Sense8: Diversity Level Up!

Sense8, Netflix's original show by the Wachowski siblings has the greatest amount of diversity I have seen on a show in YEARS!!! Does that make the show awesome? No. But it does make the show instantly more appealing to me as a geek PoC. 

The other day, my wife and I caught the first episode and it was good (not great) and the tweet went out about how we liked it. Then someone who I respect and whose work I love asked me why I liked it. He said the acting was rough and the script was full of "high school morality crap." (I told you, this guy is good.)

I've got to say, I think all of what he critiqued is true, but I also think the show was good, which of course I can say from my lofty position of having watched one episode so far. (Hey, any parent of a toddler knows starting a new TV show is a luxury and comes with limits!)  While it was messy at times, I thought the first episode proved itself with some really interesting moments between the characters, and displayed a lot of potential in the concept.

I'm going to pull out my Babylon 5 test, which means I will give it one full season. Most genre shows need a season to find their footing and sometimes it's a matter of if you like the hook. I love the hook, the diversity, and I am neutral on the Wachowskis. So, by all accounts, that means I better find some time during my kid's nap schedule to catch the rest of Season 1. 

What Is The Perfect Avengers Team?

I just got back from seeing Avengers: Age of Ultron and it got me thinking about what my perfect team of Avengers would be. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been focused on one team of Avengers (as it grows even larger), my plan it is to go old school! Let's jump in the Way Back Machine to when the Avengers split into two teams...The East and West Coasts, which, in my humble opinion, was one of the best moves Marvel made, even with the recent crop of multiple Avengers teams, the Avengers Initiative, and so forth. The two-team split was so simple and maybe something the MCU should look at including in the next decade.

The teams would need to be versatile and effective, with a little bit of tension. 

East Coast Team: 

Captain America/Steve Rogers (Team Leader): Cap, while not one of the originals, is the perfect example of what an Avenger should be and has no equal for the inspiration his very presence brings, not to mention his amazing tactical and combat skills.

She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters (Powerhouse): Jen is a great lawyer and team player, which is key in keeping the team going during those darkest-before-the-dawn moments. This is coupled with the fact she is nearly as powerful as her cousin Bruce, but without that pesky homicidal rage. 

Blue Marvel/Adam Brashear (Science and Powerhouse): He is basically the marvel equivalent of Superman but with a semi-tragic history and more focus on scientific achievements to aid humanity. 

Doctor Strange/Stephan Strange (Supernatural): The Sorcerer Supreme of Earth...Nuff said.

Spectrum/Monica Rambeau (Investigative and Back Team Leader):  Spectrum has been very under-utilized by Marvel and is a an incredibly powerful former leader of the Avengers and a highly skilled detective. 

Powerman/Luke Cage: Unbreakable in spirit and body. Super strong, and always doing the right thing. 

Hm. Now that my team is on the page, it is pretty close to the recent Mighty Avengers. 

West Coast Team:

Black Panther (Team Leader): Panther is one of the eight smartest people on the planet, has the wealth/army of a nation, and is on par (if not better) than both Cap and Ironman in their respective roles (Combat Prowess and Tech). 

Valkyrie/Brunnhilde (Combat Prowess and Supernatural): An incredibly skilled, versatile Norse goddess, she has tactics, stealth and a touch of mysticism.

Wonderman/Simon Williams (Powerhouse): While he has had a troubled past and has been very hit or miss, Wonderman is Hollywood, as a part time movie actor and avenger. He brings a level of strength to rival that of Thor.

Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Powerhouse and Tactics): A veteran hero and alien hybrid with the power of a star.

Sunfire/Shiro (Nuke): Shiro has had a troubled history but had so much potential and provides the perfect accent to the team. He has the power of the sun!

Bonus Member? Manifold: He can serve in both teams, being able to teleport between time and space. And of course, he brings his charming personality.

So how about it? Who's on your team?

Daredevil: (Cool) Fighting with the Same Old Tropes

I have never really been a super fan of Daredevil, other than for the occasional team-up and part of his rogue's gallery. But I decided to give the Netflix Marvel's Daredevil a shot mostly because it will lead into the Defenders (wishful thinking) and not Heroes for Hire in a few years. 

We finally finished the 13 episode run the other night. 

The show has everything I love in my comics: gritty, street-level "super" heroes battling against all odds, finding a way around the police to dispense justice, draped in my one of my favorite genre's: noir. The action is visceral and brutal, and wounds do not heal overnight. The show has some of the best superhero TV show writing today, which is saying quite a bit given how Agent Carter,  Arrow and The Flash have raised the bar. (See how I did not mention Smallville, Gotham or Agents of Shield? Future rant.)

Let's start with Matt Murdock, The Daredevil himself, who is fully fleshed out with flashbacks of his father that are perfect. Those scenes fully aid in seeing why he is such a damaged character and why he does what he does. That model also works incredibly well with Wilson Fisk, The Kingpin...almost too well. The show begins to feel more like a Kingpin show that features Daredevil. I remember turning to my wife halfway through and noting, "That is how you do a Kingpin story." Wilson Fisk is one of the best villains; while not on par with the likes of Doctor Doom, he is incredibly efficient and driven. Overall it is a solid first season that built great groundwork for Season 2 and a universe that could easily be expanded in the future. 

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Turn back now...

While I was surprised about the casting of Vondie Curtis Hall as Ben Urich, it quickly became obvious that Marvel was going with the old movie trope of the mystical black man: the man that would empower the white protagonist to complete their mission and die doing so.  It quickly became a game of figuring out in which episode they would kill Ben off so the others could carry on the good fight. 

Final Thoughts:

Daredevil was a good show that follows the same Marvel (Hollywood) model: a mostly troubled/damaged white male protagonist with a funny but loyal male (usually white) friend that supports him, an attractive female future love interest (frequently white), and a side character that may be a PoC. In a world of unlimited powers, heroes and more it is disappointing that one of the main cast could not be a PoC. Hell, what about a Black Daredevil?

As a diehard comic fan, I live in hope that Marvel will embrace the strategy of the Fast and the Furious franchise. They have embraced the concept of having a diverse cast of characters from all races and genders, and have become the most successful movie franchise to-date. It is crazy that a young boy can be bitten by a radioactive spider, live with his single aunt in Brooklyn, but in many people's minds, can't be black. I mean, that would just be crazy. 

Initial Thoughts: The All New Captain America

As a comic fan of three decades, Marvel has finally impressed me with a monumental move on the diversity front! This week revealed major changes to two of Marvel's Heavy Hitters: Thor and Captain America. Marvel has revealed that Mjolnir will be passed onto a woman, and the vibranium shield of Captain America will pass on to long term friend and first African American Superhero, the Falcon.

Marvel, and most comic publishers have had a long-running problem with diversity in their comic franchises. The initial reason linked to the time when a predominant number of the heroes were created. Following the civil rights' and feminist's movements of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the country's evolving experience with regard to race and gender, it is encouraging to see a comics publisher attempting to embrace diversity wholeheartedly.

While Marvel dipped it toes into the water of diversity with Miles Morales in 2011, it was a measured and somewhat cheap move. Marvel could say they had embraced diversity by changing a major character--in this case Spiderman--into one of the primary heroes of people's childhood. However, at the same time, they were able to abate other fans because it was not taking place in the main 616 universe. 

By implementing these changes in the main 616 with such iconic characters, Marvel is making a statement. To my mind, this statement is that that they want to change, and they want to appeal to every reader no matter their race, gender, or sexuality. Hopefully this will be reflected in the cinematic universe, where we could see a minority lead superhero movie!

On a very personal note, as an African American war vet, it is particularly resonant that Marvel has made this move with Captain America, my favorite hero, in a time when our country needs a symbol. While I was in Iraq, I would sit with my Kindle and read comics during my downtime as a reminder of higher idealism, but the fact remained that comics never properly represented minorities. Looking forward to when Marvel will follow up with some diversity in their movies!