Speaking of re-hashing - have you seen the actor who is going to play Aquaman? He does not look like the comic character either. and Rick Riordan in his Young Adult novels the Kane Chronicles, actually has the same set up. His two main characters are a brother and sister team, one is black and the other is white. One was adopted. He doesn't inform the reader of this until a bit into the book. I think the more integration of different ethnic groups/individuals allows for creators to hit a wider audience. Not only that but it gives a better representation of current U.S. then what it was years ago.
Which I agree with if you are starting with a new story, new characters etc but changing a story that's older than me simply to accommodate the token black/chinese/hispanic/disabled person is as racist (in my mind) as not having them at all. There was a recent argument in the world of British football asking why there are no black football managers. The simple answer is, there weren't any qualified for the job! I've also seen an advert for the re-hash of Man From Uncle. I might have to look further into that one ...
I know a woman here in town who I thought was white until one day during a conversation, she said something about being black. I had no idea; I thought she was of Greek or Italian heritage. Her brother, on the other hand, when I finally saw a photo of them together, is obviously black. They had one white parent, one black. So, I think it's definitely possible.
I know it's possible, what I don't understand is why the makers of this new movie felt the need to change the whole story/history/background of two very well established characters.
I'm wonder how many other people throughout history have felt the same. Stories are always changing and morphing to fit the belief systems of the people/culture that create or in this case recreate them. Look at fairy tales. At first they were verbally retold, who knows how many changes they went through. Two brothers come along and writer them down, again, could there have been changes? Then Disney grabs them and pretties them up. Now we are changing them again. To me, these comic books are no different. They were stories created at a specific time for that culture. The world isn't the same as it was back then. The redone stories are reflecting that. I don't look at it as reverse racism, but changing to fit the times and the culture shift that we are going through. (Of course, I'm totally ignoring the fact that the people making and producing these new movies are aiming at a younger generation hoping to line their pockets with more silver.)
