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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
The
question was asked recently if Danny Rand, a.k.a. Iron Fist, should be played
by an Asian-American actor because the character’s whiteness is not important
but his Americanness is. I admit that my initial reaction was to assume reverse
racism: the martial artist has to be Asian. However, as I thought further it
occurred to me that this desire actually comes from a group looking for
representation. And I can actually relate to that desire; one of the reasons I
like Hawkeye so much is because he’s left-handed! While I still worry that the
executives who make these decisions might do it more out of an assumption that
any Asian hero has to be a martial artist and any martial arts-based hero must
be Asian, I can definitely see the desire by Asian and Asian-American Marvel
fans for representation. This writer
has written a couple articles arguing in favor of just this point. Rather than
rehash his arguments (which are quite valid), I want to look at this issue from
a different angle: are Asians underrepresented in Marvel Comics, and (related) are
there any other options for Asian heroes? After all, I can’t just say “focus on
existing Asian heroes” without offering an alternative!
I’m
going to come right out and say there really aren’t too many, at least not
heroes whose rights Marvel owns. Most of the heroes I found were mutants, with
a number of Iron Fist supporting characters thrown in for good measure. There
are a few viable options, however, one of whom is strongly rumored to be
appearing in an upcoming movie.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Mantis
Mantis
is half Vietnamese and half German in the comics. She is rumored to be the new
character played by Pom Klementieff in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Mantis
has an interesting story, since it involves a Kree cult proclaiming her the “Celestial
Madonna,” training her in martial arts, wiping her memory, and setting her
loose to become a barmaid and prostitute in a Vietnamese bar (what kind of cult
is this?). I wonder how James Gunn is going to work that in, since the
movie is about fathers!
Shang Chi
Shang
Chi might be one of the biggest Asian heroes who’s not a mutant, and even he
isn’t that big. His father is Fu Manchu, a major crime lord in China who had
him trained in martial arts so he could take over the family business. Instead,
Shang Chi vowed to fight against his father and bring him down. He does not have any superpowers, but is an
excellent martial artist.
He has
appeared in a number of stories with Iron Fist and the Heroes for Hire, so I think
he could fit in quite well in the Netflix shows, perhaps as a supporting
character in Iron Fist who can then be given his own series afterward.
Amadeus Cho
Though
he’s really never been a major character before now, Amadeus Cho has been a
significant supporting character in the Marvel Comics. His mother Helen played
a minor role in Avengers: Age of Ultron. He’s a brilliant kid, one of
the seven smartest men in the world, though he doesn’t have any superpowers
himself. He’s a supporting character of the Hulk, Hercules, and a few other
heroes. Another, fun fact: Amadeus Cho is the “Totally-Awesome Hulk” in the “All-New,
All-Different Marvel,” so that’s cool. But
I doubt it will happen in the MCU.
Considering
how young Helen appeared to be in Age of Ultron, however, I don’t know
when he’d be able to appear in the MCU if she’s his mother. Of course, it’s
entirely possible that she just looks younger than she is and is really in her
mid-30s and has a teenaged son.
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| Image Courtesy www.moviepilot.com |
Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)
Kamala
Khan is a Muslim Pakistani-American Inhuman teenager with a hero-worship
complex, particularly for Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel. Following the
Terrigen Bomb detonation, Kamala gains the ability to alter her physiology in a
combination of Mister Fantastic’s and Mystique’s abilities. She has basically
turned into the Peter Parker of the modern age: a teenager who serves as the
audience’s “in” to the world of superheroes. As far as the MCU is concerned, I
think it’s a question of “when” we will see her in the movies, not “if.”
Wong
Wong is
a butler whose family has served the Sorcerers Supreme for centuries. Though he
doesn’t possess any superpowers beyond a passing knowledge of magic, Wong is adept in martial arts, which he uses to
protect Doctor Strange. Odds are pretty good that he will appear in Doctor
Strange, though I don’t recall any casting announcements for him.
Contest of Champions Heroes
Arabian
Knight, Sabra, and Collective Man are three of the heroes selected by the
Grandmaster and Death to battle in the Contest of Champions. Arabian Knight is
an Iraqi hero who wields a magic scimitar, wears a magic sash, and rides a
flying carpet. Sabra is an Israeli Mossad officer with a number of superhuman
abilities which may be a product of her being a mutant or may be the result of
Super-Soldier experimentation—it’s not clear. Collective Man is/are a Chinese
hero(es), five brothers who can merge their strength and abilities together.
Arabian
Knight and maybe Sabra could appear in the MCU.
However, Collective Man is/are mutant(s), so he/they is/are probably not
owned by Marvel Studios.
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| Image Courtesy en.wikipedia.org |
Big Hero 6
Big Hero
6 is the official hero team of Japan. However, they were adapted into an
Asian-fusion-style animated feature last year, so I’m pretty sure they are off
the table for the MCU. Also, a few of their members are mutants (Sunfire for
one), so they’re off the table to even appear independently of the Big Hero 6
in the MCU. However, I’m kind of
expecting we’ll see a Big Hero 6 sequel sooner or later.
Mutants
Jubilee,
Silver Samurai, X-23, and a bunch of other X-Men and Wolverine supporting
characters are all Asian or Asian-American. However, they aren’t owned by
Marvel, so it is unlikely that they could appear in the MCU.
Conclusion
This is
not exhaustive list, but I tried to hit all the major characters. Unfortunately, unless I missed someone, I
really didn’t find a ton of popular Asian or Asian-American heroes whose rights
are owned by Marvel Studios. Shang Chi, Amadeus Cho, Mantis, and Kamala Khan
are really the best options for major (or at least somewhat well-known) heroes
who can appear in the MCU. Additionally, I think
that Arabian Knight and Sabra could fit into Captain America: Civil War
quite well as official heroes working for Iraq and Israel respectively and part
of a stand-off between the two long-time enemies, but that would only be as
minor characters.
This is
not to say that the MCU is completely bereft of Asian or Asian-American heroes.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has two in Daisy Johnson (okay, she’s half Chinese-Inhuman,
but I think that still counts) and Melinda May. But the MCU can always use
more. I think the best avenue for introducing new Asian or Asian-American
heroes is the one they used in the comics, but with a small twist. In the
comics, they created a number of Asian mutants; in the MCU they can do the same
thing with Inhumans. The comics have already introduced a couple of Asian or
Asian-American NuHumans (Inhumans transformed by the Terrigen Bomb): Kamala
Khan and Dinesh Deol, a.k.a. Grid, are the first two who come to mind. I think Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. can start the process by introducing some Asian-American
Inhumans. Before long I also expect to see new Inhumans appearing in the
movies, some of whom could be Asian or Asian-American. I’ve seen some
complaints about the idea of just creating more heroes, but you have to
remember that all heroes had to be new at some point. It took a combination of
a compelling character, good villains, and interesting stories for the
characters we have to gain the popularity they now enjoy. The same can hold
true for new characters like Kamala Khan. To this end, I wouldn’t be surprised
if the All-New Inhumans comic introduces a number of new characters who could
jump to the movies and TV series at some point.
To the
original question—should Iron Fist be Asian-American in the Netflix
series/movie—I don’t see a compelling argument against it. As the
aforementioned author points out, Danny’s story of being a fish out of water
learning about his father’s heritage and mastering martial arts works just fine
whether he’s Caucasian or Asian. It’s not as though he has to be a Greg
Cipes-esque surfer dude like in the Ultimate Spider-Man series for that
story to make sense. I still think it makes a more-positive statement to
emphasize original Asian characters than to cross-racially cast a non-Asian
character, but considering the relative dearth of known Asian characters, that’s
not much of an option at this point. Hopefully the new Inhumans will provide
some compelling new Asian heroes and Marvel will introduce Shang Chi on Netflix
as well. But in the mean time, I won’t be upset if they make Iron Fist an
Asian-American. “Rand” is an Asian name, right?
Do you
know of any Asian or Asian-American Marvel heroes that I missed? Do you think they should change Iron Fist to
be Asian-American? Which Asian or
Asian-American heroes do you want to see join the MCU? Let me know in the comments!
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