Originally Posted by
JudicatorPrime
Yes, the Snap Wilson retcon was horrible. Period, point blank. But...
Devil's advocate: The retcon was concocted at a time when the glorification of pimps, gangsters, thugs and other social miscreants in predominantly minority communities was becoming vogue. Whether we're talking fictional characters like Superfly, or real life individuals like Iceberg Slim, Nicky Barnes and Bumpy Johnson, we can't deny their impact on both the community and pop culture. Hell, even Malcolm "Detroit Red" Little started off as a two-bit hustler and pimp before he found Allah and his divine calling as Malcolm X.
This trend would arc well into the modern era with the emergence of gangsters and drug dealers who later became well-known rappers, or strippers who pushed through the muck to become some of the biggest celebrities in the world. We have exalted them to these heights. You can't get too upset with Marvel writers for mistaking these characters as the type that most Americans, black and otherwise, see as paradigmatic. To this day there are people out there still basing their come-up off of questionable means that garner them "street cred." As perverse as it may be, through that transmogrification of values they achieve respect, love and acceptance within the community, but more importantly, outside of it.
It's possible that's all the Snap Wilson persona was intended to be: an attempt to make Sam complex and controversial, so as to appeal to readers during the height of the Blaxploitation era. They didn't want Sam to be perceived as a "cornball brother," so they gambled on making Sam less like "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs" and more like "Black Caesar" or "The Mack" ... and failed mightily in the attempt.
Yes, they were wrong for even trying. It's too bad Marvel didn't have someone like James Baldwin as a resource back then. I'm sure Mr. Baldwin would have set them straight and advised against it. Hell, any black man in a leadership position on their staff would have steered them clear of the Snap Wilson nonsense.