In the midst of the continuing tensions regarding racial representations, Marvel has been caught in the fray following the portrayal of a character in Doctor Strange.
Tilda Swinton has been casted as the ‘Ancient One’ in the upcoming film, a character who was originally depicted as an elderly Asian man in the original comic book series. As a means to deflect accusations of whitewashing, Marvel President Kevin Feige has gone on the record to say:
“The truth is, the conversation that’s taking place around this is super-important. It’s something we are incredibly mindful of. We cast Tilda out of a desire to subvert stereotypes, not feed into them.”
“We didn’t want to play into any of the stereotypes found in the comic books, some of which go back as far as 50 years or more. We felt the idea of gender swapping the role of The Ancient One was exciting. It opened up possibilities, it was a fresh way into this old and very typical storyline. Why not make the wisest bestower of knowledge in the universe to our heroes in the particular film a woman instead of a man?” he continued.
Though there is some merit to his suggestions about refreshing the image of the series for a newer audience, the issue remains that the majority of the cast is still played by a white majority. While the talents of Tilda Swinton cannot be denied, perhaps the idea of an Asian actress playing the role wouldn’t have been a bad idea either?
#Peace.Love.DoctorStrange
