So can we get a Vixen live action movie? Mari’s story is remarkably similar to T’challa’s but super unique in it’s own right and I would absolutely love to see this greenlit!
However, greenlighting such a movie inevitably delves into the issues of race but that is a very important thing to discuss. I truly think DC has the potential to create a movie on par with Black Panther, in terms of weight and box office success, by developing the character of Vixen in a feature film. This development must be handled carefully and respectfully though. Just like with Black Panther the writing, the casting and the directing should all be done by black artists who understand what they’re creating.
So yes, I am calling for a Vixen movie, pleading for one, but only if DC is willing to do it justice.
I know these aren’t movies, but you seem interested in the character, sooo…
CW seed has an animated Vixen series. It’s set in the arrowverse, but I thought it was pretty well done.
Legends of Tomorrow had Mari’s grandmother on the team for a while. I like Mari a lot more than this character, but they have the same totem/power set from what I recall.
That’s cool, I enjoyed those, also loved her in JLU but I was referring to a live action movie. Like Shazam or Aquaman or MOS. Time for DC to have a strong black women on the big screen.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been. Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad, Artemis and Phillipus in Wonder Woman, Darla in Shazam and most recently Black Canary in Birds of Prey. So there’s definitely a precedent and room for more in lead roles
While we may not get a Vixen movie I heard of a Batgirl movie that may be coming out after The Batman. If it’s in the same universe as The Batman Barbara would be at least half black since Commissioner Gordon is going to be played by a black actor in the new movie.
I did enjoy those representations, but with the exception of Jurnee Smollett, they were all background characters. Never center stage, leading the film. And (this is a touchy subject in the black community so I’ll just say it and hope no one thinks I was trying to offend) they’re all lighter skinned. They all did an amazing job, especially loved Meagan Good’s performance, but there is a reason Black Panther resonated worldwide and it wasn’t just the amazing talent all around. It was because, finally, we had a movie where people expressing African phenotypes weren’t the “ghetto friend” or the help, they weren’t menacing or incapable or oppressed. They were powerful, the were leaders, they were protectors. When a casting call goes out for a black character, especially a female leading role, we usually see a mixed person cast. There is a difference that most white people are not aware of, ask a black friend about the history of colorism when you get a chance. If the role is not implicitly for someone from an isolated African nation or tribe, sure cast a mixed person since it’s unconsciously more comfortable for the white audience. But don’t get everyone doing mental backflips trying to explain why Mari McCabe, coming from an isolated region of Ghana, is somehow mixed. Its obvious why, she looks “closer to white”.
And it’s great to see, Viola Davis is an amazing actor! But when there’s only one or two examples like that from DC… there’s a word for it that I won’t use so as not to disrespect the contributions of those we do get to see on the big screen. But it’s a nice way of avoiding the hard discussion about the issue of representation. Seriously, Mari’s grandmother was mixed too?! Is it really so hard to find an actor who represents traits found in west Africa? Or in the casting call were they all just too “unrelatable”? Is it so uncomfortable to discuss that we won’t address it at all?
Like I opened with, I would pay double to go see a live action Vixen movie if DC greenlit one, but only if it was done justice. And as Robin in the YJ show said “Justice…? That is what they’re all about.”
That’s a conversation I’ve had to have with family members, over the years. “Doesn’t the fact that you can name every successful [insert identity intersection] off the top of your head tell you that maybe it’s a smaller group than is deserved?”
To your actual point in the thread, though, the possible problems with Vixen are that, like too many Black characters, the person behind the powers is primarily valued for her body (she’s a model) and her powers seem…I don’t want to overstep, but they’re suspicious enough that, personally, I know I wouldn’t be comfortable with watching a high-profile presentation that didn’t have an African expert in West African folklore turn it into something more legitimate than whatever Gerry Conway was able to guess at forty years ago…
True true. She was created by two white guys as their idea of what a west African super hero would be like. But yeah, if it was shot on Tyler Perry’s lot (like Black Panther was) with experts consulted to bring the folklore up to snuff… man would DC have a great story to tell!
Now I’m struggling to think. Are there any recognizable black characters that weren’t created by white dudes? I know N.K. Jemisin created Far Sector, but that’s very new. I figure that’s going to be a big deal over time.
I’d like to see Vixen, but I believe it’d be hard to do right for reasons pointed out above.
If you want some black created characters look no further than the milestone universe. Icon, Rocket, Static, Hardware, etc. Dwayne MacDuffie (rip) explains his reasoning for creating those characters so well in the Secret Origin of DC Comics documentary. They premiered in the early 90’s, but it is good to see books like Far Sector and Naomi coming out now.
That isn’t to say characters of color created by white writers don’t have the same potential to provide that feeling of being seen and to be inspiring. Black Panther was created by two white men and his film adaptation shook the industry
I didn’t mean to suggest they aren’t important. I was just thinking about how few iconic black characters were created by black writers or artists. Milestone was such a cool thing when I was a teenager. I miss it. I have yet to read Naomi because I’m ageist and sometimes don’t like the new teen stuff.
Yeah I hear ya, I know how I can come off when I get… passionate about stuff. It’s a good point to make, characters are more believable when it comes from the writer’s lived experience. Naomi is cool though, it is a bit of a teen book but it’s kinda funny too and the first few issues deal with a pretty compelling mystery angle. Definitely a title I’ll be using when it’s time to introduce my kids to the wonderful world of comics
An aspect of that is probably that there weren’t many credited Black writers being hired at mainstream companies until the late '80s, and those who were in not wanting to find themselves pigeonholed as someone who works on “Black stories.” That’s not to equate the two, of course. The former is indefensible and and latter is just common sense, given the former.
As for Naomi, it’s marketed for teens, but at least as far in as I’ve read, it feels much more like an early '80s DC mini-series than a modern book written for younger readers. There’s a lot of moving parts and links to continuity in the story’s skeleton that don’t necessarily need to reciprocate, if that makes any sense.
Generally, it is. It’s not inherently a bad thing so long as we are aware of it. We’re little sponges when we’re children so it’s not really surprising that we imprint on our parents and family first. Assuming a non-abusive/neglectful upbringing then we see people with those physical features and unconsciously think “Caregiver. Trustworthy. Relatable.” It cuts across every race that way. We can of course open our minds a bit to question if those generalized assumptions are valid in a world of individuals, but that’s a choice on every individual’s part. Representation in popular media is a good way to get people to confront this question.
