this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
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He was accused of whitewashing by casting a Brazilian actor to play a Brazilian character?
I gotta go down that rabbit hole.
Edit: Looks like the controversy was race based as opposed to nationality, which is why my first search on the character Sunspot only mentioning the Brazilian nationality seemed weird at a glance. Fans going hardcore on accusations and it sounds like maybe some threats based on Beau's responses. Sucks that every article is basically the same three paragraphs written slightly differently.
Sunspot is complicated as a character due to the printing technology at the time he was introduced.
It's plain that he was intended to be a darker skinned Brazilian.
First appearance in Marvel Graphic Novel #4: New Mutants:
But the graphic novel had better printing technology than the comics and racial toning didn't always come across well. Different artists also had different interpretations.
So the movie casting set people off:
Yeah I'm reading through the Claremont run for the first time and I can't think of an issue where he hasn't been depicted with a darker skin tone. That coupled with the fact his African-Brazillian heritage is referenced on numerous occasions leads me to seriously question the motivation for subsequent creatives (including Beau) to erase that aspect of Sunspot's character.
That people are pissed about this and about disney doing a lot of the opposite in their movies is just proof that the world is full of the same bullshit, no matter what skin color or country you're from.
Ahhh I see. That second-from-last comic image where he's dodging lasers was the first one I found, and I was like "Wait it says this is from 2016 and he kinda looks like this Agustini guy already?"
So the controversy actually predates the casting, it just brought it back to the forefront.
Wait. I was legitimately operating on the fact that it's ok for directors and artists to portray characters however they like now. I appreciated that.
Is it not universal?
Edit: I can imagine how this will be taken as bait or something but I'm not. I sometimes assume full absolute equality when that's not realistic. Canonically white characters are regularly played by others and I'm legitimately ok with that. I can understand other groups being bothered when their canonical characters get changed, but again I believe in 2024 that's the decision of the director/staff.
Ultimately folks attach to characters and enjoy them, and those who are strongly connected will never be satisfied by seeing that character differently than they are on the page/original medium.
I just don't see how that's enough to get someone fired but maybe there's more to the story.
Edit edit this apparently Brazilian character was even recast by another Brazilian which really feels like splitting hairs in 2024
This sounds closer to something like a black American character being played by a white American.
Interesting nuance. Im ignorant on Brazilian culture, but if I stick to my core point, it shouldn't matter if a director makes a choice, at least not to get someone fired.
Like they could make an all female presenting version of "Rudy" and that's their choice.
Changing from a person of color to a white guy is one change that is never good though, because of how over saturated that demographic is represented in movies due to a wide variety of awful reasons.
I guess so, as this article describes. I don't agree with it but will respect it (not that anyone cares what I think, I'm just chatting.)
Regarding oversaturation, at least in us movies it doesn't completely surprise me that there are just more "saturating" white actors on account of the white demographics of the country ( checking, even today around 75% to 71% white https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI125222#RHI125222 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States ) I bet due to underreporting that value is lower
Anyway, apparently I'm not on target, and so be it. Everyone be well
Edit also I didn't downvote you
It is way higher than 75% for lead roles though, like 90%+
Didn't downvote you either, not sure what that is all about. Guess people don't like someone taking time to process new info.