Is Dr. Psycho ableist?

[LordUltimus]

Just thought it deserved some discussion.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing Peter Dinklage portray him in the films.

As a side note, has anyone ever called the Mad Hatter ableist?

[Agent Z]

Yes he very much is. I would also say the same of Mad Hatter and any super villain who's described as "insane".

[LordUltimus]

Yes he very much is. I would also say the same of Mad Hatter and any super villain who's described as "insane".

I was referring more to him being a little person (Mad Hatter isn't always portrayed as one, but he often is).

[Agent Z]

I was referring more to him being a little person (Mad Hatter isn't always portrayed as one, but he often is).

Oh, I know what you mean with Dr Psycho. Yeah I feel making the only little person in the Wonder Woman comics a misogynistic rapist who is often drawn to look as monstrous as possible is ableist.

[Nyssane]

I don't think his dwarfism would be as big an issue if there were other (heroic) little people running around in comics, but there aren't. Puck is the only one that comes to mind, and I think he was transformed mystically?

Dr. Psycho is one character I'd be fine if they changed. It sucks that we'd lose a little person character, but his origin and concept is pretty offensive.

[daBronzeBomma]

Oh, I know what you mean with Dr Psycho. Yeah I feel making the only little person in the Wonder Woman comics a misogynistic rapist who is often drawn to look as monstrous as possible is ableist.

Co-sign.

If there were another, clearly positive little person figure just as or more established than Doctor Psycho in the Wonderverse, then maybe I'd feel differently.

But if your only representative (of a real-life group of people) in your franchise is so over-the-top repulsive, then those optics are going to be real bad for you.

I'd probably roll with someone like Michael Fassbender for Dr. Psycho. He usually does great with unsympathetic characters.

[kjn]

Agree with Agent Z. Dwarfs are already exposed to prejudice, and having what is probably the most vile and unrepentant villain within Diana's rogue's gallery be one helps to reinforce the idea of "the nasty dwarf" further.

Note also that it fits into the wider field of villains with distorted physiques but great mental powers that has been present for a long time in the pulp literature, and even have a TVtropes writeup. One guess who gets to be on the image of the trope.

[LordUltimus]

I don't think his dwarfism would be as big an issue if there were other (heroic) little people running around in comics, but there aren't. Puck is the only one that comes to mind, and I think he was transformed mystically?

Dr. Psycho is one character I'd be fine if they changed. It sucks that we'd lose a little person character, but his origin and concept is pretty offensive.

Puck goes back and forth on it.

[SiegePerilous02]

He definitely is, and the Earth One version should be transplanted over to the main line for this reason.
No fuss required, just make him average height.

[LordUltimus]

He definitely is, and the Earth One version should be transplanted over to the main line for this reason.
No fuss required, just make him average height.

Or shorter than average.

[Jim Kelly]

It would seem like a Tyrion Lannister effect to put Dinklage in the role of Psycho. In the books, Tyrion is not good looking, but Dinklage is a very handsome man. And Tyrion's character is softened to make him more of a hero in GAME OF THRONES.

Psycho--originally--was supposed to be ugly. It's less about his body size and more about his oversized head and bulging eyes. He creates illusions so people don't see him for being so ugly. Maybe if there was a movie version, they should get a relatively handsome actor to play the role, but use performance capture to make him look distorted with a bigger than normal head--while the same actor plays the illusory Psycho without performance capture.

[Agent Z]

It would seem like a Tyrion Lannister effect to put Dinklage in the role of Psycho. In the books, Tyrion is not good looking, but Dinklage is a very handsome man. And Tyrion's character is softened to make him more of a hero in GAME OF THRONES.

Psycho--originally--was supposed to be ugly. It's less about his body size and more about his oversized head and bulging eyes. He creates illusions so people don't see him for being so ugly. Maybe if there was a movie version, they should get a relatively handsome actor to play the role, but use performance capture to make him look distorted with a bigger than normal head--while the same actor plays the illusory Psycho without performance capture.

Defining your villain by their ugliness isn't much better.

[Michael Watkins]

It would seem like a Tyrion Lannister effect to put Dinklage in the role of Psycho. In the books, Tyrion is not good looking, but Dinklage is a very handsome man. And Tyrion's character is softened to make him more of a hero in GAME OF THRONES.

Psycho--originally--was supposed to be ugly. It's less about his body size and more about his oversized head and bulging eyes. He creates illusions so people don't see him for being so ugly. Maybe if there was a movie version, they should get a relatively handsome actor to play the role, but use performance capture to make him look distorted with a bigger than normal head--while the same actor plays the illusory Psycho without performance capture.

But are you not then denying a role to a little person actor? They could always make the character less vile. It's something they didn't do with the disfigured Dr. Poison.

[Agent Z]

But are you not then denying a role to a little person actor? They could always make the character less vile. It's something they didn't do with the disfigured Dr. Poison.

If they weren't able to do that with the disfigured Dr Poison, what makes you think they'll be any better with a little person Dr Psycho?

[kjn]

But are you not then denying a role to a little person actor? They could always make the character less vile. It's something they didn't do with the disfigured Dr. Poison.

Wouldn't it be easier to simply create a dwarf sidekick or, even better, a dwarf superhero? Because the core of Dr Psycho is that he is a vile and misogynist creature; it's far more central to his character than his size. Morrison proved that conclusively in volume two of Wonder Woman: Earth One.