Ok, so the smoke has finally cleared somewhat after the piping hot mess that was Batman v. Superman. Reviews have been written, jokes have been cracked, and the inevitable comparisons to another popular superhero universe have been made. Now, DC may have tried to play catch-up to Marvel in one film and failed due to too many plotlines, random cuts to different scenes, and an introduction to the Justice League as subtle as your Aunty Janine showing up to your house unannounced, but DC’s got Marvel beat in one aspect: diversity.
The Teen Titan technopath Cyborg was presented front and center with Bats, Supes and the rest of the squad as a full fledged member of The Justice League. Yes, Captain America’s upcoming film will break a huge barrier by having an unprecedented 3 black superheroes on the big screen AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.
*prays they don’t experience ‘Walking Dead’ syndrome*
And I will be there front row center opening night with my left hand clutching an oversized blue raspberry slurpee, and my right hand clenched and raised in the air until the usher threatens to kick me out. But let’s not forget about how it used to be in these Marvel streets. The first Avengers team was whiter than a TED talk about rock-climbing. And no, Nick Fury doesn’t count; he’s basically their boss. Barely. Fast forward to Avengers 2, where we have 2 black superheroes ready to take off their red shirts and get some playing time (Falcon is LITERALLY waiting in the wings), aaand they don’t even join the team until the END of the movie! Cyborg will be serving up some much need black representation in the DC Universe, but that’s not the only reason he’ll be breaking the norm...
Notice something different from the comics Cyborg and the theatrical one? Yup, Cyborg will be played by Ray Fisher, who is a light-skinned black actor. Why is this a big deal? Well, going back into film history, it’s interesting to see how colorism affects black men and black women differently. Dark skin is seen as more masculine, and light skin is seen as more feminine, which is why almost every black male superhero or action hero has been ace of spades black. All three brothas in Civil War are dark skinned, as is Heimdall. Blade, Spawn, Luke Cage...hell, even Frozone fits the basic Hollywood black male image.
There are exceptions to this casting preference; Will Smith has been lit ever since he punched that alien in the face, and he’ll be gracing the DC Universe with his presence as Deadshot, an originally white character. Seriously, who was gonna tell Will Smith he couldn’t be Deadshot? But on average, if there’s a need to fill the role of tall, strapping minority, you can bet they got a chocolate-complexioned individual on deck. And it’s the reverse for black women.
Zoe Saldana, and Paula Patton have been viewed as a type of black that’s easy for general audiences to swallow, while Viola Davis has been called “less classically beautiful,” and Lupita Nyong’o was rendered unrecognizable in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as Maz Kanata. Storm has been traditionally dark skinned throughout her comic book career, but she’s been cast twice as having fairer skin, Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp respectively. Darkskinned women are too manly, lightskinned men aren’t man enough. We’ve seen these stereotypes played out in Drake memes and derogatory tweets about Serena Williams, and it’s crazy. The DC Universe’s Cyborg stands to work against this tired trope, and I’m all for it.
This is not to shade these other actors (no pun intended) for their efforts and contributions to the film industry, I’m just pointing out that the colorism is real, and it’s time to put a closer lens on black roles. I plan on seeing a lot more black faces on TV and film in the near future, and we gotta have some diversity in our diversity. There’s a wide spectrum of blackness that exists, one that doesn’t fit into gender binaries. It’s time Hollywood saw that. Welcome to the pantheon of black film heroes, Ray Fisher. Check your sonic cannon at the door.
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