Hasbro is suing DC over the use of the name Bumblebee, leaving comic fans and the rest
of the world puzzled and collectively scratching their heads. The toy company Hasbro has filed a lawsuit to block the sales of toys featuring the DC super hero Bumblebee
who is currently a prominently featured character on DC's Superhero Girls animated
series. On the surface it seems as if the case revolved solely around money but
there may be other factors driving the lawsuit. The Transformers franchise has
soared thanks a successful movie line prominently featuring Optimus Prime as
the central character. However, as DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures prepare
for the release of a spin-off series featuring Bumblebee as the protagonist conflict
arises over usage of the moniker.
Aside from the name being most commonly being associated
with an animal/insect, the lawsuit is highly peculiar being that the DC
universe version debuted in 1976, as DC's first female African American hero.
In contrast to Hasbro's Bumblebee which first appeared in 1986 being published
by none other than Marvel Comics. In the DC universe Bumblebee is a character
who has severed as a notable member of the Teen Titans. She has the ability of
flight thanks to a solar powered suit, and can shrink to a microscopic size.
The character was brought to life onscreen in the animated version of Teen Titans,
eventually becoming leader of a second branch of the team. Currently the
character can be seen in the animated Super hero girls (which success has
branched into various spinoffs).
Maybe the lawsuit is all about money instead of trying to
eliminate competition. After all, aside from the Bumblebee spin-off Marvel will
also soon release Ant-Man and Wasp the sequel to 2015s Ant-Man featuring the
shrinking, flying female version of Ant-Man ( sorry Wasp, but basically).
Surely Marvel isn't thinking ahead and wants to their Wasp to be the lone size
altering female. It's not like there is a live action Teen Titans being
developed with chances of Bumblebee appearing on the small screen (oh wait
there is).
While on the surface the lawsuit reflects the greed many companies exhibit when it comes to sales and profits, there is a bigger price at stake, and that is the erasure of one of the few prominent African American comic heroes that exists. While comic inspired movies and live action television shows continue to rise in number little of the characters are African American let alone women of color. Here's hoping that Hasbro drops the lawsuit, before losing on the grounds that either they can't patent the name Bumblebee, their character is younger, or for simply being a silly case. Until we know the verdict, fingers crossed that Bumblebee makes her live action debut sooner than later and that this unreasonable lawsuit vanishes never to be heard of again.
