Damian Wayne: Robin Appreciation 2019

[Fergus]

What do you guys think of the fans attacking Aidian Gallagher on twitter for asking if he should play Robin? His father has been forced to defend his son over claims of racism and white washing? Which is disgusting.

https://twitter.com/dealmakerx?lang=en

I also noted that the same claims of whitewashing has been following the rumoured CW Supersons casting?

Talia in the CW is played by a Caucasian. Ra's in the Batman movies was played by a Caucasian. I don't recall fans getting so irate.
Surly if Talia is played by a Caucasian then Damian will be played by a Caucasian.

I've also noticed that a lot of anti Damian blogs seem to be championing the no white washing cause. Is this a genuine concern for Damian fans or is this a way for non fans to discourage actors?

[shadow6743]

What do you guys think of the fans attacking Aidian Gallagher on twitter for asking if he should play Robin? His father has been forced to defend his son over claims of racism and white washing? Which is disgusting.

https://twitter.com/dealmakerx?lang=en

I also noted that the same claims of whitewashing has been following the rumoured CW Supersons casting?

Talia in the CW is played by a Caucasian. Ra's in the Batman movies was played by a Caucasian. I don't recall fans getting so irate.
Surly if Talia is played by a Caucasian then Damian will be played by a Caucasian.

I've also noticed that a lot of anti Damian blogs seem to be championing the no white washing cause. Is this a genuine concern for Damian fans or is this a way for non fans to discourage actors?

I have always been of the opinion that Damian and Talia if done in live action could be white. I wouldn't mind it those characters both started out as being presented as white. Presenting Damian and Talia as people of color is recent idea. Also, DC Comics doesn't often present Damian as a person of color anyway. Finally to attack a child is disgusting and fans who do such a thing should be ashamed of themselves. It's funny when people are fans of superheroes but fail to live their own lives in ways that express the postive virtues they read about.

[Rac7d*]

I have always been of the opinion that Damian and Talia if done in live action could be white. I wouldn't mind it those characters both started out as being presented as white. Presenting Damian and Talia as people of color is recent idea. Also, DC Comics doesn't often present Damian as a person of color anyway. Finally to attack a child is disgusting and fans who do such a thing should be ashamed of themselves. It's funny when people are fans of superheroes but fail to live their own lives in ways that express the postive virtues they read about.

By the time they will want to cast damian, this guy will be in his 20s so he will never play the role anyway, nothing to worry about

I do agree Damian is not white and was raised in a certain culture and that should be relfected, then again it would not be incorrect to cast a causcasian actor as damian, as long that it reflected who has raised him

Its definly more of a coversation then the one with Dick who truly is white thru and thru even if he is Romani

[Jackalope89]

Just a question; do we even know Talia's ethnic origins? Yes, she's R'as' daughter. But even R'as doesn't seem to have a specified origin.

So, basically, I could lean either way on the two. So long as those playing Damian and Talia reflect the characters' personalities correctly, I'll be fine with them.

[Rac7d*]

Just a question; do we even know Talia's ethnic origins? Yes, she's R'as' daughter. But even R'as doesn't seem to have a specified origin.

So, basically, I could lean either way on the two. So long as those playing Damian and Talia reflect the characters' personalities correctly, I'll be fine with them.

of mixed Chinese and Arab descent,

[CPSparkles]

Just a question; do we even know Talia's ethnic origins? Yes, she's R'as' daughter. But even R'as doesn't seem to have a specified origin.

So, basically, I could lean either way on the two. So long as those playing Damian and Talia reflect the characters' personalities correctly, I'll be fine with them.

Agree with this.

[Blue22]

Even as a POC, myself, I've never had a big issue with white actors playing Damian or Damian being drawn with light skin. In fact, he's often looked better with lighter skin than he has with the dark dark browns that a lot of fan artists try to give him to drive home the fact that he's of middle eastern descent.

Damian's father is white and his mother's ethnic background is so vague that the most we know for sure is that she's at least half Middle Eastern (Apparently she's Chinese as well. I don't know for sure). Couple that with the fact that Bruce's genes are so fucking strong that even his adopted kids look like him, and you got yourself a character who could literally have just about any skin tone, or other genetic features, and it technically wouldn't be wrong (Personally I've always liked him being a bit darker than the rest of the Batfam, but still having Bruce's blue eyes) so many get so hung up on his mom's side that they forget that he's just as much white as he's...whatever the hell Talia is.

Basically, as long as you got an actor with black hair and facial features so vague he could be more than one ethnicity (which, yes, does describe Aidian Gallagher.I actually didn't know he was white until recently) then I'm okay with you playing Damian. That said, I would prefer they try to be as accurate as possible in their casting, but if you find an actor who just works, looks the part, but just happens to not be Middle Eastern...you won't hear me complain.

[Konja7]

of mixed Chinese and Arab descent,

However, I don't think that is really confirmed. The race of Ra and Talia isn't so clear and their origins are confused. It doesn't help they were drawn many times as white people (although they seem to have another culture).

[Konja7]

Even as a POC, myself, I've never had a big issue with white actors playing Damian or Damian being drawn with light skin. In fact, he's often looked better with lighter skin than he has with the dark dark browns that a lot of fan artists try to give him to drive home the fact that he's of middle eastern descent.

Damian's father is white and his mother's ethnic background is so vague that the most we know for sure is that she's at least half Middle Eastern (Apparently she's Chinese as well. I don't know for sure). Couple that with the fact that Bruce's genes are so fucking strong that even his adopted kids look like him, and you got yourself a character who could literally have just about any skin tone, or other genetic features, and it technically wouldn't be wrong (Personally I've always liked him being a bit darker than the rest of the Batfam, but still having Bruce's blue eyes) so many get so hung up on his mom's side that they forget that he's just as much white as he's...whatever the hell Talia is.

Basically, as long as you got an actor with black hair and facial features so vague he could be more than one ethnicity (which, yes, does describe Aidian Gallagher.I actually didn't know he was white until recently) then I'm okay with you playing Damian. That said, I would prefer they try to be as accurate as possible in their casting, but if you find an actor who just works, looks the part, but just happens to not be Middle Eastern...you won't hear me complain.

Yeah. Fans tend to forget that Bruce's genes are part of Damian too.

Considering Ra's usually drawn as white even now and Talia isn't precisely constant in his skin tone. It wouldn't be weird Damian has light skin.


I guess I'm a POC too, although my skin looks white. My father has dark skin (and he has Japanese ancestry from my grandfather), while my mother has white skin. We are from Peru.

[Restingvoice]

The people who are arguing for dark skin Damian don't do it because they want to be accurate but because most of the Batfam are light skin. The dark skin ones are Luke and Duke, and before Helena, that's it. So when they see someone who can be dark, like Arab Damian, Romani Dick, or Cuban Selina, they darken them.

The argument also goes back to the origin of Ra's and Talia, not just Damian. DC has characters who are POC even if they are mixed but choose to color them light instead of the dark when most characters in comics are already light. So they want the ones who are not white to be dark.

[CPSparkles]

I wasn't aware. Damian is in the Harley Quinn series voiced by Jacob Tremblay

[CPSparkles]

The people who are arguing for dark skin Damian don't do it because they want to be accurate but because most of the Batfam are light skin. The dark skin ones are Luke and Duke, and before Helena, that's it. So when they see someone who can be dark, like Arab Damian, Romani Dick, or Cuban Selina, they darken them.

The argument also goes back to the origin of Ra's and Talia, not just Damian. DC has characters who are POC even if they are mixed but choose to color them light instead of the dark when most characters in comics are already light. So they want the ones who are not white to be dark.

The problem I have is that these same people kept quite when an Irish Canadian was cast as Talia in the CW but as soon as rumours about Damian surface they get very vocal and abusive.

as was said earlier Damian starts with talia. That is where we start campagin or pressuring dc. Dc isn't going to cast a poc as the bio kid for two white people.

Representation is important but when you protest one casting and not another then that's not genuine.

I would rather a live action Damian role goes to an actor that matches he's comic heritage but I'm also aware that that specific pool of talent is pretty limited so I'm willing to settle.

I'm not going to call others and Dc disgusting or racist because they are working with they have nor is it right to pick on a young actor just because he liked a fan cast that some Damian fans sent to him.

On his fathers twitter the most hateful and vocal didn't have anything on their past history to suggest they were Damian fans [I checked a few] That is worrying.

[Restingvoice]

The problem I have is that these same people kept quite when an Irish Canadian was cast as Talia in the CW but as soon as rumours about Damian surface they get very vocal and abusive.

as was said earlier Damian starts with talia. That is where we start campagin or pressuring dc. Dc isn't going to cast a poc as the bio kid for two white people.

Representation is important but when you protest one casting and not another then that's not genuine.

I would rather a live action Damian role goes to an actor that matches he's comic heritage but I'm also aware that that specific pool of talent is pretty limited so I'm willing to settle.

I'm not going to call others and Dc disgusting or racist because they are working with they have nor is it right to pick on a young actor just because he liked a fan cast that some Damian fans sent to him.

On his fathers twitter the most hateful and vocal didn't have anything on their past history to suggest they were Damian fans [I checked a few] That is worrying.

People did protest about Talia. Both the CW and back when TDKR first announced Marion Cottilard. It's been a while though so I haven't seen it as often anymore

but yeah, I remember the people who protest CW Talia wasn't as many as the one speaking about Damian or Marion Cotillard. I think it's because the number of Talia fans aren't as many compared to Damian, most likely because of Morrison's Talia being the most well known these days. There's still a lot of Damian fans who only knew the Morrison version of Talia so they hate the character and don't care about her as much.

[Rac7d*]

The people who are arguing for dark skin Damian don't do it because they want to be accurate but because most of the Batfam are light skin. The dark skin ones are Luke and Duke, and before Helena, that's it. So when they see someone who can be dark, like Arab Damian, Romani Dick, or Cuban Selina, they darken them.

The argument also goes back to the origin of Ra's and Talia, not just Damian. DC has characters who are POC even if they are mixed but choose to color them light instead of the dark when most characters in comics are already light. So they want the ones who are not white to be dark.

Dick was white for 40 years before that retcon

[CPSparkles]

People did protest about Talia. Both the CW and back when TDKR first announced Marion Cottilard. It's been a while though so I haven't seen it as often anymore

but yeah, I remember the people who protest CW Talia wasn't as many as the one speaking about Damian or Marion Cotillard. I think it's because the number of Talia fans aren't as many compared to Damian, most likely because of Morrison's Talia being the most well known these days. There's still a lot of Damian fans who only knew the Morrison version of Talia so they hate the character and don't care about her as much.

I wasn't aware that fans protested Talia and Ra's casting my mistake. Damian fan's regardless of their feelings on Talia ought to realise that the Damian they get depends on Talia's casting. Representation doesn't just apply to characters we like.

When i saw they protests to the rumoured CW Damian casting the 1st thing I did was look up who plays Talia before I deciding whether I needed to polish my pitchfork.

The child depends on the parents. It's frustrating that none of these protesting that particular rumour never even considered that or just don't care. When I tried to explain that might be the case I got called a racist. Since I'm not a POC I don't feel confident or qualified to debate with them further so I'm just done with some fans on social media.