Robert Downey Jr. "Joyful" to Be a Part of Marvel's Diverse New Film Slate

[CBR News]

The superheroic superstar is pleased at this week's news that "Black Panther" and "Captain Marvel" films are in the works from Marvel Studios.


Full article here.

[DocSpin]

"It's great, and I love it," Downey told CBR News. "But being able to have Chadwick Boseman be announced for playing Black Panther, and that Marvel is going to have a female superhero – it's those things that it would have started creating an imbalance, I think, in just what's appropriate and right and feels like what the people deserve. And so I just think that Marvel has turned into this very kind of civilized, forward-thinking company, and it's just joyful to be a part of that."

Creating a BALANCE, perhaps?

[Biff Pow!]

I'd be joyful about the truckloads of money he's making too.

[Hypestyle]

kudos for whoever was involved in greenlighting these characters' stories.

[PennyD]

Joyful like he landed on go every roll

[rauj13]

So is he in Infinity War II?

[Darth Tigris]

Man ... reading that makes me feel like it's the 1960's or something. Am I the only one that feels shame at things being this bad still? A black (or, technically, African) and a female lead in a superhero movie is exciting news on progress and Marvel Studios/Disney is considered forward-thinking for announcing this over 6 years into a historically successful franchise build ...

But my bigger fear is that each of these will be among the best the MCU has done and will gross a fraction of the others because the movie going public is exactly as bad as the gun-shy Hollywood execs feared it to be ...

[MarvelMaster616]

I'd be joyful about the truckloads of money he's making too.

That's what I thought as well.

But I'm glad he's so passionate about his character. He's done for Tony Stark what Hugh Jackman did for Wolverine, minus the part where his character became a total wimp. Having that kind of consistency and continuity goes a long ways and that can only help with Marvel's next phase of movies.

[Kasper Cole]

Man ... reading that makes me feel like it's the 1960's or something. Am I the only one that feels shame at things being this bad still? A black (or, technically, African) and a female lead in a superhero movie is exciting news on progress and Marvel Studios/Disney is considered forward-thinking for announcing this over 6 years into a historically successful franchise build ...

But my bigger fear is that each of these will be among the best the MCU has done and will gross a fraction of the others because the movie going public is exactly as bad as the gun-shy Hollywood execs feared it to be ...

Nope.

The movie going public has been showing for decades that they'll go out and watch films with black and female leads. Hollywood execs are just largely cowardly bigoted idiots that assuming audiences are just as bigoted as they are. Films with minority leads are often underfunded, under promoted, and screen in fewer theaters.

The Fast and Furious franchise is headlined by POC and has been hugely successful. The two top grossing films last year had female leads (Hunger Games & Frozen).

As long as Black Panther and Captain Marvel are good films and Marvel promotes them on the same scale as their other films they'll do great business.

[mattperiolat]

RDJ is really getting the best of both worlds, isn't he? Gets to play a character he likes and has fun with, but does not have to worry about carrying a movie. Marvel wins too - they now know the can open movies on new characters and the people will come without him. But having him have a roll in the movies will increase the box office and their franchise.

Everyone comes out a winner and gets to put down payments on yachts. And future movies.

[Hypestyle]

Man ... reading that makes me feel like it's the 1960's or something. Am I the only one that feels shame at things being this bad still? A black (or, technically, African) and a female lead in a superhero movie is exciting news on progress and Marvel Studios/Disney is considered forward-thinking for announcing this over 6 years into a historically successful franchise build ...

But my bigger fear is that each of these will be among the best the MCU has done and will gross a fraction of the others because the movie going public is exactly as bad as the gun-shy Hollywood execs feared it to be ...

the Panther and Capt. Marvel films need to get just as much promotion as all the other films, if not more. Regarding Panther, a particular outreach should also be done to black media outlets/platforms- BET, BounceTV, Ebony, Essence, Upscale, Radio One stations/TVOne, OWN, and regional black-culture newspapers. http://www.realtimesmedia.com/

[Darth Tigris]

the Panther and Capt. Marvel films need to get just as much promotion as all the other films, if not more. Regarding Panther, a particular outreach should also be done to black media outlets/platforms- BET, BounceTV, Ebony, Essence, Upscale, Radio One stations/TVOne, OWN, and regional black-culture newspapers. http://www.realtimesmedia.com/

I disagree. T'Challa isn't black, he's Wakandan. He has about as much in common with us American blacks as Thor does with American whites. Race pandering in this instance would be counter productive. American blacks will be interested anyway, so no special outreach is needed. If anything, they need to use the now trusted Marvel Studios track record as the main reason people should go. Plus he'll have an introduction in Cap 3 to hopefully help as well.

[Kasper Cole]

I disagree. T'Challa isn't black, he's Wakandan. He has about as much in common with us American blacks as Thor does with American whites. Race pandering in this instance would be counter productive. American blacks will be interested anyway, so no special outreach is needed. If anything, they need to use the now trusted Marvel Studios track record as the main reason people should go. Plus he'll have an introduction in Cap 3 to hopefully help as well.

Pretty sure T'Challa is Black.

Race and Nationality aren't the same thing.

And miss me with the "race pandering" stuff. It's targeted marketing, which is done by just about every movie studio. You can argue how effective and necessary it is but it's incredibly common.

[Darth Tigris]

Pretty sure T'Challa is Black.

Race and Nationality aren't the same thing.

And miss me with the "race pandering" stuff. It's targeted marketing, which is done by just about every movie studio. You can argue how effective and necessary it is but it's incredibly common.

It's generalizing for the sake of making labeling easier. Taking this from the American perspective (where these movies are produced), black is African-American (not a term I'm a fan of, but I'll use in this instance). A number (if not a majority) African-Americans have a multiracial ethnic background. That is not the case with most Africans and definitely not with an isolationist nation like Wakanda. While race and nationality are not the same thing, race is proving to be a highly inaccurate way of identifying who or what a person is. As I mentioned, T'Challa has as much in common with African Americans as Thor does with Irish-Americans.

Big budget tentpoles don't race pander. They're appeal makes that unnecessary.

[Kasper Cole]

It's generalizing for the sake of making labeling easier. Taking this from the American perspective (where these movies are produced), black is African-American (not a term I'm a fan of, but I'll use in this instance). A number (if not a majority) African-Americans have a multiracial ethnic background. That is not the case with most Africans and definitely not with an isolationist nation like Wakanda. While race and nationality are not the same thing, race is proving to be a highly inaccurate way of identifying who or what a person is. As I mentioned, T'Challa has as much in common with African Americans as Thor does with Irish-Americans.

Big budget tentpoles don't race pander. They're appeal makes that unnecessary.

Yes they do. They air alternate versions of trailers on certain networks and alternate commercials on certain radio stations. They cut trailers to make it appear as if some trailers have bigger roles in films. Some trailers also air more heavily on some networks and in front of some movies.