EgonSpengler
Deity
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2014
- Messages
- 11,711
A writer over at Vox makes a case for casting an Asian actor to portray Marvel's Iron Fist in his Netflix show.
I agree wholeheartedly, and not for reasons of political correctness or some kind of affirmative action. I actually think the character would be more interesting if portrayed as an Asian-American man rediscovering his roots (actually, there's no reason Iron Fist has to be a man). To that end, an American, Canadian, English or Australian actor might work best, someone who can speak English as a first language.
Aside from the tired, decades-old, arguably-racist trope of the white guy going to Asia and becoming better at Asian martial arts than the Asians themselves, we've seen that character in superhero fiction recently. Twice, in fact: Batman/Bruce Wayne and Arrow/Oliver Queen (it could be three times, if we add Daredevil/Matt Murdock).
In the real world, Americans rediscovering their ethnic heritage has been a topic lately, with companies that test DNA and television shows about celebrities finding their roots. The relationship between the United States and China, currently and historically, is also fertile and topical ground (K'un L'un isn't China, per se, but it's Chinese in the same way that Sokovia in Age of Ultron was clearly Eastern European).
I've also read some stories about how the Chinese are relating to America and Americans these days. For instance, I read about two Americans, one white and one Chinese-American, who opened an American-style Chinese food restaurant in China, because American-style Chinese food is such a novelty there. I've also heard that a Chinese-American, even just one generation removed from China, is commonly regarded by the Chinese as straightup American, and not Chinese at all. So the stranger-in-a-strange-land story, as hoary as it is, may actually have renewed vitality if the protagonist is Asian-American and not white.
I agree wholeheartedly, and not for reasons of political correctness or some kind of affirmative action. I actually think the character would be more interesting if portrayed as an Asian-American man rediscovering his roots (actually, there's no reason Iron Fist has to be a man). To that end, an American, Canadian, English or Australian actor might work best, someone who can speak English as a first language.
Aside from the tired, decades-old, arguably-racist trope of the white guy going to Asia and becoming better at Asian martial arts than the Asians themselves, we've seen that character in superhero fiction recently. Twice, in fact: Batman/Bruce Wayne and Arrow/Oliver Queen (it could be three times, if we add Daredevil/Matt Murdock).
In the real world, Americans rediscovering their ethnic heritage has been a topic lately, with companies that test DNA and television shows about celebrities finding their roots. The relationship between the United States and China, currently and historically, is also fertile and topical ground (K'un L'un isn't China, per se, but it's Chinese in the same way that Sokovia in Age of Ultron was clearly Eastern European).
I've also read some stories about how the Chinese are relating to America and Americans these days. For instance, I read about two Americans, one white and one Chinese-American, who opened an American-style Chinese food restaurant in China, because American-style Chinese food is such a novelty there. I've also heard that a Chinese-American, even just one generation removed from China, is commonly regarded by the Chinese as straightup American, and not Chinese at all. So the stranger-in-a-strange-land story, as hoary as it is, may actually have renewed vitality if the protagonist is Asian-American and not white.
What the heck, the more, the merrier, right? 
