DC/WB Films/Worlds (No Spoilers)

[Stromberg]

That's kinda the point though; we're setting the precedent that if Black is in their name they have to be a black person...even if originally they were a white character. And why is anyone named anything? She typically wears Black...it sounds cool...just because...

[Stromberg]

If White Canary can be a white woman I don't see the problem with Black Canary being a black woman. It's not like there isn't other characters with Black in the name being played by black actors.
Black Panther, Black Lightning, Black Manta, and Manchester Black have all been played by black actors. The only reason Black Canary wasn't black in the comic books was because at the time
she was created all superheroes were white. Not even sure why she was called Black Canary in the first place. Why not just Canary?

A lot of people weren't happy with the white washing of White Canary either.

[Vakanai]

If White Canary can be a white woman I don't see the problem with Black Canary being a black woman. It's not like there isn't other characters with Black in the name being played by black actors.
Black Panther, Black Lightning, Black Manta, and Manchester Black have all been played by black actors. The only reason Black Canary wasn't black in the comic books was because at the time
she was created all superheroes were white. Not even sure why she was called Black Canary in the first place. Why not just Canary?

The bolded is exactly my point, virtually all characters with Black in their name are black, or are race swapped to be black in other media. You got like one recent example of a white character with White in their name, and White Canary isn't even from the comics. It just feels like making so many black heroes have the Black superhero name seems to be trying to point out you're intentionally making this diverse in a bid to seem progressive instead of just making it diverse naturally. Black heroes don't need to be defined by their blackness, and yet that's what Hollywood/etc. do by naming them Black Superhero Name. Most white heroes aren't named White Whatever.

It's a small thing, but it bugs me. Just feels like the people behind it really don't get it. If you are going to race bend someone, be original and don't bend the one character named Black. Barbara's not going to go by White Oracle is she (assuming Babe is even in this)?

[Agent Z]

The bolded is exactly my point, virtually all characters with Black in their name are black, or are race swapped to be black in other media. You got like one recent example of a white character with White in their name, and White Canary isn't even from the comics. It just feels like making so many black heroes have the Black superhero name seems to be trying to point out you're intentionally making this diverse in a bid to seem progressive instead of just making it diverse naturally. Black heroes don't need to be defined by their blackness, and yet that's what Hollywood/etc. do by naming them Black Superhero Name. Most white heroes aren't named White Whatever.

It's a small thing, but it bugs me. Just feels like the people behind it really don't get it. If you are going to race bend someone, be original and don't bend the one character named Black. Barbara's not going to go by White Oracle is she (assuming Babe is even in this)?

Actually she is. But she isn't Caucasian or named Sara Lance.

[Johnny]

A lot of people weren't happy with the white washing of White Canary either.

She wasn't whitewashed, the Arrow version of White Canary has nothing in common with the villainous Asian comic book version other than the name. If they did use the comic book version and cast a white actress to play her the same way they previously cast a white actor to play Ra's al Ghul, then it would've been whitewashing. But they didn't, they created an original character and simply gave her the name White Canary. Same with Savitar who was portrayed as an AU version of Barry on the show and had nothing to do with the character from the comics.

[Lightning Rider]

The bolded is exactly my point, virtually all characters with Black in their name are black, or are race swapped to be black in other media. You got like one recent example of a white character with White in their name, and White Canary isn't even from the comics. It just feels like making so many black heroes have the Black superhero name seems to be trying to point out you're intentionally making this diverse in a bid to seem progressive instead of just making it diverse naturally. Black heroes don't need to be defined by their blackness, and yet that's what Hollywood/etc. do by naming them Black Superhero Name. Most white heroes aren't named White Whatever.

It's a small thing, but it bugs me. Just feels like the people behind it really don't get it. If you are going to race bend someone, be original and don't bend the one character named Black. Barbara's not going to go by White Oracle is she (assuming Babe is even in this)?

Well said...

[Vakanai]

Actually she is. But she isn't Caucasian or named Sara Lance.

Kinda makes it worse then - I can't think of a single white character who uses White in their name, and yet so many black characters who do. It's a bit eye rollingly blegh. If one of the Birds of Prey had to have their race changed, maybe it could be something less obvious than making the character with Black somewhere in their name black. Oracle, Huntress, um I don't know who else is in the team, but there were less predictable and to me less cringe worthy choices.

[Frontier]

Wait, they're making Black Canary black here? I don't know if choosing the girl with Black in her name to be the character they race swap is the right look here. I mean, of the entire cast you could pick to make African American, Black Canary? Just too on the nose. Why not Huntress or Orphan or whoever else is in this? Ugh, again, so on the nose.

Funnily enough, current comic Huntress is also dark-skinned.

She wasn't whitewashed, the Arrow version of White Canary has nothing in common with the villainous Asian comic book version other than the name. If they did use the comic book version and cast a white actress to play her the same way they previously cast a white actor to play Ra's al Ghul, then it would've been whitewashing. But they didn't, they created an original character and simply gave her the name White Canary. Same with Savitar who was portrayed as an AU version of Barry on the show and had nothing to do with the character from the comics.

Now that I think about it, they also had a white girl use the Artemis codename.

Gotta work on your Asian diversity, DC .

[Vakanai]

Gotta work on your Asian diversity, DC .

Here's hoping they don't put the word Yellow in an Asian character's name.

[Agent Z]

Kinda makes it worse then - I can't think of a single white character who uses White in their name, and yet so many black characters who do. It's a bit eye rollingly blegh. If one of the Birds of Prey had to have their race changed, maybe it could be something less obvious than making the character with Black somewhere in their name black. Oracle, Huntress, um I don't know who else is in the team, but there were less predictable and to me less cringe worthy choices.

There's Emma Frost who originally went by White Queen. And the Spider-Man villain White Rabbit.

[Frontier]

There's Emma Frost who originally went by White Queen. And the Spider-Man villain White Rabbit.

China White (who is Asian and still so on Arrow).

[Jim Kelly]

Before there was Black Canary, there was Harvey's Black Cat. And probably Bob Kanigher and Carmine Infantino were hoping for some of the popularity of that character to rub off on their character (the cat and the canary, get it).

A lot of characters were named Black something and were Caucasian. It wasn't white washing, because most characters were predominantly white. And look what happened when E.C. published a story with a black hero--they got shut down by the Comics Code.

I find the trend toward retconning every character with a "Black" codename into a person of colour to be mildly offensive. The colour codenames should really come from the colour of their costume or their symbol, I think. So a green arrow, a green lantern, a red bee, a blue beetle, a black hawk, a black condor, a black canary, a red tornado, a yellow wasp, a green hornet, a black bat, a scarlet pimpernel.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Well MCU Bucky Barnes is going by “White Wolf” now. Besides that, I know Kyle Rayner was “white Lantern” for a while.

[Vakanai]

There's Emma Frost who originally went by White Queen. And the Spider-Man villain White Rabbit.

Eh, Emma feels a bit of a cheat since White Queen is kind of a play on her being an "ice" queen (name's Frost, turns to diamond), whereas mostly characters named Black something or other seems to be named to play off their skin color. White Queen is a bit of a pun, whereas say Black Lightning is highlighting the fact he's black...and lightning powers. But that might just be nitpicking. (Don't know anything about the Spider-Man villain.)

China White (who is Asian and still so on Arrow).

Not really the point?

Well MCU Bucky Barnes is going by “White Wolf” now. Besides that, I know Kyle Ragnar was “white Lantern” for a while.

Well, that's something. Still kinda feels like the point stands here...

[Agent Z]

Before there was Black Canary, there was Harvey's Black Cat. And probably Bob Kanigher and Carmine Infantino were hoping for some of the popularity of that character to rub off on their character (the cat and the canary, get it).

A lot of characters were named Black something and were Caucasian. It wasn't white washing, because most characters were predominantly white. And look what happened when E.C. published a story with a black hero--they got shut down by the Comics Code.

I find the trend toward retconning every character with a "Black" codename into a person of colour to be mildly offensive. The colour codenames should really come from the colour of their costume or their symbol, I think. So a green arrow, a green lantern, a red bee, a blue beetle, a black hawk, a black condor, a black canary, a red tornado, a yellow wasp, a green hornet, a black bat, a scarlet pimpernel.

That is not what is happening here. We have one superhero with a "Black" codename being played by a person of color in one medium as opposed to numerous others where she is depicted as white. Black Canary is still a white woman in the comics.