A Look Black At Marvel’s Cinematic JourneyPosted by Wilson Morales
December 30, 2014
Before Marvel BECAME their own studio, a number of their comic book adaptations were spread throughout the films from Fox (X-Men, Fantastic Four), Sony (Spider-Man), Universal (The Hulk), and Paramount (Iron Man). Within those films and for years, there was a lack of diversity among the characters.
Halle Berry started the charge as Storm in the X-Men franchise films in the early 2000s, followed by Samuel L. Jackson once he was cast as Nick Fury and became instrumental in bringing the Avengers together. We have since seen Terrence Howard then Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine , and Idris Elba as Heimdall in the last few years, but in 2014 there was an explosion of Black talent portraying several comic book characters on the big screen.
From Jamie Foxx being the first Black supervillain (Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2) to announcement that two African Americans (Chad Boseman, Mike Colter) would eventually have their own stand-alone films after they make their initial appearance in other projects on film (Captain America: Civil War) and on TV (Netflix’s Jessica Jones), Marvel stepped up to the plate and delivered what many have been rooting for.
As we spoke to some of the talent earlier this year, here are some of their quotes as it pertains to the characters they play or will play.
Anthony Mackie talks The Falcon in Captain America: Winter Soldier
What was the attraction to playing the Falcon?
Anthony Mackie: Everything I go see the comic book movie and I have a 3 year-old son and he’s always telling me he wants to Spider-Man or Captain America. It’s unfair for little black kids not to have a superhero to look up to. When I got the call about the Falcon that was a no brainer. I feel that this is for a whole generation who has the opportunity to know a superhero like we did. We grew up with Spawn and Meteor Man. Every kid had a pot or can and thought they were Meteor Man, so I’m excited for a bunch of kids to say that I’m the Falcon.
Growing up, did you know a lot about the Falcon?
AM: The Falcon was a short-lived comic book series. If you look at the time in which they introduced the Falcon and what they were trying to do with him, it was an interesting cool character that wasn’t executed well at all. That’s why when the comic book died, they re-introduced him as a Robin to Captain America’s Batman, just to re-spark the life of the character. It’s one of those things where if you are not a real comic book fan and it was short-lived, you wouldn’t know who he was; whereas Black Panther had a long run with an individual comic book.
Jamie Foxx talks The Amazing Spider-Man 2
How much did you want to go all out as the villain? Was everything on the script or did you throw some flavor to the character?
Jamie Foxx: Of course, there were things that were cut out. As an actor, you have to leave room for everyone else and for other different reasons, you have to keep it kid-friendly. I’m excited about the opportunity or the chance that when they bring Sinister Six back, and Electro being part of that, you can see him in his full villain mode, because this film is really the genesis. He’s only been bad for a few minutes. I want to see when he’s perfected his energy and perfected his craft.
Prior to taking on the role, how much did know about the character Electro?
JF: What’s interesting is that we knew about Electro because of the Max character. I knew before getting the call that Max was the key ingredient to Electro. Max is in his 40s and used to be married, but they didn’t want to show that in that film. I brought that in and said, “You know he’s married,” but they said they didn’t have enough time. His father left and he lived with his mom. They took the mom part out of the film, which I thought would have been more key to see where he comes from because the relationship between Max and his mom was really important. Here is someone mom says she loves but really doesn’t and in the way we had it in the script was that it was his birthday and his mom doesn’t remember it. In the script, when he’s turning into Electro, he goes back to his mom to explain and she doesn’t want to hear it. He hugs her and electrocutes her, which is more comic book style but they felt that for the kids, it wasn’t the right thing to do. We weren’t comic book fanatics like some of the guys at Comic Con but we definitely followed our favorite superheroes like Spider-Man, or in my case, when Robert Downey Jr. took over as Iron Man. I was like, “Wow! That’s the perfect Tony Stark.” It’s always good to some knowledge when you go into it so you understand that when they are telling you certain things that you can and can’t do, it has to do with the fans.
Omar Sy Talks X-Men: Days Of Future Past
How much did you know about the character prior to taking on the role?
Omar Sy: Before the film, nothing. I heard about Bishop when I was in the producer’s office and he told me the film, ‘Days of Future Past,’ and introduced me to Bishop. I then started to do research and found out that Bishop is a big character.
What was the attraction to doing this film?
OS: Just to be a superhero. To be an X-Men is a childhood dream. It’s cool to be in it.
For those who are not aware, how would you describe Bishop?
OS: Bishop is a mutant who is capable of traveling through time. His power is to absorb energy and give it back through a gun. He’s also a soldier, fighting to free the mutants. He comes from an apocalyptic future and he has to fight for freedom because he was raised in a mutant camp. That’s why he has a “M” in his eyes and he escaped and comes back to free others.
From Comicbookmovie.com, Halle Berry Talks X-Men: Days of Future Past
When asked how different is the experience of Bryan Singer’s “in-between-quel” and Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand, the Oscar-winning actress says, “They’re like apples and oranges, they could not be more different. That’s for sure. The way they work is different. What you feel is different… Not that one is better or worse – they’re just very different. I was so happy to work with Bryan [Singer] again and I think it was nice for everyone to get back together. I wasn’t in as much as I was meant to be though,” Halle adds, referring to her pregnancy. “That kind of colored what my involvement could be, which was why I was one of the first ones in and the first ones out,” she says.
“My ever-growing belly was posing a constant challenge! What I could do was getting more limited so the role that I play is so different from what it could have been, due to my surprise pregnancy. But there’s something very revealing and shocking about Storm in this movie that I thought was needed. There are some things you find out about her that I think give you much more insight into who she is.”
From Collider.com, Djimon Hounsou Talks Guardians of the Galaxy
At Comic-Con, you talked about how important it was for you to be a part of Guardians of the Galaxy because of your son’s recognition of the lack of diversity in superhero movies. Does that make it extra exciting to be a part of the film and to be working on that now?
DJIMON HOUNSOU: The lack of diversity, specifically in genre films and the superheroes our kids grow up watching and emulating, they can’t really identify with. When you see the same thing, over and over again, and it seems not to speak of you and your heritage and your culture, it leaves you out of this world, a little bit. It gives a certain social distance with your world. So, it was very shocking when my son said that. It shocked me, but at the same time, it was not a surprise. It’s one of those things that even I have been looking for. I’m looking for a hero of my kind, and I’m looking for a shero of my kind. Now, we have Zoe Saldana, who is a shero for minorities, and that’s kind of nice.
What’s it like to be a part of the Marvel universe?
HOUNSOU: We like to make the Marvel comics films because they’re fun. Families can go see them together. They’re entertaining. They aspire to inspire, and that is cool. At the same time, not all of us can identify and connect, necessarily. But, Marvel movies are so much fun. Those guys are creating fun stuff.
Chadwick Boseman Talks Black Panther
Could you see yourself playing Black Panther?
Chadwick Boseman: I could see myself doing anything in terms of comic book, action, or anything like that. Black Panther, in particular, Let me put to you this way. If it’s character driven, I’ll do it. As long as it’s character driven, I would love to do it. If it’s just you in a suit and you with powers, then it doesn’t interest me, no matter how big it is. As long as it’s character driven, I’m totally into it. If they could figure out how to do Black Panther and make it fit the original or adapt to the times we’re in now and be new and innovative and be character driven and has the sense of what the comic book is supposed to be, but not bound by it, then yes, of course, I would want to do it.
Black Panther will be a large part of “Captain America: Civil War.”
As an Added Bonus…..
Just a few weeks ago, Mike Colter, who’s currently starring in the digital series Halo: Nightfall for Microsoft and Xbox Entertainment, was Marvel’s top choice to play Luke Cage in the Netflix series, Jessica Jones.
With Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg as the show runner, the 13-episode drama, the second in a four-series Netflix-Marvel deal, centers on Jessica Jones (played by Krysten Ritter), a superhero suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which leads to her hanging up her costume and opening her own detective agency, where she ends up helping people and assisting other superheroes.
The character has a romantic relationship with Cage, which is why his character will be showcased in 6 or 7 episodes of the Jessica Jones show before leading his own Netflix series, Luke Cage.
