.