New Mutants, Old Problems

Will New Mutants save the X-Men franchise?

Finally, after a 2 year delay, Fox's last vision of its former X-Men property has an official release date for the long awaited superhero adventure New Mutants. Based on the popular comic series of the same name, the film will serve as a superhero coming of age, and horror mashup. However, judging from the delays and reshoots many fear that the film will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor Dark Phoenix, doomed before ever hitting theaters. With so much already set against it, will New Mutants be a successful film or will it be the final nail in the coffin for the franchise?

Originally set to have debuted in 2018, the film fell into development hell when Fox wasn't happy with the first trailer released, leading to massive reshoots. Things seemed to be back on track until Fox's acquisition by Disney which furthur delayed the movie release. As with Dark Phoenix before it, the constant delays makes audiences skeptical that the movie is even worth seeing, increasing the odds that the it will fare better on DVD than in actual theaters. There's also the obstacle of the film's casting. Ever since the casting decisions were announced, fans of the New Mutants comic were quick to voice their disappointment with the casting of the character Sunspot, who will be portrayed by actor Henry Zaga. Along with the casting of Alice Braga as Cecelia Reyes, both casting decisions raising legitimate claims of whitewashing. 

If the producers hadn't noticed racism tends to turn audiences away however, there still remains the possibility the film will be a critical success. Thanks to the Fox and Disney merger, New Mutants will be a part of the MCU. The potential for an explanation for how mutants will be introduced and incorporated into the universe may be enough to get theater seats filled. If the movie does well it may be the start of a new series of films eventually leading up the the young mutants making their way to the ranks of the X-Men. And then there's the character Magik who has has been a fan favorite in comics ever since her introduction, so fans are excited to finally see the live action debut. Most notably, featuring a powerful character like Magik can also contribute to further building this new universe. The new mutants can lead to the introduction of the X-Men, and Magik being a frequent collaborator of Dr. Strange can branch the team fully into the MCU.

New Mutants hits theaters April 13. Enjoy the trailer below and let me know what you think.

Year of the Black Superhero

2018 is shaping up to be another monumental year for readers of comics and fans of its televised and cinematic counterparts. This is especially true in the instance of Black characters. After 10 years ( 17 marvel films, 5 DC films) African American comic characters and superheroes are finally being brought to the forefront and leading their own films and series. Thanks to the critical success of the Netflix series Luke Cage, the Marvel execs may have finally realized that they can draw in Black viewers without the act of race bending characters in an effort to reflect "diversity" (i.e. raise ticket sales) and as a result 2018 will be the biggest year for African American superheroes to date.

Marvel is pushing fufther into its 'diversity' frontier preparing for the company's first feature starring an African American male as the lead with 2018's Black Panther. Completely stealing the show in Captain America: Civil war, Chadwick Bossman' s Black Panther is one of the most recognized and beloved Avergers surpassing Stark's technology, Banner's intellect, Thor's honor, and Roger's leadership. Premiering in February, the movie will follow his return to Wakanda, as he deals with the aftermath of the death of his father and his own ascension to the throne.

While it's no surprise that Luke Cage will return to Netflix with a second season next year, it isn't the only streaming service getting in on comic adaptations with Hulu also throwing its hat into the ring this November. The adaptation of the Marvel comic The Runaways will feature African American team leader Alex Wilder, a genius who learns that his parents are actually super villains.

And on the small screen things are growing even bigger for the CW as the network prepares for the premier of its new series Black lightning, based on the DC character, which will feature television's first primetime black superhero family. (http://unorthodoxwisdom.blogspot.com/2017/10/blacklightning-and-first-black.html?m=1)

Although there continues to be a lack of Black female super characters on television and film, this list will also grow with the inclusion of Black Lightning's daughters Thunder and Lightning, while The Legends of Tomorrow continues to brilliantly highlight the DC character Vixen, and Luke Cage will transition Misty Knight towards her heroic calling.

With each of these shows 2018 will be the year with the most black superheroes in movies and television, and if this is any indication of what's to come in the future then we are in for a spectacular ride. (Honorable mention to Arrow's John Diggle and Mr. Terrific, Guardian from Supergirl and the Flash's Wally West).