Originally Posted by
Eskana
I kinda do mind.... even when it's not a character I have a big attachment to. I think it's a disservice to the character, and it takes away from possible new diversity characters who need a chance.
Firstly, comics are a visual medium. There's nothing like the thrill of seeing an actor look EXACTLY like the character on the page. I feel like animators/directors should honor the creators of the original characters by keeping them close to their appearance. That may be a bit of personal taste though... Even when I like the actor and the portrayal, I still have a voice in the back of my head going, "He's great... but Barry IS supposed to be blond."
Secondly, usually when they bend a character, they often ignore the character's previous history. Not always, but often enough.
Thirdly, there's really no reason why, with good writing, they can't make new characters who are diversity interesting. Look at Naomi, Jaime Reyes, Kamala Khan, and more. Other posters have mentioned that a lot of CB readers don't like change, which is true, but that's true in any medium. Some people will say that this is the reason you need to racebend etc existing characters, so that the overall cast is more diverse. But I'd like to point out that white characters just as likely to fade from public consciousness if they're not well-written, or even if they just don't catch on with audiences. Historically, the heroes have been white and male, but we're in a new age now- why not introduce new characters? Just make sure they have someone behind them.
Alternatively, we can get new writers on previously established diversity characters, which would probably satisfy all audiences. When Yara Flor (another cool character so far) was introduced, my first thought was of DC's other Brazilian superhero- Fire. They could easily bring her back, and she has so many facets to her- supermodel, superhero, superspy- that I don't think it would be too difficult for a writer to handle. (I'd love to see more of Fire working with Checkmate.) I appreciate when they attempt to bring back characters, like how they're bringing back Shiloh Norman as Mr. Miracle.
If people are hesitant, I think making the diversity characters part of a legacy is a good starter. The most important thing is making sure they have a personality that goes beyond "I'm a diversity character." Jessica Cruz is another great example of a character done right, although recently they seem to be making some changes to her background. Another important part is not using the new character to permanently replace an old one... I don't have a problem, really, with expanding the legacy. It might not make a lot of sense, but honestly... I have no problem with their being like eight Green Lanterns of Earth.
Trying to racebend or replace old characters with new characters doesn't seem to work a lot, and is disrespectful to both halves. I can't really think of a time that it's worked... Wally and Wallace West is a well-known example. They tried to replace Wally with Wallace, and ended up creating a new character. I like both, and I've liked it the more that the two of them have been able to develop some kind of relationship. Personally, I think the team-up of Wally, Wallace, Barry, and Jay is fantastic. But on screen, you can already see the ripples of the moves towards replacing Wally.... why else is Iris black in every TV show and movie so far? Don't get me wrong, Iris being black isn't a problem (and honestly, I'm annoyed rather that Barry isn't blond, lol,) but I'm assuming it's because they're planning on cutting out Wally to get to Wallace. In my opinion, I don't see why you can't have both, and have great stories, characters, and dynamics. A better way to do it, IMO, would be like how they handle Jaime Reyes and Ted Kord as the Blue Beetle- both heroes have the same code name, but are vastly different in method, can work independently, and honestly are intended for slightly different audiences. And, now that Ted's back, they haven't got into the Wally-Barry struggle of "who gets to be Blue Beetle" since they are both different enough. They can both claim the name.
I'm probably just rambling, but that's my take...
TLDR- Overall, I don't like it and I don't think introducing new diversity characters is as impossible as people say.