Rumor: Giancarlo Esposito as Prof. X

[Username taken]

Meteor Man is just a slight change to Black Lightning. MM get his powers from a meteor. BL get his powers from a high tech belt. Both are teachers in the inner city who decide to improve their community.

John Henry Irons is a variation on Tony Stark. He's a weapons engineer who has a change of heart after his weapons fall into the wrong hands who builds a teched out suit of armor. He is no more a Superman copy that Guardian or Gangbuster (who also debuted in Superman titles).

You are defining a Superman copy in a way that covers 99% of all heroes. Yet you seem to only have a problem when the heroes are black.

Exactly.

Those characters were nothing like Superman.

Steel in particular didn't even have powers and just wore a suit. He was absolutely NOTHING like Superman. Extending it further to the comics John Henry Irons in particular never claimed to be Superman during Reign of the Superman because he was not a "Superman". He was the only one wearing the "S-sign" that stated categorically that he was not Superman. John Henry Irons is not a Superman equivalent.

If there's a black Superman movie produced by WB, that will be the first-ever black Superman or black Superman equivalent. It's not been done before.

[BroHomo]

Apparently Marvel is changing the name from Atlantis to Talocan. Presumably so as not to be confused with Aquaman. It also falls in line with the Mayan/Aztec influence on the design of Namor and his people. Namor is played by a Mexican actor for this reason.

Oh sh!t my bad didn't know.... All this sounds good AF at first I thought Namor was being played by poly-racial Former wrestler 'The Rock' Im glad they are going ano route

[Gray Lensman]

Exactly.

Those characters were nothing like Superman.

Steel in particular didn't even have powers and just wore a suit. He was absolutely NOTHING like Superman. Extending it further to the comics John Henry Irons in particular never claimed to be Superman during Reign of the Superman because he was not a "Superman". He was the only one wearing the "S-sign" that stated categorically that he was not Superman. John Henry Irons is not a Superman equivalent.

If there's a black Superman movie produced by WB, that will be the first-ever black Superman or black Superman equivalent. It's not been done before.

The irony of the 4 big characters from Reign of the Supermen is the one guy who never claims to be Superman actually IS the one most like him. And also, probably one of the best new characters from the period.

[Adam Allen]

The irony of the 4 big characters from Reign of the Supermen is the one guy who never claims to be Superman actually IS the one most like him. And also, probably one of the best new characters from the period.

Doesn't Connor have half of Clark's DNA?

[Nate Grey]

Doesn't Connor have half of Clark's DNA?

Yes but that was retconned in much, much later. At the time he was actually a clone of the Cadmus director at the time, Paul Westfield, modified to look like a younger Superman and to mimic his powers by way of tactile telekinesis.

[Adam Allen]

It's always creepy



but the connotation changes...here's an example

Um, no ... if you're actually going to go with portraying Xavier as secretly crushing on Jean, the connotation is pretty much the same. (For the record, I was never a fan of that whole thing, or Onslaught for that matter, but whatever. I really doubt it's going to be included in live action version of Xavier.)

And the video is funny, but the whole point of the joke is that those men reacting that way is ridiculous. It is not meant to reflect reality, or anything you would even see in more serious, drama-oriented fiction. It is funny to suggest they would all react that way, and all are in such clear agreement and understanding about the dangers of the situation.

I mean, it's always sad to have to deconstruct comedy, but: they are specifically satirizing the idea that racist stereotypes of black men as predators would be so powerful that adult black men would be afraid of helping a white child, and would consider the fear justified.

It is not a serious point. It does not reflect reality. The fact is that there are black men who are doctors, nurses, teachers, therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, EMTs, police officers and other professionals who help boys and girls of all races as needed, every day.

So, there is not really any inherently bad connotation to a "sixty year old black man mentoring a teenage white girl" or whatever it was that you said. You are free to think there is, but please be aware, though this may be a connotation that you apparently apply seriously, not everyone does.

[Adam Allen]

Yes but that was retconned in much, much later. At the time he was actually a clone of the Cadmus director at the time, Paul Westfield, modified to look like a younger Superman and to mimic his powers by way of tactile telekinesis.

I did not know that. Well, I think I like the retcon better!

[Gray Lensman]

Doesn't Connor have half of Clark's DNA?

But it didn't make him ACT like Superman, did it?

[Adam Allen]

But it didn't make him ACT like Superman, did it?

Well, no ... he kind of acted like a teenage kid who'd grown up in a lab of some sort and told he was a superhero.

I'm afraid I don't really understand what you're saying. John Henry Irons becomes a superhero in his own right, after Reign of the Supermen, but so does Connor. And I guess maybe Steel's personality is more like Clark's? I couldn't really say about that, except that they are at least both adults. It would have been weird if the new Superboy was written as acting like an adult.

[Besouro]

Perhaps rumor is too strong and maybe wild speculation would be a better term. However I’ve heard/seen some talk about this online. Not from any credible outlets to be clear so there could be nothing to it but the idea got me excited about the possibility.

Do people think he would be a good choice?

Personally I think Marvel would be lucky to get him and his acting skills are not in question. I guess the only issue is how much controversy it would cause. However I think an actor of his caliber would be worth it.

Esposito would be a PERFECT Prof.X.

[Rincewind]

He is interested in the part.

https://movieweb.com/giancarlo-espos...essor-x-talks/

[ZeroBG82]

He is interested in the part.

https://movieweb.com/giancarlo-espos...essor-x-talks/

This kind of thrills me.

On the one hand, he's such a great villain. And he's been my pick for Doom since we knew we could realistically get the F4 in the MCU.

But... seeing him do something different would be awesome. Not only could he bring some awesome gravitas to Xavier, and really give you that cerebral leader vibe. But he also gives you a ton of nuance if you want to lean into some of the more potentially morally gray or dubiously sinister interpretations of Xavier.

But, then again, Doom. Lol.

[HollowSage]

He is interested in the part.

https://movieweb.com/giancarlo-espos...essor-x-talks/

That’s great news. Just the fact that he’s in talks is exciting.

[Hypestyle]

my latest warm take:

Once upon a time, I would have considered him a great pick for Hector Ayala, the original White Tiger martial arts superhero. He could still actually play a retired version of that character if the Ava Ayala character is being prioritized as the MCU White Tiger. Of course, unless they really bump up the character development, he could be marginalized easily. And then there's the possibility of adapting the "Trial of the White Tiger" storyline when Daredevil returns.

If he's to be a crime boss, they can invent someone brand new. I'm not interested in him being "Hammerhead" or anyone else. I guess with a garish makeup job he could somewhat convincingly play Tombstone. But I strongly suspect the character "belongs" to Sony/Columbia.

in the Avengers world, let's see: Michael Korvac, maybe. But that would have to be a really big major threat, based on his traditional story. But there's very similar stuff there with the original story where he (SPOILER)... VERY similar to the Thanos Snap situation.

He could be the Supreme Scientist of AIM, or the boss of The Enclave.

Internet breaking idea: Count Luchino Nefaria: in real life, Esposito's father is Italian, so... yeah, I'm taking it there. Hmm. Let's see what could be done, without the faux-Superman outfit.

Dracula: Now have him set up against the new Blade. Oh man, that could be vicious.

The Mad Thinker, also Master of the World-- just forget about their traditional looks and update his clothing, but give his version of these characters similar resources.

Mephisto. Now this could be incredible if he were allowed to go all out with lots of scenes.

In the Fantastic Four world, hmm.. Not Doom. For Victor VonDoom to clearly be black(ish), that adds a truly bizarre veneer to the deeper problematic aspects of his megalomania.

In the X-Men world, hmm.. I don't know. It aggravates me to no end that Black men were scarcely a part of that world for DECADES despite the much vaunted minority-oppression allegory. Bishop only showed up in 1991, 31 years ago, and roughly 30 years since the title began. And it took someone besides Claremont to create him.

Charles Xavier? mmm... I don't know. If they make this a vaguely malevolent version of Professor X, then, who knows.. maybe? And let's not forget the way that Professor X was conveniently disposed of in several of the early films. So do fans want to see that?!

Magneto: Uh, same situation as Dr. Doom. We'll see, though.

As far as villains, I don't see him as a henchman. I see him as a boss. So, if they don't create an all new character-- which is my suggestion-- almost the only option I can come up with is Mr. Sinister but they have to go way beyond the original outfit.

[Adam Allen]

my latest warm take:

In the Fantastic Four world, hmm.. Not Doom. For Victor VonDoom to clearly be black(ish), that adds a truly bizarre veneer to the deeper problematic aspects of his megalomania.

How is that?