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https://www.themarysue.com/magneto-professor-x-poc-in-mcu/
With Marvel’s plans for X-Men and Fantastic Four movies completely up in the air, the rumor mill is churning, and one that’s going around is that Kevin Feige and co. are considering having people of color portray both Magneto and Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Full Circle Cinema. Time to make those Malcolm X/Martin Luther King Jr. comparisons really pop!
This casting could be part of the MCU’s oft-stated desire to promote representation and diversity. After all, Feige told The Wrap that he does believe that the future of the MCU depends on that:
So, the notion of representation onscreen, in front of and behind the camera, somebody asked me once, so is Black Panther a one-off? I said, no, it’s not a one-off. This is the future. This is the way the world is, and the way, certainly, our studio’s going to be run going forward, because it brings about better stories. The more diverse the group of people making the movie is, the better the stories.
Now, this might come as a surprise, but I only think this half works. I think making Erik a visibly Romani Jewish man would be super important and a good way to counter the whitewashing casting fail that was Scarlet Witch/Wanda. I think you could also choose a mixed-race Jewish person, but I think it would be important to actually cast someone with Jewish ancestry, which could be someone of any racial group.
As for Charles Xavier, I think he works best as a white guy because of his relationship to power. Charles is a manipulator, in many ways, who has taken advantage of young people and turned them into child soldiers. When you read Professor X in the comics, there is a lot of privilege that he has that I think makes his optimism about human/mutant relationship so viable in his mind. He also has a very colonial mentality, molding these kids into his idea of what it means to be a “good mutant.”
What I do think would work better is that you keep Charles white, but diversify the rest of the X-Men. Scott Summers I can see as Native American/First Nations, Jean Grey could be Latina, Beast could be Southeast Asian, etc. I think diverse X-Men is a better goal than a non-white Charles Xavier himself—not to mention the optics of him, as a white man, running a school of young POC for his political agenda would be an interesting longterm narrative and highlight Charles’ ignorance towards the feelings and issues facing his students.
I love diversity in these movies, and I want it to happen, but I would like thought put into it. While “organic diversity” is a term that I feel has been weaponized, I do feel like, if you are going to race-bend important characters, you need to think about how that would change their mentality and experience. You want to write a non-white Charles Xavier? Then think about how that would change him and the makeup of the X-Men.
Let’s not forgot that part of the reason Charles and Magneto have conflict about their methods is because Magneto is a two-time minority as both a Jewish man and a mutant. He is aware that humans already hate other humans, so he cannot believe in some utopia where humans will come to love mutants who are even more different. So, if we have a non-white Charles, then we need to understand why he, as a person of color who had experienced racism, would have that optimism.
I’m glad Feige wants more representation, but let’s also get some of that behind the scenes and in the writers’ room.
(via Full Circle Cinema, image: Fox)
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—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
With Marvel’s plans for X-Men and Fantastic Four movies completely up in the air, the rumor mill is churning, and one that’s going around is that Kevin Feige and co. are considering having people of color portray both Magneto and Professor X in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to Full Circle Cinema. Time to make those Malcolm X/Martin Luther King Jr. comparisons really pop!
This casting could be part of the MCU’s oft-stated desire to promote representation and diversity. After all, Feige told The Wrap that he does believe that the future of the MCU depends on that:
So, the notion of representation onscreen, in front of and behind the camera, somebody asked me once, so is Black Panther a one-off? I said, no, it’s not a one-off. This is the future. This is the way the world is, and the way, certainly, our studio’s going to be run going forward, because it brings about better stories. The more diverse the group of people making the movie is, the better the stories.
Now, this might come as a surprise, but I only think this half works. I think making Erik a visibly Romani Jewish man would be super important and a good way to counter the whitewashing casting fail that was Scarlet Witch/Wanda. I think you could also choose a mixed-race Jewish person, but I think it would be important to actually cast someone with Jewish ancestry, which could be someone of any racial group.
As for Charles Xavier, I think he works best as a white guy because of his relationship to power. Charles is a manipulator, in many ways, who has taken advantage of young people and turned them into child soldiers. When you read Professor X in the comics, there is a lot of privilege that he has that I think makes his optimism about human/mutant relationship so viable in his mind. He also has a very colonial mentality, molding these kids into his idea of what it means to be a “good mutant.”
What I do think would work better is that you keep Charles white, but diversify the rest of the X-Men. Scott Summers I can see as Native American/First Nations, Jean Grey could be Latina, Beast could be Southeast Asian, etc. I think diverse X-Men is a better goal than a non-white Charles Xavier himself—not to mention the optics of him, as a white man, running a school of young POC for his political agenda would be an interesting longterm narrative and highlight Charles’ ignorance towards the feelings and issues facing his students.
I love diversity in these movies, and I want it to happen, but I would like thought put into it. While “organic diversity” is a term that I feel has been weaponized, I do feel like, if you are going to race-bend important characters, you need to think about how that would change their mentality and experience. You want to write a non-white Charles Xavier? Then think about how that would change him and the makeup of the X-Men.
Let’s not forgot that part of the reason Charles and Magneto have conflict about their methods is because Magneto is a two-time minority as both a Jewish man and a mutant. He is aware that humans already hate other humans, so he cannot believe in some utopia where humans will come to love mutants who are even more different. So, if we have a non-white Charles, then we need to understand why he, as a person of color who had experienced racism, would have that optimism.
I’m glad Feige wants more representation, but let’s also get some of that behind the scenes and in the writers’ room.
(via Full Circle Cinema, image: Fox)
Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
A newly discovered comet may have originated outside our Solar System.
Discovered late last month by Gennady Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Crimea, C/2019 Q4 has not yet been confirmed an interstellar comet.
If it is, though, it would be only the second such object detected, following ‘Oumuamua, first spotted in October 2017.
The unimaginatively named C/2019 Q4 is currently 260 million miles from the Sun, and will approach no closer to Earth than about 190 million miles on Dec. 8.
After the initial detection, NASA’s Scout system (located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California) automatically flagged the object as possibly interstellar.
Its current velocity is high—about 93,000 mph, well above what is typical of objects orbiting the Sun at that distance, according to NASA scientist Davide Farnocchia.
“The high velocity indicates not only that the object likely originated from outside our Solar System, but also that it will leave and head back to interstellar space.”
Based on its fuzzy appearance, astronomers believe C/2019 Q4 has a central icy body that is melting into a cloud of dust and particles as it approaches the Sun.
“The object will peak in brightness in mid-December and continue to be observable with moderate-size telescopes until April 2020,” Farnocchia explained. “After that, it will only be observable with larger professional telescopes through October 2020.
The first known interstellar object to visit our Solar System was ‘Oumuamua—disappointingly not an extraterrestrial spacecraft coming to spy on Earth.
In 2017, astronomers discovered the strange, oblong object—with characteristics of an asteroid and a comet—nicknaming it ‘Oumuamua, which translates to “scout” in Hawaiian.
Early reports of the odd visitor led people to believe it could be an alien spacecraft. But a recent analysis, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, suggests otherwise.
Red in color, the celestial body has a long, cigar-like shape and weird spin pattern, like a bottle lying on the ground and spinning on its side.
More on Geek.com:
- Scientists Find Tiny Fragment of Comet Inside a Meteorite
- NASA Telescope Captures Stunning Sight of 2018’s Brightest Comet
- Rubber Duck-Shaped Comet Has Been Blown Apart and Reborn
Writer: Dan Abnett / Artist: Will Conrad / DC Comics
Justice League Odyssey #13 starts a new arc in a fresh location with new characters aligning themselves with the same goals as the previous team. After Cyborg, Starfire, and Azrael got turned into Darkseid’s New New Gods, and Jessica Cruz got turned into Lantern dust, we’re dropped across the galaxy to a space station near the Source Wall with Okkult, Red Lantern Dex-Starr, and a scientist from Zamaron.
No one saw this coming.
But it’s a welcomed change.
Let’s first talk about Jessica Cruz. She got murked last issue. M-U-R-K-E-D. Darkseid did the damn thing and blasted her with all that newly obtained Omega energy bestowed upon him by Sepulkore. My girl was dust. And I was lowkey mad. Did they just off one of the more intriguing albeit underused characters DC has to offer? And not even in a flagship title!? They couldn’t send Jessica out like that. They just couldn’t. Well, I’m pleased to tell you that’s not what happened, though you probably could’ve guessed. This is comics, dude. Nobody stays dead.
You see, those Omega beams from Darkseid both killed her and healed her, and now she’s teeming with the stuff. She’s leveled up, maybe even reached her final form. Who needs willpower when you’ve got literal god-level energy running through your veins?
In addition to Jessica’s Jesus level rise from the dead, this was a pretty solid issue. And a refreshing one at that. This new group is surprising. A far cry from the Justice League B-Team we’d grown accustomed to. Hell, this wouldn’t even be the C-Team. Yet they face the same monumental task– a steeper one at that– in facing Darkseid and his mind-controlled Leaguers.
An aspect of this issue that I really enjoyed was how everything took place in a singular location: this Zamaronian space station. Staying put in one spot allowed these characters, especially the new ones, to really breathe and introduce themselves to us in ways that felt a lot more intimate than it would have if they were jumping around a lot.
Also, now that Jessica is back, and stronger than ever, she’s the de facto leader of this group. And I love it. She lowkey should have been calling shots with the OG Odyssey squad, but she showed up late to the party. She’s been the most level-headed, & rational character in this series, and now she’s got a ragtag team of space pirates who’ll probably listen to her less than her actual friends did. But it’s a major potential for character growth. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been, and the odds are against her more than ever. At least since Rebirth launched. I’m very excited to see how she overcomes all this in subsequent issues, and even more excited to see her go toe to god-level toe with Darkseid in the near future as well. It’s not something that I would have told you I saw coming at the beginning of this series, but now it seems almost inevitable.
Justice League Odyssey #13 switches up the beat by introducing us to some new faces with the same aspirations to defeat Darkseid. Also, Jessica Cruz channels her inner Jesus and enters her life after death.
9 Jesus Jessicas out of 10
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The post Justice League Odyssey #13 Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Written by: Angelica Monk
Jay-Z’s Made in America festival returned to the City of Brotherly Love this past Labor Day Weekend and ended summer with a loud, colorful bang (looking at you, Cardi B).
Despite doubts about the festival returning to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Jay Z was adamant that the popular music festival remain at its original venue. What Hov wants, Hov gets. This year’s festival was filled with nothing but sunny skies, good music, and some new additions to the festival. Gone were the boardwalk rides; this year in the center of the Parkway was a towering Ferris wheel, strategically placed for the perfect selfie. Another welcome addition to the festival was Cause Village, a section of the parkway dedicated to activists encouraging festival attendees to register to vote, volunteering for local organizations, and getting involved with social reform. We can’t leave out the food, either; festival-goers enjoyed mouthwatering meals, from slices of pizza, golden boardwalk fries, burgers, to my favorite option, jerk chicken cheesesteaks.
The vibe at this year’s festival was everything music lovers enjoy at the festival’s four stages: the Tidal Stage, the Freedom Stage, the Liberty Stage, and the Rocky Stage at the steps of the famed Philadelphia Art Museum. Here are the top seven artists we saw at Made in America this year.
- Jorja Smith
Jorja Smith has had quite a year since the release of her debut album Lost and Found. The beautiful 22-year-old British singer sashayed onto the Liberty Stage on Saturday in a pink dress covered in yellow flowers. Her long, sleek, ponytail trailed behind her, and she serenaded the audience with her soulful voice. The opening notes of her social reform anthem “Blue Lights” rang out into the Parkway; the audience swayed as Jorja crooned, under her spell. She soon turned up the tempo with a performance of her duet with Drake, “Get it Together.” Champagne Papi might not have been there but Jorja still worked the crowd, moving her hips along to the beat. Jorja Smith was quite literally a breath of fresh air.
2. Megan Thee Stallion
“Hot Girl Summer” has officially made its way into our lexicon, and Megan Thee Stallion has made her way into our hearts. The Houston-based rapstress drew one of the biggest crowds of the festival. People swarmed to the smaller Tidal stage in hopes catching Megan’s performance. It was a sight to behold; with her clad in a custom Gucci outfit by designer Dapper Dan and matching flaming red hair, Megan commanded your attention. The crowd chanted her name as she launched into hits like “Big Ole Freak” and “Fire in the Booth Freestyle.” Megan brought out them strong knees and twerked to the delight of the crowd. She kicked it up a notch by having a twerk competition on stage. A few lucky fans were selected to join the female MC on stage. They jumped over the barriers and twerked their hearts out to impress Megan Thee Stallion. One particular fan got Megan’s seal of approval with a resounding, “Okay, frennnnn.”
3. Lizzo
It seems like 2019 belonged to Lizzo. The soulful, curvaceous singer lit up the Liberty Stage donning a denim one piece, her long curls tied up in playful pigtails. Lizzo wasted no time launching into “Cuz I Love You,” off her third studio album of the same name. Her strong vocals reverberated through the festival grounds; she was definitely the highlight of Sunday afternoon. Lizzo with her body positive message spoke to her adoring crowd, letting us know that we can all feel “Good as Hell.” Hands down the best part of the set was Lizzo’s performance of her smash sleeper hit, “Truth Hurts.” There was not one person in the crowd who didn’t recite her lyrics word for word. She finished her rousing set by bringing out her famed flute, Sasha, and played along as the audience sang the chorus to her single, “Juice.” Speaking of Sasha, if you looked close enough, you could see Beyoncé herself bopping along to Lizzo’s set. Lizzo is Queen Bey approved.
4. Cardi B
Cardi B, our modern-day Binderella, closed out the first day of the festival in true Cardi fashion. The Bronx native owned the Rocky Stage wearing a rainbow-colored jumpsuit and matching boots. A few minutes into her set, the boots came off, allowing the rapstress to really work the stage. Fellow rapper Paris Fontaine joined Cardi on stage and they performed her hit “Backin’ It Up” to an ecstatic crowd. Before long Cardi claimed her asthma was acting up but that didn’t stop her from climbing the scaffolding on stage to perform her anthem “Press.” She wanted the entire world to hear her, and she definitely got their attention. After getting down from her perch, Cardi led a karaoke session of her many features including, “Girls Like Me,” “Finesse,” and “Motorsport.” By far the best part of her set was her performance of her chart-toppers, “I Like It” and the song that put her on the map, “Bodak Yellow.”
5. Travis Scott
Houston-based rapper Travis Scott closed out the festival to the biggest crowd of the night. Scott is arguably one of the biggest influencers in today’s hip-hop game, and the Grammy-nominated rapper brought an unreal musical experience to the festival. Known for his visuals as much as his music, Scott dressed in a tie-dye shirt and black jeans, brought the psychedelic feel of his AstroWorld tour to Philadelphia. The pulsating beats of hits such as “Sicko Mode,” “Antidote,” and “Love Galore” hypnotized the crowd along with flashing lights, lasers, and of course, fireworks. Travis Scott quite literally ended the night with a bang.
6. Melii
A new fresh face to the Made in America was Harlem-based rapper Melii. The beautiful Latin newcomer was met with cheers from her adoring fans known as the Melii Mobb as she took the Tidal Stage. Melii stunned in red leather pants and a cobra-snake bustier, her red curls up in two messy pigtails. She quickly worked the crowd with her Latin infused hits such as “Sh*t Talk” and “Icey,” which got a co-sign by Rihanna. Melii first came onto the scene with her bilingual remix of “Bodak Yellow,” and there’s no doubt she’s here to stay.
Check our exclusive interview with Melii below.
I read that you built up your stage presence by volunteering at nursing homes and performing. When did you know you wanted to be a rapper/entertainer?
When did I know? I always knew but because I was so young, I never knew how to go to a studio and do certain things. But once I was in high school, I was in my first studio, which actually was in the projects in the closet with my friend Dennis. After that, I just knew that’s what I was passionate about.
What was it like being on the road with Meek Mill on his Motivation Tour? Was that your first big tour?
That was my first big tour. It was definitely a very good learning experience. It was a blessing — all blessings and all love. I’m thankful for the opportunity.
You are very proud of your Spanish roots. I love that you blend Spanish and English into your verses — it’s seamless. How important is it to you to continue to make music that highlights your culture and your roots?
I felt like it’s important to keep infusing the Spanish culture, and also that’s how I speak. There’s a certain thing that I like to do, just like swag out in Spanish. So, I always try to incorporate that into my music because my music is me.
7. Haiiileen
Amongst all the musical performances, another artist shined. Haiiileen is a Miami-based multidimensional artist known for her neo-acid experimental style. Haiiileen was commissioned by Tidal to create a one-of-a-kind installation for Made in America titled WIIISH. We spoke with Haiiileen on creative process developing WIIISH and how music inspires her work.
How did you feel when you got the call from Tidal?
Well, I’ve been really fortunate I’ve been working with Tidal this past year as a visual artist. So really, I’ve been working with them in different specific projects, but obviously they love my work, they love what I’m doing, and they keep on bringing me on board on for bigger projects.
What was your inspiration for this piece? How did you come up with the concept?
For this particular piece, a lot of the foundation of my work has to do with synesthesia and a sense of aesthetic association. I’m trying to incorporate more architectural environments that are allowed to really challenge me on a personal level as a female fabricator artist. I took their concept of their brand of being black and white. Normally, my work is hyper color, but this at night is going to be a rainbow acid oasis. As you’re listening to this, definitely check out the photos. [You can see Haiiileen’s work on her Instagram @Haiiileen.]
You have a neurological condition to allows you to hear sounds and see color. How is that used in your work?
My whole life has always been an audio process. The neurological condition is called synesthesia. So synesthesia happens to about 5 to 10% of individuals. Mine, in particular, is called chromesthesia, which allows for audio to create visual colors or textures. So, pretty much, I see music, and I incorporate that into my artwork as well. Sound is such a huge component to how I exist as an individual. I’m so happy about being a part of Made in America because they’re incorporating now more visual artists into their platform. They brought me on board and obviously they’re moving forward. There’s going to be bigger and more interactive pieces. So for this one, in particular, most of my inspiration comes from the genre of visual audio called vapor wave. Vapor wave is an audio genre and a visual genre. It’s pretty much regurgitated internet into contemporary settings. I incorporate sounds from the internet and visuals from the internet. As you can see a lot of the aesthetics on this particular piece have a lot to do with some of the classical shapes that you will find in mostly the boom of the internet.
This year’s Made in America festival was a rousing success. Here’s to hoping next year is just as memorable. Look forward to a more in-depth breakdown of the festival on a special edition of the Black Girl Nerds Podcast.
The post Top 7 Artists We Saw at Made in America appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.