Altered Geek

Altered Geek – 137 – Times are a Changin’

AGU-PODCertainly times are a changing here in geekdom. A new Power Rangers movie, differing opinions of what should or shouldn’t be in geek media, a new Nintendo console harkening back to the cartridge days, a new Han Solo, Batman taking the reigns in the DCEU, Killing Joke as a Rated R film, Call of Duty Infinite Warfare vs Battlefield 5, and more. We get a little controversial with the latest news on Disney/Marvel be pressured to add in a particular “TYPE” of character(s) for their films and the pros and cons of that decision. No matter what excites you here Steve, Mike and Mike are on the case with our opinions on these topics. Stay tuned as well for TFG1 Mike’s La La Land Lounge segment. All this and more on another exciting episode of Altered Geek!

 

Show Segments Include: AGNN, Altered Gaming, Altered Opinions, Altered Reviews.

All this and more on this week’s AGU! We hope you continue to enjoy the episodes and please feel free to respond to any and all feedback methods. We will read and reply on the show. Topic suggestions also welcome. So get Altered, Get Geeky with the Altered Geeks.


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(NEW) Question of the Night:

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    • “Do you think fans try to put too much weight on creators to bend to their wants and needs for tv and film?”
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Co-Creator @GeekCastRadio | Creator @AlteredGeek | Voice Actor | Podcaster, Husband | Father | Web/Graphic Design | A/V Editor | Geek of Games, Tech, Film, TV.

30 Comments

  1. I honestly would like to see more in the Flash and Green Lantern universe over Batman and Superman. I’d love to see Cyborg and some of the other Titans, Nightwing, etc. Something fresh, so I get very much what you’re saying here.

    1. That would be great. After reading Rebirth I’d love to see that down in movie form.

  2. After The Killing Joke DC should move away from telling animated Batman stories if you ask me. I know that will never happen. We will probably get Death in the Family and/or Endgame but there are so many other great stories for them to tell and after Killing Joke you hit the best you are going to hit when it comes to Batman stories.

    1. I honestly would like to see more in the Flash and Green Lantern universe over Batman and Superman. I’d love to see Cyborg and some of the other Titans, Nightwing, etc. Something fresh, so I get very much what you’re saying here.

      1. That would be great. After reading Rebirth I’d love to see that down in movie form.

  3. Here is the hard truth when it comes to getting movies, TV shows, comics, or whatever to diversify their cast and/or characters…they will only do it after people complain. Rarely is the entertainment industry ahead of the game when it comes to that stuff. If people didn’t try to force it you would see even less diversity then you do today. So yes some of those groups maybe in it for their own publicity or self-interest but they are a necessary evil. It goes both ways too. You have people that complain and boycott industries when they are more diverse than they would like. Ellen appeared on a JC Penny ad and you had groups everyone saying they won’t shop there anymore. Look at all the superhero films we have, and we still have yet to have a major comic book franchise headed by any character of a minority even when there has been plenty of opportunity to do so. Yes you risk having the token gay/black/Hispanic/women or whatever character when you demand it. But the truth is there is no longer an excuse of movies as large as the MCU or Star Wars to lack diversity in this day and age, and you tend to only make movies better when you have a more diverse cast that is full of actors with their own unique traits. Personally I feel Star Wars has already done that a great deal. Looking at Force Awakens and Rogue One. Both full of a diverse cast of strong actors of all different shapes and sizes. And what happened when they did that? You had fanboys on Social Media complaining because you have another Star Wars movie with a female lead. Proving you will never please everyone.

    1. Totally agree. And Star Wars has adapted it’s scope and characters. Marvel for whatever reasons are lacking severely in any of those areas. DC despite the not so hot DC film universe is plotting their diverse characters. There will be a black Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman (not sure on ethnicity), as well as a different look to Flash and having a female lead in her own movie (Wonder Woman) 3 into their universe.

      So I get it. Especially when there are the diverse characters already in the comics to pull from. DC I feel has that difference over Marvel but again not that in tune with their comics by comparison.

      I won’t personally boycott them. I may complain about pandering in this case but they aren’t wrong either. So again it’s a double edged sword. Same token if they want diversity, hire it and have people who know how to write them. Like I said in the show, I wouldn’t qualify myself to do justice to write some of these character types because of what I am.

      Never pleasing anyone seems to be the way of the internet. Thanks for the great incite into this!

    2. That’s very well said and this issue is complicated, but in some ways it shouldn’t be. You have those who wish for more diversity within films, tv, and comics, and those who are too willing to shout pandering anytime a new character is introduced that isn’t a white straight male.

      Overall I would say the entertainment industry wildly fails when it comes in this area. They are getting better, and Marvel comics have made some strong movies lately with characters like the new Ms. Marvel to show how having characters of diverse backgrounds can greatly strengthen your product. I haven’t loved the new Cap Series but like how they have brought a lot of the real life complaints about Falcon becoming cap into the actual comic. And the controversy over female Thor I think is finally over considering how awesome that comic has been.

      The Marvel films though are still have work to do. Its great that Falcon and Black Panther are becoming bigger parts but honestly that took much longer than it should, and overall their representation of women is in major need of improvement. To their credit they do have Jessica Jones and Agent carter on the TV side, but on the movie side still only Black Widow and somewhat Scarlet Witch. I hope they finally have Carol Danvers appear which would make sense considering how bigger of a role she is playing in the comics.

      1. I have no issue with them not being a white male. I like the cast of the Ghostbusters film, I like Supergirl and several other diversely cast shows. I have issue modifying a current character’s background. The introduction of new I have no issue with. Marvel lacks in their individual female solo films which is one area DC is going to hit first.

        1. So do you also take issue with say Magneto for example. He being in a Holocaust survivor was not part of his original origin but changed much later on. Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner was changed to be a product of child abuse long after he debut as well.

          If those changes aren’t problematic then I ask why is saying making Ice Man gay any different.

          I know the response is often, they should create new characters instead. The issue is new characters more often than not fail no matter who or what they are. You have a better chance of a change sticking when you have name recognition to tie it too. Probably the most recent example of a big change would be with Cap and Thor. People freaked out because you were changing the characters yet both characters had previously be changed multiple times.

  4. Totally agree. And Star Wars has adapted it’s scope and characters. Marvel for whatever reasons are lacking severely in any of those areas. DC despite the not so hot DC film universe is plotting their diverse characters. There will be a black Green Lantern, Cyborg, Aquaman (not sure on ethnicity), as well as a different look to Flash and having a female lead in her own movie (Wonder Woman) 3 into their universe.

    So I get it. Especially when there are the diverse characters already in the comics to pull from. DC I feel has that difference over Marvel but again not that in tune with their comics by comparison.

    I won’t personally boycott them. I may complain about pandering in this case but they aren’t wrong either. So again it’s a double edged sword. Same token if they want diversity, hire it and have people who know how to write them. Like I said in the show, I wouldn’t qualify myself to do justice to write some of these character types because of what I am.

    Never pleasing anyone seems to be the way of the internet. Thanks for the great incite into this!

  5. That is also my point there. I get diversity and representing but not having a reason for it hurts the story. Which is what I ultimately care about is the escape.

    1. What do you mean you need a reason for it? Like if you are going to have a character of a diverse background you need to specifically have a reason to justify why they have that background? Or are you more meaning avoiding adding the token character just because.

      1. Not diverse background but the sexuality aspects and having a token. It should have diversity anyhow. I was thinking that even in my screenplay. I have some but not enough in the pilot. But the sexuality aspect I am avoiding as I know nothing of dynamics there. I just mean the having a token of anything and the have to be “gay” just because is wrong. If the writers include that as part of the overall story and progression I am fine with it but the including it because of a group is what I disagree with.

        1. I think its easy to say people shouldn’t change because groups demand it, but the other part of that is then how do things change without those demands as @rachelmanning:disqus indicated.

          The issue is when people take those outcries and then turn it to say, well now they want every story to fit a certain quota when that’s often not the case. Most reasonable organizations are looking for broader representation than currently exists.

          I think the main issue it ties to is the assumption that if a character has a different race and/or sexual orientation it means the story has to change to incorporate that aspect. I don’t think that’s true. You could make Tony Stark black and change nothing about him in any way. You could make Hawkeye gay and he could be exactly the same character. That’s not true for every character mind you. I mean you can’t make Steve Rogers black because it would be unrealistic to say the Army at that time would have an African American as their spokesperson during WWII.

          I am not saying those changes have to or need to happen. I don’t think Star Wars has to incorporate a gay character. If they did fine, if not that’s fine too.

          But I understand why a group of people would want to see a character in their favorite franchise have the same sexual orientation that they do, and I fully support their ability to express that desire. I think its a mistake to dismiss it as people just wanting things to be PC. I feel in many cases its more than that. Its the desire to be represented in a way others are and can make people feel that they are normal as anyone else. How often do we hear people express their love for something or someone based on their ability to relate to it on some level. I think that’s what this is at its heart. Its people just looking for something to relate to on a more personal level.

  6. I am so sick of the social justice warriors bringing politics and their causes into pieces of entertainment where they don’t belong. I watch movies like Star Wars and Avengers for an escape from all the BS of everyday issues. I don’t care about the sexual orientation of fictional characters. Be a great character everything else doesn’t matter. Don’t force in issues simply to score brownie points.

    1. That is also my point there. I get diversity and representing but not having a reason for it hurts the story. Which is what I ultimately care about is the escape.

      1. What do you mean you need a reason for it? Like if you are going to have a character of a diverse background you need to specifically have a reason to justify why they have that background? Or are you more meaning avoiding adding the token character just because.

        1. Not diverse background but the sexuality aspects and having a token. It should have diversity anyhow. I was thinking that even in my screenplay. I have some but not enough in the pilot. But the sexuality aspect I am avoiding as I know nothing of dynamics there. I just mean the having a token of anything and the have to be “gay” just because is wrong. If the writers include that as part of the overall story and progression I am fine with it but the including it because of a group is what I disagree with.

          1. I think its easy to say people shouldn’t change because groups demand it, but the other part of that is then how do things change without those demands as @rachelmanning:disqus indicated.

            The issue is when people take those outcries and then turn it to say, well now they want every story to fit a certain quota when that’s often not the case. Most reasonable organizations are looking for broader representation than currently exists.

            I think the main issue it ties to is the assumption that if a character has a different race and/or sexual orientation it means the story has to change to incorporate that aspect. I don’t think that’s true. You could make Tony Stark black and change nothing about him in any way. You could make Hawkeye gay and he could be exactly the same character. That’s not true for every character mind you. I mean you can’t make Steve Rogers black because it would be unrealistic to say the Army at that time would have an African American as their spokesperson during WWII.

            I am not saying those changes have to or need to happen. I don’t think Star Wars has to incorporate a gay character. If they did fine, if not that’s fine too.

            But I understand why a group of people would want to see a character in their favorite franchise have the same sexual orientation that they do, and I fully support their ability to express that desire. I think its a mistake to dismiss it as people just wanting things to be PC. I feel in many cases its more than that. Its the desire to be represented in a way others are and can make people feel that they are normal as anyone else. How often do we hear people express their love for something or someone based on their ability to relate to it on some level. I think that’s what this is at its heart. Its people just looking for something to relate to on a more personal level.

    2. Are there examples of this actually happening though? Where would you say a diverse character was forced in for brownie points and it ended up negatively effecting the final product?

        1. Perhaps, but doesn’t the fact that its hard to come up with examples show its not nearly as much of an issue as people make it out to be?

  7. That’s very well said and this issue is complicated, but in some ways it shouldn’t be. You have those who wish for more diversity within films, tv, and comics, and those who are too willing to shout pandering anytime a new character is introduced that isn’t a white straight male.

    Overall I would say the entertainment industry wildly fails when it comes in this area. They are getting better, and Marvel comics have made some strong movies lately with characters like the new Ms. Marvel to show how having characters of diverse backgrounds can greatly strengthen your product. I haven’t loved the new Cap Series but like how they have brought a lot of the real life complaints about Falcon becoming cap into the actual comic. And the controversy over female Thor I think is finally over considering how awesome that comic has been.

    The Marvel films though are still have work to do. Its great that Falcon and Black Panther are becoming bigger parts but honestly that took much longer than it should, and overall their representation of women is in major need of improvement. To their credit they do have Jessica Jones and Agent carter on the TV side, but on the movie side still only Black Widow and somewhat Scarlet Witch. I hope they finally have Carol Danvers appear which would make sense considering how bigger of a role she is playing in the comics.

    1. I have no issue with them not being a white male. I like the cast of the Ghostbusters film, I like Supergirl and several other diversely cast shows. I have issue modifying a current character’s background. The introduction of new I have no issue with. Marvel lacks in their individual female solo films which is one area DC is going to hit first.

      1. So do you also take issue with say Magneto for example. He being in a Holocaust survivor was not part of his original origin but changed much later on. Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner was changed to be a product of child abuse long after he debut as well.

        If those changes aren’t problematic then I ask why is saying making Ice Man gay any different.

        I know the response is often, they should create new characters instead. The issue is new characters more often than not fail no matter who or what they are. You have a better chance of a change sticking when you have name recognition to tie it too. Probably the most recent example of a big change would be with Cap and Thor. People freaked out because you were changing the characters yet both characters had previously be changed multiple times.

  8. Are there examples of this actually happening though? Where would you say a diverse character was forced in for brownie points and it ended up negatively effecting the final product?

      1. Perhaps, but doesn’t the fact that its hard to come up with examples show its not nearly as much of an issue as people make it out to be?

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