Superhero movies are the biggest thing in this era and as the studios have seen that this genre could actually mint money for them, they are going out with new Superheroes from the comics which would have never made it to the big or small screens before this decade. Well, new Superheroes obviously bring upon new and sometimes very unique casting choices and most of the times the fans end up hating those casting choices rather than believing in a Director’s vision. Here are some recent casting choices that caused a major backlash among fans and lit the internet on fire:
Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm / Human Torch
The Fantastic Four reboot was a big failure at the Box Office and it never should have happened anyway, but if you think about it everything about it was not bad and certainly not the casting of Johnny Storm. When the movie cast Michael B. Jordan as the Human Torch, people went crazy since Human Torch is a white guy in the comics. It was a rather good & different choice and even Stan Lee spoke in the favor of it saying that people just can’t accept change.
Ben Affleck as Batman
Well, reading the heading this list, Affleck should be the first name that comes to anyone’s mind as the moment it was announced that Affleck will take on the cape and cowl, the internet went nuts. There were 1000s of petitions signed by the fans asking for Affleck to be removed from the role. As it turned out, the guy who everyone thought would be the worst part of BvS actually turned out to be the best part of it. Batfleck is highly comic accurate and the fans would now be very sad if he ends up stepping down.
Anna Diop as Starfire
The upcoming Titans show has had people optimistic about the series having seen a different take in the trailers but the optimism is not shared about everything. When Anna Diop was cast as Starfire, all the racist fans woke up criticising the casting to the deepest level even saying things like “Diop is not the right kind of Black to play the role”. Starfire has orange skin in the comics, so what were you guys expecting, an orange actor to be cast? Diop and many other people spoke in support of her and the trailers have shown that she could do the role justice!
The entire cast of Black Panther
When the fans got to see the first marketing image of the movie, many racist people claimed that the cast of the movie was too black and seemed very militant! The movie is set up in an African Nation and is about a Black Hero, what else were you expecting psychos! Now, Black Panther is the highest grossing solo Superhero movie and what really stood out about the movie was its amazing actors.
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
When Gadot was announced to be DCEU’s Wonder Woman, people went insane trying to get her out of the role because of the fact that she does not have bigger breasts! The first photo release of Wonder Woman shut some sick people up and now after having seen Gadot mesmerize everyone 3 whole times, they just want more and more of Gadot as Wonder Woman!
Finn Jones as Iron Fist
Iron Fist has a very high viewership on Netflix even though the show failed among the critics. Negativity began when Finn Jones was announced to play Danny Rand aka the Immortal Iron Fist. Fans were complain that the actor for this role should be an Asian even though Danny in the comics is a New Yorker. The fan outrage caused Jones to quit twitter but he did say that you should see what they are making before complaining.
Idris Elba as Heimdall
The idea of having to see a Black guy play one among the Norse Gods did not go well with the fans. As it turns out, he nailed the role with whatever he got to do and proved everyone wrong even though he had his issues with Marvel due to scheduling reasons. Just imagine what these racists would do if the recent rumors come true and Elba does get cast as the next Bond!
Ed Skrein as Ben Daimio
After having successfully played Ajax in Deadpool, Skrein was cast in 2019’s Hellboy reboot as Ben Daimio. The fans again took it to the internet claiming that Daimio is a character which should be played by an Asian actor as he is a Japanese American man in the comics and as it turned out they were heard this time. Skrein stepped down from the role and Korean actor Daniel Dae Kim was cast for the role.
Zendaya as MJ
Well, she went as Michelle in almost the entire movie, but the fans were really furious to know that she is playing MJ, which is short for Mary Jane from the comics. As she is not a white actor, the fans obviously resisted the role but she did prove everyone wrong with her portrayal.
Ruby Rose as Batwoman
The most recent example of fan backlash is Ruby Rose getting announced as Batwoman in the Arrowverse. She will debut in December and then go on to begin her solo show. But as always, the fans did not take it right and were outraged. Kate Kane / Batwoman is a character from the LGBTQ community, and the people started to criticise the casting by simply saying that she is the wrong lesbian actor for the role as she lacks the right acting skills for the role. This breakout role for her has actually caused her to quit Twitter!
