Or perhaps the question I'm really asking is: Is AMERICA ready for a Black Superman? Being an American myself, I suppose I can really only speak for the US, as it is my home country, and the place that I grew up in. I don't really know how other countries would really view this subject, but I imagine it could potentially be somewhat similiar.
I suppose just to give you a little bit of background, I'm African American. I was Superman this past Halloween. Now of course, mixing those two things, you obviously get the inevitable statement: "You can't be Superman! Superman's not Black!" And yes, I did hear this.
A lot.
Some of it was purely joking. But you know, there were people legitimately telling me, "It's weird for you to dress up as Superman. He's not Black." Now, a few weeks later, this has finally started to get under my skin a little bit. I can't help but wonder what makes people say things like this. Is it really an issue of Superman's skin color? Or is there something deeper at work here?
There's the age-old rumor that was put out there that Will Smith was offered the role of Superman before Bryan Singer signed on to direct, and Brandon Routh was ultimately chosen. Smith likes to say that he turned down the role because of something that paraphrases as "You can't go around screwing with White people's heroes (like in the Wild Wild West movie when he played James West, originally a Caucasian character in the old show)." I don't personally put much stock in this rumor (he did, after all, make the same claim about Captain America, a role which I actually might not have minded seeing him in...), but you know, it's also something to think about. Why CAN'T we have a Black Superman?
Now, I know I've always traditionally been very hard on mainstream Black culture. I think rap is garbage, most Tyler Perry movies are overrated, and I can't stand gospel music. However, I also believe that the idea of Black culture that the media has created has effectively prevented any Black person from ever being seen in a Superman-like role. But why can't we fight this?
About 40 years ago, a young Chinese man bursted onto the Hollywood scene, armed with a very minimal, at best, acting resume and his years of martial arts training. In an era where Chinese actors were only seen as villains and people who spoke in stereotypical broken English phrases with long thin Fu Manchu beards, this young man changed Hollywood's perception of Asians in cinema forever. He showed that Asians could be heroes, too. He also changed the world not only with his fists, but with his wisdom. He has truly become a world-renowned icon, and has probably had the greatest positive impact on changing a cultural stereotype, even decades after his very untimely premature death.
This man's name was Bruce Lee.
Now I ask you, why can't Blacks change the way people view us? The common view is that we are loud-mouthed, cussing, flailing people. Or we're "badasses" like Samuel L. Jackson, and/or we're more muscle than brains. But why. Why does the Black Clark Kent have to be Steve Urkel? Why can't an African American be a symbol of hope for the world? A shining example of truth, justice, and the American way?
Think about it: Superman isn't even really Caucasian. He's an alien. He's the ultimate immigrant, and not only America, but the world has embraced him as such. Yet despite that, we as a society are still bound by this idea that Superman has to be a white guy. Why can't he appear to be any other ethnicity? He may be the world's greatest superhero, but why should that have to be a Whites-only role?
I suppose the world isn't actually ready for a Black Superman.
