Danger Mouse Remake Will Include Gender Swapped Characters

[Ihateregistering1]

It's been years since I watched Danger Mouse, but aren't there only like 4-5 'main' characters in the entire show?
Danger Mouse
Penfold
Danger Mouse's boss
Baron Greenback
Stilleto

Anyway, I'd be curious to see what happens if they feminize Penfold, considering basically all he ever did was panic, be a coward, get kidnapped, and then need to be rescued by Danger Mouse, so I imagine many people would lose their shit if that character was female.

 

[Nurb]

I for one welcome this news. If there was one flaw in the original, it was too many male characters.

Also, isn't it a bit problematic how white DM is?

Agreed, very problematic, especially having a non-white partner with dwarfism.

 

[Vault101]

Good. Far too many shows just end up having a cast that's basically a boys' club, with just one girl thrown to act as a romantic subplot half the time.

yeah I like Regular show bit its waaay to "bro-ish" for me

 

[Dragonlayer]

I for one welcome this news. If there was one flaw in the original, it was too many male characters.

Also, isn't it a bit problematic how white DM is?

I agree: even when I was ten years old and watching videotaped episodes about the custard cannon on the moon, I was concerned about how disgustingly privileged Danger Mouse was, with his training and gadgets. It made me feel very bad about myself!

OT

Doesn't bother me in the slightest, but I will say this about the inevitable reaction: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!

 

[Rebel_Raven]

Sounds like a great idea to me. I've seen the original before, and I wanna see the new one.

I kinda dig the reasoning behind it, too. I do get a little annoyed at the sausagefest shows that relegate what few women appear to love interests, do-nothings, incompetents, rarely seen characters, etc.

 

[octafish]

Si Barona! (Not too sure that Baroni is male anyway? Surely Barone?)

Could DM shush a Femfold as dismissively? I don't want a non-shushing DM.

Colonel K needs to be a woman, and voiced by Dame Judy if possible. I hope David Jason at least has a cameo.

 

[luvd1]

When I first heard about this, I thought I'd been put out... But it doesn't just makes sense but I would had be more put out if they didn't. I can see the daily mail going all foaming at the mouth of it though.

 

[Batou667]

IF they made Penfold female and kept Penfold the snivelling, whiny, useless heap that he was in the original, I'd call that a total win. That'd be a very funny character in a way that female characters are not usually allowed to be. But I suspect they won't.

Anyway, I'd be curious to see what happens if they feminize Penfold, considering basically all he ever did was panic, be a coward, get kidnapped, and then need to be rescued by Danger Mouse, so I imagine many people would lose their shit if that character was female.

Could DM shush a Femfold as dismissively? I don't want a non-shushing DM.

Yeah, exactly these. The contemporary school of thought for writing female characters in kid's fiction/shows seems to be to make them strong, empowered, sassy women who emphatically "don't need no man", as a way of "correcting" historical gender stereotypes and avoiding giving offence. The problem is that this provides a very narrow range of roles these female characters can fit into, and the bumbling and most definitely subordinate Penfold is a role that would have "problematic" written all over it - we cant have a woman be a figure of fun, because it'd give the impression that women in general are laughable; we can't have an incompetent female character because it'd give the impression that all women are incompetent. The only avenue left would be to have a female sidekick who's inexplicably either more capable or intelligent than the male hero, and that's becoming a trope in itself.

A well-written female Penfold who wasn't gratuitously given the Girl Power treatment? That I'd be in favour of.

Also, Femfold is a brilliant name, even if it sounds vaguely pornographic.

 

[antidonkey]

I'm all for this. I'm sure it's mostly due to me growing up watching this show when I was but a wee tot. I watched when I lived in England from the late 70's to the early 80's and was super excited when I found it on Nick when we moved back to the States.

 

[VondeVon]

I don't understand why anyone would be up in arms over this. Surely even die-hard fans (they exist?) can just see this as AU to the original and move on... or is that a fanfiction trait...?

 

[Ihateregistering1]

The only avenue left would be to have a female sidekick who's inexplicably either more capable or intelligent than the male hero, and that's becoming a trope in itself.

The further problem with that is then it's not really the Danger Mouse characters any more. They don't need to be carbon copies of the previous incarnations, but if they're going to do a complete 180 degree character reversal, then why even reboot the show? Why not just make a new show?