Corolinth wrote:
FarSky wrote:
I really, truly think the best actor out there right now for Batman would be Idris Elba. What baddassery would ensue.
I'm inclined to say the only problem with casting a black man as Batman is that I'm disappointed it isn't Samuel L. Jackson....
I don't think there's any "problem" with casting a black Batman, but it would certainly raise some interesting issues. For starters, a core part of Bruce Wayne's back-story is that he comes from an old-money family, long ensconced in the political and cultural elite of Gotham, that instilled in him a sense of old-school noblesse oblige. Also, a lot of the gothic, pseudo-supernatural undertones that surface from time to time (particularly with respect to Wayne Manor, Arkham Asylum, etc.) are tied to that historical grounding as well. A black Bruce Wayne simply wouldn't have that back-story, unless you completely divorce Batverse American history from real-world American history. A new-money, self-made billionaire - which is pretty much what a black Bruce Wayne would have to be - is just a very different character.
Also, I'm sure I'll get some pushback on this, but there's a compelling argument that post-Silver Age Batman (i.e., the "realistic", gritty, violent, angry/vengeful-to-the-point-of-being-mentally-unbalanced Batman) was in many ways the personification of the white, middle-class id, lashing out against the street crime and urban decay of the 70s and 80s (the cultural narrative for which had a strong racial component). Modern-day Batman still reflects that change from his earlier campy depiction. Essentially, Batman and other characters of that era who often fought ordinary thugs and criminals rather than just giant robots and costumed super-villains (e.g., the Punisher) reflected a fantasy of violent retribution on the part of comics' primarily white, middle-class creators and audience. A black Batman would obviously pose some challenges to that subtext.
Anyway, I'm not saying these are reasons not to cast a black actor as Batman. Quite the reverse, really, since there's some interesting fodder for narrative exploration there. I'm just saying that unless you reduce Batman to a shallow "rich guy fighting crime with cool gadgets 'cuz his parents got shot" caricature, casting him as black instead of white changes a lot of the personal and cultural underpinnings of his character.
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