#mena characters

[magnificent-nerd]

New meme format just dropped:

[magnificent-nerd]

What’s his name, Marvel?

Image description: actor Haaz Sleiman, slated to appear in movie Eternals.

(NB: For the record, any of my criticism on this post is directed to Marvel Studios and Disney, not to the actor Haaz Sleiman (pictured above) nor Eternals co-star Brian Tyree Henry, whom I wish nothing but the best for.)

Now, I have some marketing moans about Eternals from Marvel studios.

It is August, 2021. 

There's been a buzz about the MCU's "first openly gay character" recently (how dare y'all disrespect Gay Joe Russo like that), and that the character, Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), will be shown in the movie to be married to another man (played by Haaz Sleiman).

The MCU's first gay couple, as Marvel studios themselves keep touting.

Anyway, I wondered to myself: what's the husband's name?

So I set to Google.

I Googled the cast list for Eternals, and this a screenshot from today of the lower end of the results:

Image description: Eternals cast list from Google, where actor Haaz Sleiman is listed as “Phastos’ husband”.

Ah, no name. 

The text under the actor's name simply says "Phastos' husband".

Okay, so I went next to IMDB, to search the 'full cast and crew' section, of which there is only 19 listed as of today (and I'd expect that list to grow after the movie releases).

IMDB screenshot:

Image description: IMDB listing for Eternals, actor Haaz Sleiman has no character name listed.

These are the bottom four results on the IMDB listing, and Sleiman's "Husband" doesn't even have the word husband listed.

Below him is a named character, Karun, and two 'uncredited' characters such as 'Girl' and 'Passerby'.

Um... Right.

Now, I'm not trying to be difficult. I just want to know what this guy's name is. I also want to know: why isn't his name listed? Why isn't it easy to find?

I've browsed Google for articles on this nameless husband for the past half an hour, and the only sparse information I can find is seemingly one interview/quote that the actor (Haaz Sleiman) has given, stating that his character and Phastos share an onscreen kiss.

That's great, but what's his name?

I'm getting the impression that Husband (we'll have to just call him that for now) isn't going to have a prominent role in this movie, considering he's nameless and so far down on cast listings.

Just one up from 'uncredited', basically.

News outlets refer to his character as "Phastos' husband" only. Withholding a character's name makes no sense, unless that name/character themselves is a spoiler.

Yet... I'm not really getting that vibe from Husband, I'm getting more of a walk-on role vibe from him/this character. And if that's the case, his name won't be a spoiler, so why isn't is more widely available?

Leaving him nameless while also watching Disney/MCU pat themselves on the back for this gay rep onscreen feels disrespectful to his character.

Is he a well rounded character, or a nameless walk-on with one line?

All we know is from Sleiman's direct quote: "I'm his husband, I'm an architect, we have a child."

That's great, but did Disney give you a name?

Sigh.

I'm really trying to reserve my judgement until the movie is out (we may have to wait until 2022 if it gets delayed), and I'd love to be pleasantly surprised...

But then I remind myself this is DISNEY and Disney's track record with LGBT+ rep has often been hyped up only to fall flat and ring hollow when actually seen onscreen.

See the afore mentioned Gay Joe Russo in Avengers Endgame (2019), and LeFou's "exclusively gay moment" which was more like a vaguely gay nanosecond in Beauty and the Beast (2017). Hardly great rep.

And another barely there moment (two seconds, was it?) in Rise of Skywalker (2019) when two women share a kiss (Commander Larma D'Acy kisses her pilot wife Wrobie Tyce) in celebration at the end.

I rather fear we're going to get another two seconds, blink and you'll miss it, kiss between the two married men in Eternals.

Disney is putting so much emphasis on any visibly gay couple being MARRIED in order to kiss (while Hetero characters kiss and more without being married), attempting to package their gay characters as homely, 'respectable', and more palatable to a Het audience, but if one of these characters doesn't even have a name then how is it any better or more meaningful than the nanosecond that 2017's Beauty and the Beast served up?

How is a character going to matter when he doesn't even have a name? You're trying to tell me he'll be important to the story, to audiences? Doesn't seem like it from here.

Now, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.

I'd love to see this character in Eternals get a name other than "Phastos' Husband" (I'll be keeping an eye on listings for a name, too.) I'd love to see him have lines, I'd love to see him onscreen generally. 

I want to see him matter.

As always, Disney wants us to 'wait and see', a line they often feed us when it comes to MCU characters.

Disney knows queer fans are here, they prove that enough by leaning into queerbaiting with their marketing (Bucky Barnes, and more recently Loki have suffered from this) but Disney rarely delivers anything satisfactory.

Writer Russell T. Davies, of fan favorite show Torchwood, recently said that Disney's attempts to show Loki as bi were "a feeble gesture". (He's right and he should say it.)

I'm not exactly holding my breath with Disney here, but I'll wait until I see Phastos and Husband for myself before I decide if it's any good or not.

Or if this poor dude ever gets a name.

In the meantime, all I want to see is Disney treating this supposedly ground breaking new character with the same respect as the other cast: list his name.

List his name with the rest of the main cast.

It shouldn't be this difficult to find out a character's name in a major movie, and especially not if the studio is making a big deal about the character being there, giving themselves points for rep.

If that name is out there somewhere (I gave up looking, it shouldn't take longer than thirty minutes to locate a name for God's sake), then it needs to be made more prominent so fans can find it.

Google and IMDB would be ideal places to have the character name listed.

If IMDB can list 'Girl' and 'Passerby' onto the uncredited roles, then we should also have a simple NAME for this Husband so we can start using it.

What's his name, Marvel?

~*~

Do YOU know what Husband's name is? Tell me!

#PhastosHusband

Originally posted on my blog, magnificentlynerdy.blogspot.com

[magnificent-nerd]

Which nameless MENA character was better? Disney vs. Netflix

Image description: top image is a still from episode 1 of Disney's Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021), and bottom image is a still from episode 6 of Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy (2021).

Surprising no one, Disney failed.

Let's compare the nameless MENA extras point by point. Disney first. TOP IMAGE.

Minus points for: 

Racist yellow filter

Meaningless dialogue that add nothing to the MENA characters

Praising American military

= minus 3 points to FATWS/Disney (I could list more but let's stick with the main issues)

Netflix next. BOTTOM IMAGE.

Plus points added for: 

No racist yellow filter used

Meaningful discussion is had

Character is shown in additional background scenes of the episode

= plus 3 points to Jupiter's Legacy/Netflix.

As far as crumbs go toward any MENA rep, Netflix's Jupiter's Legacy won this round.

Read on under the cut as I explain why:

Looking for and spotting any MENA, SWANA, or Muslim characters in superhero media feels a bit like that Leo DiCaprio meme where he's pointing at the TV; in that when I do spot any MENA characters on the screen it's very much a sit up in my chair and pay attention moment

That's how rare they are.

Now, sadly, often those moments are total cringe.

For a cringe example, see recent Disney Plus show Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021). Character Sam Wilson (Falcon) is shown in his first scenes as being on a mission in Tunisia (which is a Muslim majority country in North Africa) with the US Air Force.

Side note: I have so many complaints about how this is all set up to start with, attaching comics characters to the US military way too often and for no good reason. Having Sam's bird Redwing as A DRONE of all things! For a really well put together explanation on the MCU/US military love affair, I recommend watching this video on YouTube: Military ads in Marvel movies.

Let's not forget Marvel comics also tried to set up a recruitment campaign with defense contractor Northrop Grumman not that long ago. Shady, shady, shady dealings there, Marvel and Disney.

Anyway, while Sam and the US Air Force are in this Muslim majority country doing what they please, Sam is shown fixing his DRONE when two nameless Muslim characters walk by.

These two walk-ons basically curtsey to the US military, thanking them for existing.

Yuck.

It should go without saying that this is really gross, and in no way provides any decent or accurate representation of MENA.

Please also note that Marvel Studios didn't miss the opportunity to make the shots of 'Tunisia' (which is actually filmed in Prague, Europe) a ghastly yellow filter effect:

Disney has a bad track record for yellow filter, and also used it recently for the Morocco scenes in Black Widow movie (2021). 

Disney, would you please stop using yellow filter!

Now, those nameless walk-on characters were honestly a moment that is far more common to see in superhero media, or American media in general:

nameless MENA bit parts, nothing more than 2D characters existing only to praise the Americans onscreen.

In other words, really problematic, and not something I get any joy from seeing. MENA seem to exist in western media purely to act as props/sacrifices to the US military, or to America in general in these weak storylines from US writers.

It's the same in nearly every American action movie, if MENA aren't the bad guys.

To reiterate: Yuck.

Can't we see something new? It's 2021.

So, imagine my surprise when I spotted a MENA character on one episode of Netflix show Jupiter's Legacy (2021), and not only did he have lines but he actually shared a touching scene with one of the main characters.

GASP.

In episode 6 of Jupiter's Legacy, where the main heroes are in their flashback era and on the boat from Morocco to the magical/fictional island, there's a scene where Fitz goes to the boat's engine room to assist in a mechanical issue.

After a nameless white character/antagonist leaves, Fitz shares some dialogue with a Muslim sailor.

They talk about racism, about Fitz living in America and the racism there.

This is set in 1929, or close to it.

This is the Muslim sailor conversing with him:

It's a really touching scene, not least because finally here is a MENA character in a superhero piece of media that is shown to be a decent person and a supporting character, but he's also shown as smiling, kind, and he's shown as relatable.

This is so incredibly rare in western media.

(He doesn't die in this series either, which is always a plus when it comes to MENA characters.)

One drawback is he's virtually nameless, as nobody uses his name onscreen. IMDB lists him under Ahmed, but it would've been nice to hear someone say it.

For comparion, Disney Plus had its nameless walk-on Dad listed as 'Cafe Patron, episode 1' (though that's a guess on my part, because no photo of the actor or character is shown, nor for the daughter).

IMDB name listing or not, if nobody is using their names in the scenes I count them as nameless characters because audiences will use descriptors such as 'the sailor', or 'that bloke in the street'. They won't be trawling the extras listings in IMDB.

Both studios need to do better with naming their extras, especially if the character is simply there to make the cast 'more diverse'.

(I literally just wrote about this problem with the upcoming Eternals movie.)

Give them a name, dammit! It takes less than a second. I've seen other TV shows and movies do it just fine for bit part characters, so there's no excuse.

Anyway, back to Ahmed the sailor: there's no pictures or video clips I can find of this scene taking place (SIGH), so that means we've had to make do with a photo I took of my own TV, showing Ahmed smiling during the scene.

The character of Ahmed Moustafa is played by Nabil Rajo, a MENA actor.

This is the sort of MENA representation we're desperately craving, not just in superhero media but across all media.

Just some decent, relatable characters, played by MENA actors.

This was a brief supporting role, too, and I'm still really excited about his part because of how rare it is.

Yes, I would've loved to have seen him given a bigger part in the show.

Of course, I'm ticked off that Netflix didn't renew this show, because there was a small chance that this same MENA character could've been given superpowers along with the rest of the boat crew; from blowback off of the island.

(There was a brief hint of the crew being hit with the same magical wave as the main heroes; watch the Captain's face to see it sparkle.)

And I really want a MENA superhero!

Now, overall, the show Jupiter's Legacy is far from perfect.

I haven't read the comics so I can't compare the show to its source material. I do think the show had potential (that therapy scene of Sheldon's was very good, for example, and wipes the floor with Disney's recent attempt at showing a superhero in therapy: Bucky during Falcon and Winter Soldier).

I'm also very aware (oh, boy, am I aware) that Jupiter's Legacy has its problems with racism, namely focusing on the white characters too much and graphically killing off a lot of PoC characters, especially the women.

I don't actually think it's any worse than the MCU/Marvel Studios in that regard (anyone else notice that the only Black Widows to die in the Black Widow movie are WoC?), and the MCU has had thirteen years to get its shit together to avoid bad tropes like that. (Let's not hold our breath, hm.)

Back when it started, MCU phase one was the likes of Iron Man 1 and its terrible representation of MENA as terrorists, MENA dying graphically and then conveniently forgotten about, never to be shown again.

(Yinsen's cameo in Iron Man 3 doesn't count as it adds nothing to the character he didn't already tell us about in IM1, and he's already long dead by that point.)

And as far as MENA go, there have literally been no other MENA in the entire MCU until those two nameless walk-ons in Falcon and Winter Soldier, which I've already explained is problematic and shallow.

So if Jupiter's Legacy season one was showing a MENA character as decent and relatable with possible superpowers, imagine what season two could've accomplished had it continued in that vein.

I want to see more.

(And before anyone tries to tell me about Disney's Ms Marvel show coming up, I'll tell you to go Google "Fix Ms Marvel" and see why MENA fans are already concerned about the show due to its problematic casting and creative decisions/US military attachment.)

~*~

Have you spotted any MENA characters in superhero media lately? Tell me!

Originally posted on my blog, magnificently nerdy.

[magnificent-nerd]

Where are the good guys?

Image description: actors Ennis Esmer and Marwan Kenzari.

When it comes to positive Muslim rep, where are the good guys?

It would be good to focus on some positive Muslim character rep for a change.

The two examples I've picked aren't from superhero media per se, but I'd call them superhero adjacent. Sci-Fi, action genre. Safe to say if you enjoy superhero content, you'll probably enjoy these recs.

Let's dive in.

Example 1. The Old Guard (2020 movie, Netflix)

The Old Guard is a Netflix movie starring Charlize Theron in the lead role, based on the graphic novel written by Greg Rucka.

So it is a comic book movie, and you could call it a superhero movie as the main characters have a superpower and they do superhero-ing. The story is grounded more in reality, mercenaries trying to do good, if you like that kind of theme.

The characters of Joe (Marwan Kenzari, Tunisian-Dutch, Arabic speaking actor, also played Hot Jafar in Disney's live action Aladdin) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli, Italian actor) are from Byzantium times when they were Muslim and Christian soldiers respectively, on opposing sides of war.

They met during that war, and they became an out and openly loving queer couple.

The movie shows Joe and Nicky as an established couple, which makes a nice change in media to see a happy couple work together.

Onscreen we see Joe and Nicky show caring yet casual affection to each other frequently; one of the movie's highlights to me.

Yes, there is an onscreen m/m kiss. RARE in any comic book movie/superhero content, so the movie gets bonus points for that.

I suppose my one complaint is that they're not in the movie that much, they are background characters. The movie focuses more on the two women characters (Andy, and Nile).

Image description: a scene featuring ‘good guys’ in The Old Guard, extremely rare to see a Muslim character like Joe included in a ‘hero’ shot like this.

It's directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, so do check it out.

The Old Guard is a great example of how easy it is to cast a SWANA actor into the part of a SWANA and Muslim character who isn't a baddie, or a terrorist, or another tired trope, but shows Joe as a good guy and a well rounded character with important lines to say.

And he doesn't die, yay! 

Also, bonus points for a queer Muslim character. We need more of those.

~*~

Example 2: Blindspot (series, NBC/WB, The CW)

Blindspot is a TV show (2015-current) from American TV network NBC, affiliated with Warner Bros. and The CW producers

(The CW is the same network who makes a lot of the DC superhero content that fans call The Arrowverse, and so far the only superhero content from The Big Two that portrays any LGBT characters on a regular basis.)

Blindspot is a spooks/gov agents/FBI procedural show, but with a Sci-Fi twist of magical glowing tattoos that hold clues to mysteries the team has to solve to stop Bad Guys.

Like CSI meets Bond, plus it's very easy to dip in and out of and simply enjoy the banter and the action. I'm calling it superhero adjacent because it definitely lives more in the world of Sci-Fi than reality (I mentioned glowing tattoos, right?) Like a James Bond theme but with a woman lead. (Jamie Alexander, also plays Lady Sif in the MCU.)

Anyway, one of the supporting cast is a queer Turkish character, Rich DotCom, who is played by a Turkish-Canadian actor, Ennis Esmer.

He is a bit part/recurring character in seasons 1 to 3, then becoming a regular from season 4 on.

My first quibble is, I'm pretty sure we have another straight actor playing a queer character, BUT at least the show managed to cast a Turkish actor to play a Turkish character. (Heavy side eye at Disney right now: see, it isn't that hard.)

While Rich Dot Com does play into the stereotype of a SWANA character as a hacker, I can say he is well rounded as a character, especially as the seasons go on.

He starts off as a criminal (a very light hearted, quippy criminal who fleeces rich white people online, so I don't really mind that aspect much) and later works for the FBI. Many of the characters including the lead (Jamie Alexander) have a good guy/bad guy grey area that's explored, so at least it's not just the Muslim character.

Showing a Turkish character onscreen as one of the good guys, being funny and likeable (he is SO likeable) with a lot of screen time (one bonus of TV shows to movies is all the screen time afford to supporting characters) is really great.

Not to mention his character is queer, and there is a recurring on/off boyfriend character (Boston) who he has interaction with.

Last time I watched the show, the pair had a tender moment when Boston found out that Rich had bought his art pieces. That was a great episode.

I really appreciate seeing a character like this onscreen on a regular basis. I do like the show, it's fun and cheesy procedural stuff. If you like spies and action, give it a watch. (Also, Bill Nye guest stars!)

I'm aware the final season (final? Really?) has been confirmed and is yet to air, but with talks about Rich and his partner-in-lab-banter, Patterson, having a spin off show, I remain hopeful that Rich won't be killed off. Don't let me down, Blindspot!

(Honestly, if you wanted to just jump into the show on any season, that's easy enough to do. That's what I did whenever it was playing on the TV channel. Procedurals allow for easy viewing, IMO.)

And just a P.S. with Ennis Esmer, he also has a recurring role on team good guy in Canadian show Private Eyes, a similar fun romp if you like mystery shows.

Now, I'm not saying the examples of Rich from Blindspot or Joe from The Old Guard are perfect, there's always room for improvement (like, can we cast queer actors to play queer roles, please?) but they're certainly a lot better than the rest of superhero media has provided.

Blindspot and The Old Guard have achieved better representation for Muslim characters onscreen in the past couple years than the MCU and DC have put together over the past decade.

And it's odd how Warner Bros(DC) has better rep all round in its affiliated TV shows but NOT its movies. Hopefully The Old Guard will prove that diverse characters AND diverse casting in superhero movies IS possible, and more studios will follow that good example.

The sad fact is, it's not that hard to write in more diverse characters and then hire a diverse cast to any media. Doing so does not impact quality either, it only enriches it.

I'd like to see more good rep on my screen. No more cardboard cut-out baddies for Muslim characters (hard side eye at Wonder Woman 1984), let's have some good characters.

~*~

Originally posted on my blog, magnificentlynerdy.blogspot.com

Have you any recs for positive Muslim and SWANA rep in superhero media? Tell me about them! Add them to this post or send me an Ask.

[magnificent-nerd]

Netflix Orders ‘Grendel’ Series Based On Dark Horse Comic With Abubakr Ali To Star, 8 More Cast

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has given an eight-episode series order to Grendel, a series based on the masked vigilante from Matt Wagner’s popular, award-winning Dark Horse comic book series, with Abub…

Netflix Orders ‘Grendel’ Series Based On Dark Horse Comic

With Abubakr Ali To Star

Netflix has given an eight-episode series order to Grendel, a series based on the masked vigilante from Matt Wagner’s popular, award-winning Dark Horse comic book series, with Abubakr Ali (Power Book II: Ghost, Katy Keene) set to star in the titular role. 

With Ali’s casting, he becomes the first Arab Muslim male actor to portray a series lead in a comic book adaptation. 

The series, written and executive produced by Resident Evil and Supernatural alum Andrew Dabb, comes out of Netflix’s first look deal with Dark Horse Entertainment.

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This is so exciting! 

Congrats, Abubakr Ali! Can’t wait to see this on Netflix.

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Casting director, Jen Euston, said on Twitter a few hours ago: 

“I had no idea that when we cast the extremely talented [Abubakr Ali] that he would be the first male Arab Muslim to portray a comic book lead. It’s 2021 and we shouldn’t be the first, but I’m proud to have been a part of it.”

Actor Abubakr Ali then responded:

“Shout out to the real life superheroes who’ve been out there paving the way and making more of this possible, [Riz Ahmed, Ramy Youssef, Hasan Minhaj, Mahershala Ali]. Praying for the day we start opening more doors to see more of our Muslim women and non-binary talent on these lists.”

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You can follow Abubakr Ali on his twitter: @theAbubakrAli

[magnificent-nerd]

Disney MCU's MENA characters

How it started 2008: terrorists, and Ho Yinsen, in Iron Man 1

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[ a gap of 12 years ]

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How it's going 2021: a couple of nameless walk ons for 3 seconds approximately

I'm not impressed, regardless of the fact there will be 1 (one!) Muslim hero led show upcoming (with a whole host of colorism and Islamophobia issues in the casting choices), for Disney to completely erase all MENA people from every single MCU property for 13 years is actually really horrific.

It's Islamophobia.

It's very blatant Islamophobia.

--

Read my review about Disney's nameless MENA walk on characters here

Which nameless MENA character was better? Disney vs. Netflix

Image description: top image is a still from episode 1 of Disney's Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021), and bottom image is a still from ep

[magnificent-nerd]

Disney's 'First Openly Gay Couple' Lacks Depth

I reviewed Disney's 'First openly gay couple', Ben and Phastos from Eternals.

Not the movie itself; just Ben and Phastos.

You can read the full review on my blog, link above.

My one word review is:

Image description: gif of RuPaul saying "meh".

[badbookopinions]

Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust

C+ : I wanted to like this but while the concepts were fantastic the actual execution was not nearly as well-done.

Soraya, twin sister to the young Shah, has spent her life locked away, because every time someone touches her skin-to-skin, they die. But when she meets Parvaneh, a div who knows how to undo her curse, she and her new friend Azad get involved in a revenge story going back hundreds of years.

This is a solid story - there isn’t anything really wrong with it. But Bashardoust gives us such a stunning premise that by it being only solid and not excellent, it feels like a disappointment.

The thing I was most disappointed by are the relationships between Parvaneh, Soraya, and Azad - it’s such a mess of betrayal and love and hate, and we skim over it instead of getting into the really interesting screwed-up parts of it.

I did really enjoy Soraya grappling with her own monstrousness, though - is she a monster if she can hurt people but doesn’t? Is she a monster if she wants to hurt people but doesn’t? What if she hurts people but for a cause? Especially in contrast to the other monsters (both evil and mythical) in this story, it’s great.

Also, it’s such a lushly realized Persian fantasy setting - I think my favourite part of the book is actually the afterword where Bashardoust explains the myths that influenced her.

Diversity report: a Fantasy Persian setting and cast, a bisexual lead, a wlw main couple.