I recently saw a post on Facebook about this so I wanted to vent and rant. Unfortunately for you, brave reader, Stephen has given me a soapbox to do so. Blame him. Now, do I care whether Johnny Storm is black, purple, green, or white? No. I’m sure Michael B. Jordan will do great. Him being black would barely, hardly, slightly, not even, at all, alter the family dynamic between him and Sue. If they grew up together as adopted siblings, the bond would still be there. What kind of troll locked away in a cave for 30 years thinks two different races can’t have a familial bond? End of that argument.

I would be mad if Black Panther was cast as a white man. He’s a superhero BECAUSE he is an African prince. Period. I REALLY hope Marvel finds a gem of an unknown African actor to play him. Thor as a Mexican actor? Makes no sense for the poster child of the Vikings to be Mexican. Vibe as a white guy? No. Why, when his heritage plays such an integral part in his story? Then there are characters who are just too iconic to flip flop races. Superman is one. Luke Cage is another one. Wonder Woman as well. John Stewart. Spawn. The list goes on. My humble opinion is that Human Torch is largely irrelevant except as comic relief or as the big finisher. It seems like him being cast as a black actor has no bearing on the character, the actor’s performance, or the movie. It’s Hollyweird attempting to be trendy and hipster. It’s pussyfooting around being politically correct just for the Likes on Facebook from the current generation of kiddies. Hear me out.

If it was my call, guess who would be cast as a black actor? Go ahead. No, not Franklin Richards. I meant Reed. The genius physicist who is the leader of Marvel’s first family of superheroes and a father figure to them. He gets the hot chick, becomes a role model to billions, inspires more people to become heroes, and saves the universe daily. HE should be black if you really want to challenge the status quo and actually shake shit up. The dude beat Galactus. Human Torch could arguably set a standard for black actors getting the hot headed, playboy, one dimensional roles. Think Tony Stark without Pepper in the Ironman movies. But Reed? Reed Richards is Denzel Washington in his prime. He’s deep, quality, character acting. Reed’s a true leading man because, if this is the origin, he doesn’t even know he’s such a boss. But even if they’re already veteran heroes, Mr Fantastic is still the most humble supergenius on the planet.

Johnny Storm is the power factor. He’s the handsome dude a director tosses in to break the tension, pluck girls’ heartstrings, and make frat boys chuckle. He may even flash fry a few baddies and roast the villain at the end. Game over. Ben and Sue have much deeper wells of character and emotion to draw on. Reed unlocks the secrets of the universe with science that doesn’t even exist while Johnny gives Ben bunny ears on the cover of Time Magazine. The man fights evil incarnate and still has a family full of non-dead people and STILL manages to redefine science for breakfast. He figures it all out, plans the plan, schemes the scheme and calls the shots. He points the Thing and Human Torch at a villain’s weakness. Leading man material.

While I remain indifferent on the casting, I would actually applaud Reed cast as a different race. That’s daring and challenging. That’s how you break down barriers because it seems Hollywood only wants a few black actors as leading men at any given time. So, for me, it just seems like an attention grab and a disservice to other actors who want to save the universe and show their acting chops at the same time. Personally, I pick Michael Ealy as Reed Richards. That dude does not age and he has proven he can play awkward, weirdo, genius, smart ass when needed in Almost Human. He also has the chops to be the romantic lead as seen in the numerous romantic comedies he’s been in. He can do action. He can command a scene. He can take control. He’s perfect for it if Hollywood and Fox can stop playing it halfway P.C. and go full throttle, wide open progressive-minded, forward thinkers with a purpose.

Or, if you don’t want to make a statement, he can be white. Not a problem. It’s really not an issue. Just don’t half-ass it. It doesn’t matter unless they want to make an actual statement instead of just, “Hey, we’re trendy and hip. Hit Like and Share kids.”

 

Tell me Michael Ealy doesn’t look like a good Reed  Richards in this picture after an annoying night of research funding speeches…/endrant\off