Avengers, Represent

[Imp_Emissary]

"Hey, should we make an original female and an original african american character?"

"Nah, just gender swap Thor and make the Cap black. That'll make us look diverse enough for a while."



Also, Erin's face in the third panel is priceless.

The Captain America thing seems fine because it's not some random new guy taking over the role: It's the Falcon, who is an established ally of Cap. This isn't the first time Steve Rogers has stepped down and handed the shield to somebody else. That specific swap could easily be an intentional part of character development by writers.

The "random unknown character is suddenly Thor" thing is almost certainly just intentionally gimmicky newsmaking though.

Well yeah, agreed about Captain America.

But the Thor things is just too weird. Same name, same appearance, just with ovaries. I mean you'd think they might want to give her a bit of a distinct personality or something... unless this is just going to be immediately retconned in 12 months.

Really? Having Thor lose his hammer and it going to a woman is too weird?

This is Marvel. Have you seen the things they have done!

Spoiler: LOOK AT THIS!

[http://s105.photobucket.com/user/ihatephotob1/media/941397-throg04_super_zpsff32f8bc.jpg.html]

Plus, they have had a female Thor before, just like they had a black Captain America before.
For Marvel, this isn't all that new.

And as I showed you, they can get WAY weirder. xD

 

[rbstewart7263]

We dont yet know this person is a random character she could be someone special. They just havent revealed it yet so until the reveal people should wait and then make there claim.

 

[PunkRex]

I watched a few episodes of Spawn when I was little, all I remember is lots and lots of ang/st/er but not much else... but Angela has nice legs I guess... yay.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

We don't yet know this person is a random character she could be someone special. They just havent revealed it yet so until the reveal people should wait and then make there claim.

Yeah, there was an interview with someone on the comic who said it's someone from the comics and that there are clues to who it is in the previous comics.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=54083

My guess is they are calling her Thor because

1. She's kind of taking (male)Thor's job.

And 2. Because even Odin doesn't know who she is, so they just call her the name on Mjolnir.
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/0/462/83017-176623-mjolnir.jpg

 

[Anachronism]

But the Thor things is just too weird. Same name, same appearance, just with ovaries. I mean you'd think they might want to give her a bit of a distinct personality or something... unless this is just going to be immediately retconned in 12 months.

I'm going to have to agree with Imp Emissary here: Thor becoming a woman is, like, Tuesday in the Marvel Universe. I mean, come on, there was a frigging space horse called Beta Ray Bill who also had the power of Thor.

Spoiler: Beta Ray Bill

Ok I don't know who Angela is so that doesn't mean much to me. As to Marvel's attempts at diversity in general I have to question why they're messing around with their established characters instead of creating new ones. Probably because the former is less work.

Also because, comics being comics, new characters don't get even close to the amount of attention that old ones do. Team books are great for having a diverse lineup of characters who might not be able to hold their own solo series - it's what Young Avengers and Mighty Avengers are for - but a new character in a new solo series is probably going to get cancelled within a year. Changing who holds the name Captain America, not for the first time I might add, sends a much stronger message than just creating a new character who's almost inevitably doomed to obscurity.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Whatever argument people use to explain why Cap has been race-swapped seems bogged by the fact that they gender-swapped Thor as well at exactly the same time. Come on people, I know there's a canon reason for ANYTHING if you want to nitpick a comic, but think about the WHY, not the HOW for 2 seconds.

 

[Schadrach]

"Hey, should we make an original female and an original african american character?"

"Nah, just gender swap Thor and make the Cap black. That'll make us look diverse enough for a while."



Also, Erin's face in the third panel is priceless.

The Captain America thing seems fine because it's not some random new guy taking over the role: It's the Falcon, who is an established ally of Cap. This isn't the first time Steve Rogers has stepped down and handed the shield to somebody else. That specific swap could easily be an intentional part of character development by writers.

The "random unknown character is suddenly Thor" thing is almost certainly just intentionally gimmicky newsmaking though.

Yeah, but it makes the feminists all happy about it, because switching out the race or gender of a character arbitrarily always makes them better, as long as you don't turn them white or male.

Shakesville was going on and on about how great it was that they were making Thor a woman the day it was announced, for example.

 

[PirateRose]

Was there this kind of uproar when Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel? Did the original Captain Marvel just suck that much?

It's not like Captain American has never been filled in by a black person before, or any handful of characters replaced by other gender/race in all of the Marvel Universe, but it really seems like the negative reaction is really over blown.

All I can think of is that it's mostly people (predominantly white men) who don't regularly read the comics and mostly watch the movies who are pissed about this. It's a really ballsy move to use two characters that are active in the Marvel movie universe, it has reached the non-comic book reading audience that otherwise would have not cared.

 

[softclocks]

Thor isn't becoming a woman.

Another, new character, is being given the title of Thor.

Regular Thor will still be named Thor.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

Whatever argument people use to explain why Cap has been race-swapped seems bogged by the fact that they gender-swapped Thor as well at exactly the same time. Come on people, I know there's a canon reason for ANYTHING if you want to nitpick a comic, but think about the WHY, not the HOW for 2 seconds.

"Why" I think is very easy. Because different writers will come in and act like their manure doesn't stink. Then others writers will come in & eventually undo said manure. Then If & When the next writers after that come in with their own manure that they think doesn't stink you'll at least have a fan base that will point to previous different writers manure & declaring it to be okay.

So on some level if Bruce Wayne were to decide to become Pedobear there would at least be a fan base that would point at Robin & declare that its okay because they've done this before.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

Whatever argument people use to explain why Cap has been race-swapped seems bogged by the fact that they gender-swapped Thor as well at exactly the same time. Come on people, I know there's a canon reason for ANYTHING if you want to nitpick a comic, but think about the WHY, not the HOW for 2 seconds.

Okay.

Why for Thor(male/female)?
Thor(male) did some bad junk and became "unworthy" of Mjolnir.
What did he do? Well, someone told me he broke a whole bunch of Asgard, helped Loki break into their vault, and generally just caused a lot of misfortune and what not.

How has Thor(female) become "Thor" now?
Well instead of waiting for Thor(male) to get worthy again (like in the movie), it went to someone else. An unnamed woman happens to be the person Mjolnir finds worthy to have it. Apparently the woman is someone from the comics, but we don't know who(not even Okin knows), so they just call her Thor. Thor(male) has a new weapon apparently and I assume is off taking care of business.

Why for Cap being replaced?
Long story short, while saving a country from getting destroyed by a big ass robot, Cap gets hit by some needles right before he saves the day, that remove his super soldier serum, and age him 60 years.
He isn't dead,(i think), but as an 80 man now he can't do much super soldiering.

How does Falcon replace him?
Well....He just does. Puts on some stars and stripes, picks up the old shield, and flies off(hopefully literally ;D) to save the day and what not.
Also heard that he also got some super soldier serum too, but not sure.

Why did these things happen at near the same time?

Because Marvel was bored and this sounded fun?

How did they do it?

Because they're Marvel. They kind of have a history of doing this a lot. ;D

 

[RA92]

I'm expecting Tumblrites in this comment section throwing a sissyfit over the fact that Trans people aren't represented.

Actually, what's more interesting is that people are so conditioned to white male figures as superheroes, that they can't see any change in race/gender of a character mantle as anything but a gimmick.

 

[WindKnight]

Yeah, but it makes the feminists all happy about it, because switching out the race or gender of a character arbitrarily always makes them better, as long as you don't turn them white or male.

Shakesville was going on and on about how great it was that they were making Thor a woman the day it was announced, for example.

Because eliminating diversity to give white dudes one more extra person to root for next to all eleventy billion they have already is totally equivalent to losing one white dude from all the eleventy billion they have to root for to give more diversity.

Losing that one white dude from the eleventy billion hurts the white dudes so much more. Wont everybody feel the white dudes pain?

I'm expecting Tumblrites in this comment section throwing a sissyfit over the fact that Trans people aren't represented.

Actually, what's more interesting is that people are so conditioned to white male figures as superheroes, that they can't see any change in race/gender of a character mantle as anything but a gimmick.

There's a trans character in the recent batgirl run, and the new creative team on it are promise more LGBT represntation.

 

[Darth_Payn]

The Captain America thing seems fine because it's not some random new guy taking over the role: It's the Falcon, who is an established ally of Cap. This isn't the first time Steve Rogers has stepped down and handed the shield to somebody else. That specific swap could easily be an intentional part of character development by writers.

The "random unknown character is suddenly Thor" thing is almost certainly just intentionally gimmicky newsmaking though.

Gimmicky newsmaking?!?! From Marvel? (Even though their movie division is all but printing money right now.) Not those guys.
Still I'm waiting for the new Falcon comic with Steven Colbert as the Falcon.
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/07/stephen-colbert-flies-high-as-marvels-all-new-falcon/
Real or not, I demand this happen. They wouldn't let him be president they could at least let him have this damnit.

"Why did the Falcon cross the road? For Justice, ************!" I concur, the have a Stephen Colbert in the MU who ran for President, so let him take Sam Wilson's old gig.

The whole Thor is now a lady sounds silly (unless it's the regular Thor who has gone through a sex change, which i understand it is not).
Like someone being given an Iron Man armor and being told "You are now Tony Stark"

As for Falcon as Captain America, eh, depends how they do it.

Personally though, i'd have preferred an Avengers team with Falcon being Falcon, and some uber powerful thundergod woman being an uber powerful thundergod woman without taking in a name from someone else.

I'm positive that Sam Wilson was an Avenger (and still is) when he was The Falcon. I guess Bucky's turn as Cap is still to fresh in everyone's memories to give him the shield again. If we're going with the "Thor's been replaced with a woman" theory, let me ask this: anyone seen Valkyrie recently?
As for the change coming to Iron Man, they're going to move him to San Francisco (where Daredevil lives now), having him wear a more Apple-like suit of armor, and calling him "The Superior Iron Man". They say, like Superior Spider-Man, they're going to make him harder to like. Yeah, because that was a good idea the last time they did that [cough]CivilWar![cough].

 

[Username Redacted]

As a plausible Moron I'm offended by the idea I like Angela from Spawn.... I'd rather have Angela from Gargoyles.... Come on.... Disney's Gargoyles ought to be in the Marvel Universe.... Or better yet instead of either Angela how about Maggie from the Mutates who were also in Disney's Gargoyles?

As cool as that would be and, technically, despite the fact that this is feasible (Disney owning Marvel and all) I don't think this would work out. The Marvel universe is not ready for the Xanatos gambit.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Ok I don't know who Angela is so that doesn't mean much to me. As to Marvel's attempts at diversity in general I have to question why they're messing around with their established characters instead of creating new ones. Probably because the former is less work.

Because established characters are the only way to get notoriety. I mean, the current line-up of Mighty Avengers is full of non-whites:

Luke Cage
Spectrum
Ronin (actually Blade)
Blue Marvel
Power Man
White Tiger
Falcon

And the other books have their share:
Sunspot
Sunfire
Captain Universe
Black Panther
Shang Chi
Iron Patriot

Honestly, those calling the new lineup a great move forward for diversity probably aren't reading the actual comics.

 

[prpshrt]

I think they mean Thorita. And who's angela?

 

[Jupiter065]

At least they had the decency to put Steve Rogers out of commission, maybe forever?! (lol)
Thor just pissed off his boss and is on unpaid leave while he sorts his shit out. She's like a replacement you pick up from a temp agency while an employee is on stress leave.

"And this new Thor isn?t a temporary female substitute ? she?s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!"

What a load of crap.