Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Spiegel
“It has nothing to do with being anti-gay, or anti-black, or anti-Latino, or anything like that...Latino characters should stay Latino. The Black Panther should certainly not be Swiss. I just see no reason to change that which has already been established when it’s so easy to add new characters. I say create new characters the way you want to. Hell, I’ll do it myself.”
-Stan Lee, 2015 |
I guarantee if they did do a non straight, white male Spider-Man in movies Stan Lee would be all over it praising the idea. He's the perfect company man who adjusts his opinions based on what is seen to be the right thing at the time.
The whole idea of creating new diversity heroes as being the acceptable way to do diversity was shot down with Mosiac. Now I get launching a completely new character and charging five bucks for it was not the best strategy but every chud that complained about established mantles being passed to minority characters should have given the first issue a chance on principal. What we got was months before the book launched heavy backlash and very conveniently the yard sticks moved with complaints that it was another black hero, questions about if Mosaic is a new character why should anyone care and accusations that the character was being "shoved down our throats" based on the fact that he had one promo image and the writer giving two (count 'em) interviews at two different websites.
The truth is the fact that the big twos most formative years being in the sixties and seventies that's where all their primary heroes come from. How many breakout characters that can carry a long running ongoing have their been since then? A handful at best and that's before getting into the how non straight, white male heroes specifically have traditionally struggled to catch on.
It may not be the best way but frankly having diversity heroes assume the roles of some of Marvel's best known brands is a model that has consistently worked and produced some genuine hits. Besides it's been a long accepted trope of the medium but barely anyone cries foul at Bucky as Captain America or Dick Grayson as Batman the way people do about Sam Wilson or Jaime Reyes. Heck, people cry foul at non legacies getting a boost. Over at DC Duke Thomas still has a hate club, there are people who argue Cyborg can't be a founding member of the Justice League in a new universe. What's the betting that if the New 52 had added The Atom or Green Arrow as a founder instead there would be little complaints.