Michael B. Jordan Responds to Human Torch Rumors

@chibi_cute: is that supposed to be funny? Because its not. At all. Save those jokes for when you joke around with your friends or something, because that's flat out disrespectful.

@dernman: Lol.

But on the real, all this shows me is Hollywood's refusal to let any other kind of person else star in their own movie, while changing race to appeal to another demographic, and make as much money as they can from them. Don't patronize us. Just give us what we want. Jeez. And I don't just mean black people. There are more than enough of every kind of person that wants to see these movies.

@wisesonac: You, and me, both pointing out what he has been in, kind of shows that he is, and has been, a fairly well known actor. So, you implying he is, or was, less known than Chris Hemsworth, is only because of Marvel (hence one of my original points). Chris Hemsworth's biggest role before Thor was when he played George Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek remake (and that was a 8 or 9 minute role). And you are wrong, the point was never, how long he's been in the industry, or how well known he is; my main point has always been that I find him to be a dull actor, and that there are better, less known, actors out there to play Johnny Storm. Stop focusing on the mundane.

I was also about to kinda see your side of things, right up until you said...RED TAILS. That was one of the most worthless piece of crap movies to come out since Flyboys. Your appreciation for that movie is why this is where the argument ends.

Just have to agree to disagree. Peace fellow Viner.

Does this seem right to you?

@zzombie13: I agree with you, there needs to be more diverse heroes. In both books and cinema. It has always slightly bothered me about the lack of diverse ethnicities. But, your examples are a bit strange...are you saying that Thor and Natalia Romanov should be played by anything but white people? Those might be the roles that need to stay as is.

I think it's ironic that I was just reading a thread on this website a couple days ago talking about who should play storm in the next X-Men movie and surprise the only suggestions were black women. No one suggested anyone else that was a different race. And here a lot of people have no problem with Johnny Storm being black or whatever. And all of you who think its racist cause other people want to keep the character the way he's always been need to look up the word "racist". You people just like to throw that word around to silence debate .

I think they should re-boot "Roots" and have all the slaves be white, asian and Hispanic and the plantation owners can be black cause who cares about the original material right ? It's 2013 after all what's race got to do with it.

@perfect_10: that sounds interesting

he was good in chronicle but this? no...i mean, just no.....

@hanson724: Sure, if you want to change something based on an actual history...

@snarkybits: how about "Uncle Toms Cabin" would that be a better example for you? If they tried to do this to the actual comic this would be a totally different conversation. I like the original material. I want the people in the movies to reflect how they look in the books. I would never want a white Storm or Blade. If they want more diversity then they should work on something original and not try to change something that's been around for 40-50 years or however long since FF's been out.

Guy was great in chronicle, but i do not want a cookies and cream storm sibling dynamic, if they wanna make ben or reed black go right ahead.

All I can say is if you don't like it don't watch the movie it's really that easy.

Wittaminute is sue and franklin gonna be race-lifted too?

@hanson724:
Again, it has an historical, if inaccurate, significance.

Well let's make Luke Cage, Storm, Blade, and Black Panther white and sit back and watch all the media coverage and public outrage that will unfold. The director of those movies would be labeled a racist and ran out of Hollywood.

You better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone,

For the times they-are-a-changin'

@snarkybits: clearly you missed the point. But have a nice weekend:)

There's a difference between ameliorating a problem and making it worse. Black Panther and Storm need to be Black (Like Captain America needs to be White and Shang Chi needs to be Asian), but I wouldn't mind an Latino Luke Cage or and Asian Blade. Johnny Storm's race is not essential and he can be played by someone of any race as long as that someone is the best actor. Michael B Jordan could be that actor.

Also, the only Black heroes Fox has the rights to are X-Men. They don't have Black Panther. And it would be dumb for them to try to make up movie heroes to shove into the FF.

Sorry. I do not agree. If a character is a certain race in the comics, get an actor that is that race to portray him in live action.

Make a character a total different race just because the lack of owning any black characters? That's stupid. What about Sue Storm? She is just randomly white, and her brother is black? Are they going to create some side story about their father was some womanizer and that they have different moms?

Cartoon Johnny Storm will still be more Black, lol

JKJK

Or you know, there are families with adopted children. One or both Storms could be adopted. Maybe you should take a look at some modern families.

............................No. Just no.

-walks out of thread-

It isn't racist to want characters to be portrayed close to their source material. In this case I don't think race is integral to the character, but I still don't see the reason for change unless he can capture the character better than one else.

In this kind of case I think a white actor is preferred, just because the character is white, but it should come second to the performance.

I'm getting really tired of people who don't understand and subsequently misuse and lesson the word racist though.

I really hope that the characters are young like in the Ultimate universe. I want them to be a cross between scientists and pop stars. And I want them to be in the same universe as Fox's X-Men. That would create an interesting juxtaposition.

@sledgemeyers: Donald got a lot of hate for wanting to be spider-man. Crap look how some of the fans reacted to Miles becoming Spider-man. Personally if he has the acting chops let him have the role. If not move on, I didn't think he [Jordan] was that important in Chronicles. That being said that is just one film he had been in.

The FF are meant to be a family not a couple and their buddies, so this is stupid.

It's cute how people are trying to use the "Johnny being white isn't integral to his character" argument that they probably just saw on Reddit and are repeating in an attempt to look smart lol. They would be right if this movie was titled "The Human Torch" but it's not it's the "Fantastic Four". You know what is integral to the character? Being Sue's brother... so unless Sue is Black(which Hollywood wouldn't do) this is stupid.

Eh not sure how I feel about this.

@nerdork: lol its likewise. we gotta stop the argument there with the red tails thing. differing opinions i get but comparing redtails to flyboys( neversaw but heard bad things) is a insult lol so yeah peace. :)

Or you know, there are families with adopted children. One or both Storms could be adopted. Maybe you should take a look at some modern families.

if they make Sue black too it's not really a problem, it becomes a problem if she's still Blonde and Blue eyed and her full blood brother is Michael Jordan.

Did you actually think I didn't think of adoption? Or do you think that it changes anything I said?

Then how are a brother and sister not related? Especially if they were both adopted at birth?

If a character is imagined as something I want him as that something that applies to characteristics, looks etc. However this is preference and not a law. If the actor can do Johnny and he is cast as Johnny, I will not hold it against the film. I personally wouldn't go down that route as I said but if the movie is good its good.

Idris Elba was awesome as Heimdall in Thor(Again I do not see how he can be the blood brother of Sif but any who), And in Daredevil, the Kingpin was just awesome couldn't have been cast better.

My problem with this rumor or any other rumor involving changing a character's skin color is it always seems to be about "being racially diverse". If that is the only goal, I find it pathetic. While DC says differently, Cyborg was obviously put on the team for that very reason. That is why I had the outcry I had when I heard the rumor. This is my stance.

Just thinking about the typical american movie goer and way people think in general I don't see most people perceiving the FF as a real family dynamic when Sue's brother is black. Even if he's adopted or she's adopted people won't really see it as a family, and because there hasn't been an FF movie in a while I'm sure this movie will set an impression of the FF for a lot of people and that's just overall harmful to the series.

And I mean I know that's a littler presumptuous about other people being "racist" but you have to understand usually when people cast for anything they think about this kind of psychology, so I'm assuming they're just being more racist thinking adding a black guy will make the FF more hip and modern, because otherwise it's kind of an irresponsible franchises choice.

@teerack: Those are big assumptions about the average movie goer. And this is an opportunity to educate people about what family means instead of letting stereotypes fester. In addition, this would be good for the franchise because it expands the target demographic.

"Ohana means family;family means nobody gets left behind." Lilo and Stitch

Edit: And the adopted siblings thing has already been done on a major TV network, with 5 seasons of success.

I guess that's an optamistic way of thinking about it, but if Johnny raps at any point of the movie I'm going to find you and tell you that I told you so. :P

Haha, okay. =]

But don't you know that Johnny already is a rapper?

Okay, sorry for that. =P

@captain13: Ok that little womanizer rant took it a little to far. As a blk comic reader watch yourself. Nick Fury is originally blk in the Comic but later turned white. so don't get it twisted.

Not a good choice. He doesn't have the right character, and it would kind of mess up things with Sue as well. Change is fine, but this is a lot of change. I really can't picture him being Johnny.

If the movie's a reboot, why not change it up a bit? Chances are, they won't be doing anything based off any direct story arc from the FF Stories and make something completely original. Will Jordan have the acting chops to actually pull off the character personality? I can't say (and that's if Johnny even keeps the same personality). I have no experience in watching his acting first hand. That if he's even actually being considered for the part at all.

Comics get re-tooled, re-booted, changed up, and replaced in so many ways these days that it'd make your head spin. Heck, they cherry picked the way they made Cap for the movies, he's neither full standard Steve Rogers nor is he full Ultimates Steve Rogers but he's still there and did awesome in the Avengers Movie and relatively well in his own movie.

The reason Fury is black is because he's the Ultimates Fury who was based off Jackson in the first place. There is literally nothing in the FF Family that would set in stone the absolute need for any or all of the characters to stay "white". All of them were pretty standard people in their own rights before their cosmic accident. You could simply treat the movie as an alternate universe set up if need be (lord knows there are tons of those).

Before anyone goes off on some weird rant that says something like "well then, we could change ANY character's race then couldn't we?!" Technically, yeah you could. The reason changes to characters like Thor wouldn't work as easily is because he's based out of Norse Mythology/Religion which would basically write out his historical significance.

Though they did change Heimdall to be black and I didn't mind that. Of course to get around Thor, it could simply be a black "Donald Blake" who gets the hammer and is worthy, then bam, problem solved lol.

This.

Think of all the changes that happen to characters. Why is this change so outrageous? Wasn't he just dead? At least he wasn't black!

Or...You can accept he helped steal a spaceship...you can accept cosmic radiation gave him powers...you can accept all his fantastic adventures...but..the Human Torch being black...it's just unbelievable!

couldnt sue just be black too? I mean reed could still be white and sue be black then the whole half, whole, whatever sibling thing wouldnt have to be explained nor would it confuse anyone

with that being said idc who plays the roles as long as its a good movie, i love the FF

All of the borderline and outright racism in this thread...smh

I. I wonder if in the new FF movie if they will have a scene where White Sue Storm calls over his Black Johhny Storm brother, and some random guy asks her

"He's your brother?"

and

Sue turns around says yes with a look on her face like "do you have a problem with that?"

II. You know how Marvel NOW! has Nick Fury JR... you guys think a Michael B. Jordan look-a-like will be in the FF comics?

Whether they keep Michael B. Jordan or not I'll still watch this movie.

( + )

The reason movie reboots based on 1960's and 1940's comics add minority characters that weren't there is an effort to update the times to a modern reality. When Stan Lee created his characters in the 1960's the majority of them were white (which doesn't make him racist it just reflected the current trend in media...most characters were white) I am sure in the 60's that minorities were not even considered a viable advertising target.

If Stan Lee had created Spider-man today I am sure Peter would have had at least one Black friend. At least one Asian classmate. Everyone seems to forget that Len Wein basically rebooted the all White all American X-men by adding Russians, Africans, Irish, Native Americans to add variety. That was the 70's and it wasn't because he wanted to do anything more than make the comic as diverse and reflective of the world as possible.

So down with this, he'd be great!

To anyone displeased or uncertain what Johnny and Sue's relationship will be if Johnny is black,

Could you please tell me about their mother? She's got 4 sentences on Wikipedia about how their father couldn't save her. How is her race important? Also, please post some pics of the super important Mary Storm. I couldn't find any.

Are you trolling me? Womanzing rant? Where? I'm a blk comic reader? Nick Fury Sr. (the original) is White. Nick Fury Jr. is 1/2 Black.

Well....How would you feel if Luke Cage gets played by a white guy?