Feminist Analyses

[Shredded]

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

As a Norwegian, I do care how the Æsir is portrayed. true that Thor is completely different then his rl counterpart and Sif don't have golden hair. these things still matter to me.

As I am a Dane, I can sympathise here, but.. when it comes to Marvel Thor, I think we are at a point now, where we all must relax and acknowledge the fact, that the character was written and concieved by a man whom knew nothing about Norse mythology, and honestly didn't care.
Stan Lee had just heard about some kind of a viking god with a hammer, thought it sounded cool, and made a comic book out of it, without caring the least bit about it being a tribute to source material.

Hell, I very litterately heard him say this in a inteview.

"The greek gods were used all the time, and every-body knew what that was about, then I stumbled across the Norse gods and figured, no one knows any-thing about those! so I can just do what-ever I want with them! It's a fresh take where I can do what-ever I want."

.... urgh.. thanks douch. I love Stan Lee, but that statement made me cringe... all though it does explain every-thing about the conception of Thor, doesn't it? -_-;

If you want to point to some-thing in popular geek culture that is much more true to norse mythology.. Lord of the rings!

Because Lord of the rings was written by a man whom loved norse mythology, knew every-thing about it, and used it as a heavy influence in his books, pulling creatures, myths and ideas straight out of norse mythology to put into his works, while being highly respectful about it.

Lord of the rings is a much better fictional representation of norse mythology than Thor is.

But you know, removing all links from Thor to norse mythology and let it stand as its own thing, as it should... since it has nothing in common with norse mythology except some names.. then it's pretty decent.

Oh and if you want to read comic books which are much more true to Norse Mythology.
I recommend the serial. "Valhalla." it's great




As for gender-bending characters.. Yes! Yes I am all for the genderbending.

I would much rather have them gender-bend a character, so the character has a function and a reason in the story, and just happen to be a woman, then if you just add extra token women whom has nothing to do and just sort of stands there in the back-ground.



And guys, honestly... the best sort of female characters out there is when it doesn't even matter that they are female.
As soon as you don't have a second thought about them being female, then we really archieved some-thing.
When you think about it, then it's not really good enough yet.

And when it comes to animation.. it does become a little weirder to talk about when talking race. because you delibaretely end up designing characters.
When-ever casting life actors, I would say.
"I don't care what skin colour they have, I just want the person whom fits the character the most, and can play him/her best."

In "life of the living dead." the main character wasn't written particularly for a black man, a black man just ended up casting so well, and fit the part so well that he got it, which honestly is the way to do it.
And as some-one all-ready pointed out. "Alien." wasn't even written for a woman, the main character was compleately gender-neutral, and it was actually a last minute decision to say. "Hey.. what if we made him into a her?"

When it comes to animation though.. I don't know.. cast the voice actors first and then base the designs around the voice-actors actual ethniticity?
In either case, particular in this show, race is not a problem at all! the only actual white people we have seen is April, Kirby O'Neil, Bradford and Doctor Falco.

Rest is of other ethniticity, mutants or alien robots.

And I don't know how many are aware of it, but the reason why Stockman is white in the 80's show, is because it was still in those pre-racist time, and the show didn't want to get into trouble by having a black man being in the servance of a white man..
Which is sort of odd since Oroku Saki is asien not white, so it would be a black man working for an asian man and eventually an alien, but I digress.