On Casting the Human Torch

Rumor has it that Micheal B. Jordan will be cast as the Human Torch in the newest incarnation of the Fantastic Four on the big screen.

These rumors got some folks saying, "WTF, The Human Torch and his sister Mrs. Fantastic are always white. What happened to staying true to the comic?". That concern and outrage is legitimate, if its rooted in the recognition that even Marvel universe black folk and white folk have different lived experiences. The Human Torch is character that was created with blackness (what that means) in mind. He was created with American whiteness in mind. In the comic books and the previous movies he does not demonstrate a double consciousness until he gains powers. He is a character shaped by his privileges, not disadvantages. those privileges would be lessened if he were black. You can't just switch out races of the character like that without rewriting the character. Other wise that character in its new racial skin will signify complete assimilation, and thus a disregard for the benefits provided by marginalized cultures. I'm not talking about the symbolic benefits like dance and food and style. I'm talking about the deep benefits, the ontology, wisdom born of experience. The Human Torch has never been harassed for Shopping While Black , or tokenized, or felt fear when he passed a confederate flag on country road in Alabama or felt like James Baldwin was writing to him in The Fire Next Time, etc. If respect is give to the black experience in America then the Human Torch in this upcoming Fantastic Four Movie will not be true to the comic books if the actor is black.		These rumors got others being like, "alright cool, finally another black superhero on the screen. we need more images like that to empower black males". Every now and then our fictional heroes must be revisited, revised and updated to fit the needs of the audience. The veil of nerdom was lifted long ago. the illusion that superheroes were a white male thing is dispelled. The consumers demand to see themselves in every aspect of the production and every format of the product. Its time that demand is met with more than just scrapes. time to go mainstream y'all. It's not just about exposure or inclusion. Its also about diversity of image. Given the background of the character a black human torch would provide image of a black male middle class individual with power. Not just power but equal power, because he is part of team and not side kick like Daigle in Arrow. As much as loved the black superheroes in movies that lived on the economic fringes of society like Blade and Steele, we need more than that. Even if a black Human Torch is not write to reflect a "black experience" its still a much needed image of empowerment, because it would show young black men that they do not need to be defined by what other's expect of their skin color.

Whether the rumors are true or not the fact remains that we need more black superheroes and heroines to be displayed beyond the pages of comics. They need to be as accessible to folk as the white superheroes. The best way to do that is to bring black heroes that were originally black to the big screen like the long anticipated Black Panther .