Anthony Mackie Talks The Falcon & Defends Human Torch Casting

Not everyone is totally thrilled with the casting of Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle) as Johnny Storm AKA the Human Torch in Twentieth Century Foxs upcoming Fantastic Four reboot, but Jordan himself doesnt seem too bothered by the backlash. When ambushed by reporters on his way into a club and asked for his thoughts on the matter, Jordan just smiled and responded, Theyre still going to go see it anyway. Hes definitely got the attitude down already.

Canonically speaking, the Marvel movies all take place in alternate universes and therefore any changes between the page and the screen are explained in the same way as the differences between, for example, Earth-616 and the Ultimates universe. Comic books have a long history of playing with continuity and retconning characters, so if anything this is in keeping with the traditions of the medium. As the first comic book ever published under Marvels name, Fantastic Four debuted three years before the Civil Rights Act was passed and as such the team members were white more or less by default. Now that more fifty years have passed, the idea of a black Human Torch should theoretically be a lot less controversial.

Weve already covered the reason why the decision to cast Jordan as the Human Torch makes sense from a business standpoint, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie has also spoken out in defense of the casting. (For those unfamiliar, in the Cap sequel Mackie plays Sam Wilson AKA Falcon, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who is equipped with a pair of mechanical wings.)

In an interview with ComicBook.com Mackie admits that he was never into comic books as a kid (he preferred baseball), and that while he was emotional and overjoyed to be offered a role in the Marvel franchise, he finds the fans insistence on movies being identical to the source material a little baffling:

Its crazy how much they know, and if you deter from that, its like Well, thats not authentic. You know its not real. Its made-up, so we can change it. No, no, thats not right. No, hes real. Alright.

The distinction between real people and comic book characters is an important one, though you wouldnt think so by the number of comic book fans who insist that Michael B. Jordan playing Johnny Storm is analogous to a white actor playing Martin Luther King. When asked for his opinion on Jordans casting and the subsequent backlash, Mackie first confirmed that Jordan is definitely locked for the role, and then explained that an adaptation of such a fantastical story should be open to creative freedom on the part of the filmmaker.

Michael B. Jordan is a very good friend of mine. Ive known him since he was a teenager, and Im so happy, for more than anybody else for him to be getting the accolades hes getting, because he deserves it I think with these type of movies, everything else aside, you need a good actor. Michael B. Jordan is a good actor, black or white. So what you have to realize is, and go back and forth and just say, Superman cant fly, Batman aint real, the Human Torch dont really set himself on fire and fly around the room, so he can look like whatever they want him to look like. You just have to allow yourself to see him that way. And if you cant do that, that says something about you.

Fantastic Four co-creator Stan Lee has previously commented on the issue of characters having a different race in the movie versions. When Donald Glovers fans were lobbying for him to be cast as the next Spider-Man, Lee said in an interview with MTV:

Follow this link:
Anthony Mackie Talks The Falcon & Defends Human Torch Casting