Black Thor Actor Talks About Racist Comic Book Fans

[Fetzenfisch]

Well since its a movie about marvel and not a movie about norse mythology its ok.
If you really are defending the myths seriously, you wont do it on the basis of those wacky dudes in tigths. Still it would be interesting to make a movie with an asian or arabic as jesus in it. Since he is always depicted WAY paler than he should be. Was kinda sunny where he lived.

 

[ZombieGenesis]

Well since its a movie about marvel and not a movie about norse mythology its ok.
If you really are defending the myths seriously, you wont do it on the basis of those wacky dudes in tigths. Still it would be interesting to make a movie with an asian or arabic as jesus in it. Since he is always depicted WAY paler than he should be. Was kinda sunny where he lived.

Actually, that's a damn good comparison.

Nobody seems to have (many) qualms about Jesus being depicted as a while man. Despite being born in Jerusalem, in a time before the divide of Rome. I don't know what the technical word would be for Jewish born people of that area but... 'brown' sums it up I guess?

Had a christian girlfriend once who freaked when I told her Jesus was not as white as the driven snow.

 

[MERCENAUT]

I'm pissed at the casting only because Idris Elba is an excellent actor and should be headlining in his own movie

 

[Technicka]

Given the context of them being aliens there isn't much of a problem with one of them being black. However, let's be realistic, it probably does have some overtones of social commentary. Why would it be alright for people to complain about white actors playing traditionally non-white historical/mythological figures while it's okay for the reverse to happen? Two wrongs don't make a right. A better answer would be to develop movies based upon mythological figures from other cultures than to try to make one culture's mythology multicultural. That's just absurd.

But like I said, within the comic/film's context it makes sense.

Although Elba doesn't look like a typical viking, it's not as if he's playing a historical figure, and it's hardly the only liberty that Marvel has taken with the Norse pantheon. As insults go, saying that the Norse gods were actually aliens with some really advanced technology - which is actually true in the Marvel canon - would seem to be much worse than casting a black actor as Heimdall, but strangely, no one seems to be bothered about that fact.

I like Norse mythology, and I have to say, I am far more upset with other things than the black Heimdall. The point at which I laugh hysterically whilst viewing the previews is when Odin (Anthony Hopkins) makes Thor swear to uphold the peace...

WHAT. THE. FUCK!?!?!?!

It's one thing to take some liberties with characters and minor facts, but this simply isn't Norse mythology even in its most basic spirit. Norse mythology revolves around war. The universe begins in war and it ends in war. Not only that, but war is essentially the meaning of existence. It is not just a sad fact of reality, but something glorious. One only gains entrance to Valhalla by dying in battle. Cowards go to hell. Death in battle was the goal, and most Norsemen feared what they called a 'straw death' (i.e. the peaceful death that everyone seems to value in modern society). Old men would often go out into the roads with their swords and chain themselves to some of their treasure so that passers by would attack and hopefully kill them.

To suggest that the goal of the Aesir is to uphold peace flies in the face of everything that is central to Norse mythology. It's one thing to criticize their value system, but to misappropriate it in this way is just blatantly disrespectful and a sign of callous arrogance and assumed cultural superiority, if not simply a sign of downright willful ignorance.

All your ranting and rage is missing one key point: Marvel's Thor has never been a faithful re-telling of Norse myths. It's about as true to the source as Captain Marvel (Shazam) is to the myths in which he derives his powers. You're demanding authenticity from something that has never made an effort to hold true to the stories.

 

[tigermilk]

I just saw the film yesterday, and I'm glad he was cast in the role. He was epic! I would have gladly watched an entire film about him without a single mention of Thor.

You may want to check out 'The Wire', if you haven't allready. He was awsome in that.

OT: The only reason I didn't want him to be in Thor is because he is with a good script (Luther was fucking awfully scripted) an awesome actor and I would rather see him in something I wan't to watch.

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

Given the context of them being aliens there isn't much of a problem with one of them being black. However, let's be realistic, it probably does have some overtones of social commentary. Why would it be alright for people to complain about white actors playing traditionally non-white historical/mythological figures while it's okay for the reverse to happen? Two wrongs don't make a right. A better answer would be to develop movies based upon mythological figures from other cultures than to try to make one culture's mythology multicultural. That's just absurd.

But like I said, within the comic/film's context it makes sense.

Although Elba doesn't look like a typical viking, it's not as if he's playing a historical figure, and it's hardly the only liberty that Marvel has taken with the Norse pantheon. As insults go, saying that the Norse gods were actually aliens with some really advanced technology - which is actually true in the Marvel canon - would seem to be much worse than casting a black actor as Heimdall, but strangely, no one seems to be bothered about that fact.

I like Norse mythology, and I have to say, I am far more upset with other things than the black Heimdall. The point at which I laugh hysterically whilst viewing the previews is when Odin (Anthony Hopkins) makes Thor swear to uphold the peace...

WHAT. THE. FUCK!?!?!?!

It's one thing to take some liberties with characters and minor facts, but this simply isn't Norse mythology even in its most basic spirit. Norse mythology revolves around war. The universe begins in war and it ends in war. Not only that, but war is essentially the meaning of existence. It is not just a sad fact of reality, but something glorious. One only gains entrance to Valhalla by dying in battle. Cowards go to hell. Death in battle was the goal, and most Norsemen feared what they called a 'straw death' (i.e. the peaceful death that everyone seems to value in modern society). Old men would often go out into the roads with their swords and chain themselves to some of their treasure so that passers by would attack and hopefully kill them.

To suggest that the goal of the Aesir is to uphold peace flies in the face of everything that is central to Norse mythology. It's one thing to criticize their value system, but to misappropriate it in this way is just blatantly disrespectful and a sign of callous arrogance and assumed cultural superiority, if not simply a sign of downright willful ignorance.

All your ranting and rage is missing one key point: Marvel's Thor has never been a faithful re-telling of Norse myths. It's about as true to the source as Captain Marvel (Shazam) is to the myths in which he derives his powers. You're demanding authenticity from something that has never made an effort to hold true to the stories.

All of your snarky comeback has been undermined by not reading the full post. Like I said, I'm fine with small changes, but what they're doing is comparable to having a (non-satirical) movie about how Jesus loves war and hates the meek and poor. I think even depicting God as a woman (see: Dogma) can be done (perhaps not without controversy) and you could still be making a movie about Christianity. But if you change the basic tenets of the religion with no real explanation one can question whether you're not just misrepresenting it. But, like I said, it's based on a comic book, so all I can't complain too much, I just hope that too many people come away from it thinking that the vikings really believed in peace and love just because some fantastic movie based upon a comic book depicted them that way. Sure it seems stupid that anyone would do that. But hey, people tend to be stupid, and I have every right to be annoyed by their stupidity.

 

[ugeine]

For hundreds of years, Jesus, a man who was born in Palestine, has been portrayed as a white skinned man. Nobody cared.

I don't see how this is any different, apart from the fact that Jesus' portrayal as this is treated as historically accurate by some, while nobody is going to walk away from this movie thinking Thor was black.

The only people who have a legitimate problem with the casting of Idris are comic book purists. Everybody else is just been racist, or disguising their racism with creative language, protesting that they're railing against 'liberal agendas' 'political correctness' and 'left wing social engineering'.

 

[theguiltyone]

A black guy shouldn't have been cast there.

Norse gods are white. They are not made up - they are part of a real religion (how real they are is besides the point). Having a black guy shat all over the immersion.

Shall we have a white, female midget play Obama in a doco about his life?

Show me a photo of a white Norse god. Can't? Huh. I guess religion is one of those tricky subject-to-interpretation things. Like making Jesus a blue-eyed blonde as so many Christians are wont to do.

Also, as has been stated before, the Marvel universe Norse Gods are NOT the same as the Norse gods from Scandinavian culture. They're aliens.

Are you going to complain about Tuvoc being a black vulcan, too?

I'm not going to debate with you if this is your idea of an argument. If you want to intelligently make a claim, please do so. If you want to continue with questions like that, we are done.

Oh, good. We agree that comparing the pantheon of Norse mythology to people who can have photos taken of them in the past or present and thereby have concrete and undeniable likenesses to adhere to ( like Obama, for example) is silly.

Happy day.

 

[tigermilk]

If anyone complains about "authenticity" and "historical accuracy" they need to remember its a story about a man with a magic fucking hammer.

I know nothing about Thor so you know where the quote button if his hammer isn't magic!

 

[theguiltyone]

Fixed that for you.

Actually I did read the post, I appreciate the sentiment though.

So where did you get the idea that a black man was playing Thor? Just curious.

 

[Ersanven]

I was a little confused by the casting but as a huge fan of the wire I expect to see him eat the scenery like Galactus.

 

[Technicka]

All of your snarky comeback has been undermined by not reading the full post. Like I said, I'm fine with small changes, but what they're doing is comparable to having a (non-satirical) movie about how Jesus loves war and hates the meek and poor. I think even depicting God as a woman (see: Dogma) can be done (perhaps not without controversy) and you could still be making a movie about Christianity. But if you change the basic tenets of the religion with no real explanation one can question whether you're not just misrepresenting it. But, like I said, it's based on a comic book, so all I can't complain too much, I just hope that too many people come away from it thinking that the vikings really believed in peace and love just because some fantastic movie based upon a comic book depicted them that way. Sure it seems stupid that anyone would do that. But hey, people tend to be stupid, and I have every right to be annoyed by their stupidity.

Oh no, I read the full post. And my point still stands. Marvel's Thor is not a religious tale. It's doing nothing that hasn't been done before with the Old Beliefs. Did you kick up such a stink when Disney did Hercules, and had Zeus as a caring (if absent) father and Hades as flat-out evil?

And really? Vikings have always been equated with looting, plundering, and all around badassery long before the comic was made, and it's hardly going to stop now because of one measly movie.

 

[JSDodd]

I think he's seriously fucking badass in the film and thus am all for him.

 

[skatch13]

I just want one question answered. If Heimdall is being played by a black man then why is his sister Sif being played by a white chick? Color me confused. I think there is a bit of token casting going on here, and if you call them out on it you are a racist. I say Sif should have been black as well.

 

[Godhead]

As long as Johan Hegg is in it I don't really care that much.

 

[blindthrall]

Speaking as a white-as-snow Swede, I welcome any attempt to bring some variation to our dire culture.

Ha. This. I find it funny how white supremacists, even the Nazis, held Scandinavia up as this utopia of racial purity, while actual Scandinavians couldn't really give a shit.

As far as the movie, if Tom Cruise was the last samurai and Vasily Zaitsev had a British accent, then any new complaints of a movie being disrespectful to 'history' (religion?) are spurious.

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

All of your snarky comeback has been undermined by not reading the full post. Like I said, I'm fine with small changes, but what they're doing is comparable to having a (non-satirical) movie about how Jesus loves war and hates the meek and poor. I think even depicting God as a woman (see: Dogma) can be done (perhaps not without controversy) and you could still be making a movie about Christianity. But if you change the basic tenets of the religion with no real explanation one can question whether you're not just misrepresenting it. But, like I said, it's based on a comic book, so all I can't complain too much, I just hope that too many people come away from it thinking that the vikings really believed in peace and love just because some fantastic movie based upon a comic book depicted them that way. Sure it seems stupid that anyone would do that. But hey, people tend to be stupid, and I have every right to be annoyed by their stupidity.

Oh no, I read the full post. And my point still stands. Marvel's Thor is not a religious tale. It's doing nothing that hasn't been done before with the Old Beliefs. Did you kick up such a stink when Disney did Hercules, and had Zeus as a caring (if absent) father and Hades as flat-out evil?

And really? Vikings have always been equated with looting, plundering, and all around badassery long before the comic was made, and it's hardly going to stop now because of one measly movie.

Hopefully, in regard to your last point.

As to your first point, yes, in fact mythological inaccuracies bother me even more when the movie is supposed to be directly representing the mythology. Hades as evil really bothered me when I watched it, even as a kid, just because of my knowledge of Greek mythology. In fact, I think I remember complaining about it in the movie theater and being told to shut up. It was Hera who was the one to mess with Heracles. (Hercules is actually the Roman version, so I try to keep it consistent, either Hercules, Jupiter and Juno, or Heracles, Zeus and Hera, just another pet peeve amongst many).

But I agree, because it's really a comic book adaptation of mythology it isn't as important. However, it's still going to bother me that they've changed the most fundamental tenets of Norse mythology. It also bothered me a little in Stargate, but the greys were so different from the gods they represent that it wasn't as bad. I'm not sure if I even want to see the movie because it just might bother me too much.

 

[Versago]

Ok, anyone who has a problem here is NOT having a problem about the portrayal of Gods - they are just being racist.
Thor contains various scenes of various Gods looking like fools, being beaten up and being tricked. All things accounted for, Idris Elba's Heimdall was one of the most respectful and duty-understanding Gods in the film.

So I don't think its a God thing, just a racist thing.

 

[Sentox6]

I'm going to be very blunt, it bugs me to see a black actor cast as a Nordic god.

Not as much as it upset me to see Katara and Sokka cast as white actors in The Last Airbender though, before anyone tries to throw me under the racism bus.

 

[Mewick_Alex]

He was the coolest character in Thor by a long way