DC Comics Archives - Page 2 of 2

February 25, 2015February 25, 2015

Casting Jason Momoa as Aquaman Renewed Excitement for DC Franchise

All respect to the Pacific’s favorite son, Aquaman, and I don’t mean that to be facetious. Yes, Aquaman was the butt of a lot of water-based jokes for a long time, but the character has had a recent resurgence of respectability and, frankly, awesomeness. The I-Guess-We’re-Not-Calling-It-The-DC-New-52 has produced a lot of groan-worthy, controversial and just flat-out not-great books, but one really good thing that came out of it was Geoff Johns writing Arthur Curry back to relevance. Johns has since left the book with a few writers following him, but the Aquaman comic has continued to be of good quality since.

Even while Arthur Curry continued to be a straight white male (OK, fine male Aquarian) superhero in the newest iteration, like the vast majority of comic book heroes from the major publishers, it never raised any alarm bells for me. I mean, this was Aquaman, fam. Dude just got back into the big leagues, I had other diversity battles to fight. Then came the news that Aquaman was not going to be the movie star version of a lean and incredibly handsome white heartthrob who loves the ocean (Lord knows we’ve got enough of those running around Hollywood). Instead we got Jason Momoa, who 14 people might know from playing Conan, but you probably know him from ripping a dude’s throat out as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones. Or as Daenery’s husband. Surely one of those. At any rate, my first reaction that he was being cast as Aquaman was in the neighborhood of … “Oh.”

Fast forward to the first poster dropping and the Internet losing its collective mind over it. All respect to Kim Kar … I’m lying, I don’t really care, but Jason Momoa’s first poster as Aquaman kind of broke the (nerd) Internet that day. And you know what? It should have. It’s amazing. It also made me realize something — he kind of looks exactly like Aquaman SHOULD look. I mean, we’re talking about DC’s King of the Seven Seas, what is the likelihood that THAT DUDE would be a white guy from Maine? Nah, give me the Polynesian God who fell straight from Olympus and landed in an audition for some role across the Narrow Sea. All of a sudden, because Jason Momoa is in these panel streets lookin’ like Poseidon, let alone King of the Seven, he has instantly become DC’s most intriguing movie character and development (though Michelle McLaren directing Wonder Woman is still a hell of a draw for me).

Read more from William Evans at Black Nerd Problems

December 23, 2014December 23, 2014

DC Comics Casting of Viola Davis as Amanda Waller Is Exciting

Be clear, the announcement that Viola Davis is now cast as Amanda “The Wall” Waller in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie is pretty exciting news. Sure, we saw Angela “Did I give you permission to speak my name?” Bassett play her in Green Lantern, but we all know Amanda doesn’t mess with Green Lantern like that in the comics, so her role wasn’t going to be major here. Yes, Amanda Waller was also portrayed on Smallville (we see you, Pam Grier), and her cold all-business demeanor (but not her likeness) has been (arguably?) most accurate under Cynthia Addai-Robinson with her portrayal in Arrow. However, what we have here is a big start. Suicide Squad is Amanda Waller’s wheelhouse. If I could be so inclined to quote from the album of Beyonce, track 11 verse 8, this movie will have Viola Davis on her …

For those of you who don’t know much about Amanda Waller from DC Comics, the woman who Shoryuken/Dragon uppercuts the glass ceiling with how hard she goes in the paint. Let me give you the rundown right quickly. This is a woman who runs a squad of villains doing suicide missions in order to get time off for their sentences or pardons (rarely happens), the way she gets sh*t done with politics, through politics or by passing politics all together would make Theodore Roosevelt get her name tattooed across the belly while shouting out, “Yaasss, Amanda! Yaaasssss.” Waller takes the big stick ideology, breaks it over here knee and says, “Let me show you how we goin’ do this.” She ain’t taken sass from anyone, Batman included.

Now, if we keeping it over 9,000 power level, we can already see hints of Amanda Waller appear in Davis’ role of Annalise Keating in How to Get Away With Murder. Keating is a lawyer who goes for the headshot kill or the jugular in the courtroom on the show. However, the main difference is we see Annalise Keating vulnerable eventually within the series. That doesn’t exist with Waller. Amanda Waller has no vulnerability, no weaknesses to exploit. There is nothing she won’t do, and nobody she won’t merk for the mission or the long game. She is a strategist, she is a straight-up general, and she is in charge.

Read more from Omar Holman at Blacknerdproblems.com

December 15, 2014December 15, 2014

14 Comic Book Heroes Who Could Actually Exist In the Real World Today

Captain America (Marvel Comics)

Capt. America is an over-exaggerated parkour practitioner. It is possible to mimic his actions with a lot training in boxing and parkour.

Black Panther (Marvel Comics)

Like Iron man and Batman, Black Panther has wealth. Like Capt. America he is a martial artist and parkour practitioner. Any fighter in the real world willing to learn non-Asian fighting styles can be Black Panther.

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December 5, 2014December 5, 2014

‘Suicide Squad’ Casting Rumors Finally Confirmed: Will Smith Takes on Anti-Hero Deadshot

After tons of rumors and speculation, Suicide Squad fans are finally getting confirmation about which stars will be taking on some of the comic book world’s favorite villains in the 2016 film directed by David Ayer, and Will Smith has been selected for the role of Deadshot.

For once, all the rumors turned out to be true.

For weeks, rumors were swirling that Smith would be trading in his good-guy badge to take on the role of a sometimes villain, sometimes anti-hero who has been known to have a bit of a death wish and an insatiable urge for a violent victory.

Deadshot is one of the villains who will be teaming up with other infamous bad guys to go on a few suicide missions in exchange for some level of redemption for their past crimes – which are rather serious to say the least.

Deadshot is certainly not as famous as the film’s other villains, which include the Joker and the ever-so-quirky but eerily beautiful Harley Quinn, but for those who are familiar with the character they understand that there is a lot riding on Smith’s shoulders.

The villain made his first appearance in the Batman comics back in 1950 and quickly grew to be one of the favorite bad guys with a soft spot for his daughter and an incredible record when it comes to shooting targets.

For those who haven’t dived into the comic book world, Deadshot is boasted as the villain who never misses his shot.

There are some concerns that the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star may not be able to take on a much darker role and have it be believable, but Smith’s track record as a good guy has not always been about the actor taking on happy, upbeat roles.

While he was responsible for years of gut-twisting laughter back in the ’90s, Smith’s other roles have allowed him to dive into a darker space even if he was technically a good guy.

From his role in I Am Legend where he has to do all he can to survive the invasion of bloodthirsty mutants to the tear-jerking Seven Pounds where his character makes the ultimate sacrifice to change the lives of seven complete strangers in hopes to cope with a dark past, Smith has proven time and time again that when a role calls for a darker outlook he is more than capable to take it there.

Also, if his wife’s role in Gotham is any indication of how Smith might be able to take on a more villainous character, then there is certainly nothing to worry about.

Jada Pinkett-Smith is currently the face of the sassy and always-conniving mob boss Fish Mooney in the TV series that dives into the world of Gotham before there was ever a Batman to help fight crime in the corrupted city.

Of course, Smith won’t be all bad in Suicide Squad as he will be using his sharp shooting skills and thirst for blood in order to help the government.

At Smith’s side will be Jared Leto as the Joker, Tom Hardy as Rick Flag, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Boomerang and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress.

The movie will reportedly start filming in April in Toronto, the WB/DC mega-docket announced back in October.

While these casting rumors have been confirmed, there is no word out on whether the studio got its alleged first pick for the role of the Squad’s head hard-case Amanda Waller.

According to Variety, Warner Bros’ is hoping to get Oprah Winfrey to fill the role and may also be looking at Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.

Either way, Warner Bros president Greg Silverman is already very pleased with the lineup.

“We look forward to seeing this terrific ensemble, under David Ayer’s amazing guidance, give new meaning to what it means to be a villain and what it means to be a hero,” Silverman said, according to Newsarama.com

The public seems to share this sentiment as more moviegoers are ditching their favorite superheroes in exchange to see more morally conflicted but always intriguing villains turned anti-heroes.

November 25, 2014November 26, 2014

20 of the Coolest Black Supervillains in Comics You May Not Know

Tombstone

Tombstone is an albino man who serves as a hitman and enforcer in the Marvel universe. He has mainly been a Spider-Man villain.

Black Spider-Woman

She is a Wolverine villain in an alternate reality.

Lady Marabunta

She is a Batwing villain who controls a crime syndicate in South Africa.

Black Manta

One of Aquaman’s greatest rivals, Black Manta, fights the King of Atlantis because Aquaman killed Black Manta’s father by accident for attacking Aquaman’s father.

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November 6, 2014November 6, 2014

21 Powerful Black Sci-Fi Icons Who Have Changed the Game

Representation goes a long way. Surprisingly, there have been a number of major Black characters in our favorite sci-fi comic books, TV shows and movies. Here are just a few of them.

Cyborg
This DC Comics character was created in the 1980s but gained popularity in the early 2000s due to the Teen Titans animated series. He is half man and half machine. Actor Ray Fisher will portray him in DC’s upcoming movies.

Blade
One of the first major Marvel heroes to hit the big screen was Blade. With three films under his belt, the character became an icon and household name, and actor Wesley Snipes was a big reason for that.

The Falcon
The Falcon has been the most underrated Black superhero for decades because he was just a sidekick to Captain America. Now he is the Captain. Actor Anthony Mackie portrays the character in film.

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October 24, 2014October 24, 2014

8 Black Superheroes You Didn’t Know Were African

Black superheroes, though not often seen in the movies, are alive and well on the pages of DC and Marvel comics. Here are eight Black superheroes you should know, as cited by Comic Vine and Buzzfeed.

Vixen (Mari Jiwe McCabe)

Vixen, also known as Mari Jiwe McCabe, is an African superhero from DC Comics. She’s from the Zambesi tribe. After she came to America, she became a successful supermodel and went on to study psychiatry. She used her beauty and education to travel the world and became the superhero we know as Vixen. She could mimic any animal in the wild. Her power was channeled from the god Anansi. She used her abilities to fight poachers and became a member of the Justice League.

Nubia

Nubia is an Amazonian warrior from DC Universe who kicks butt — using her strength and intellect. She’s immortal and has superhuman strength, stamina and agility. She’s also considered to be Wonder Woman’s twin and the only one with the power to destroy her.

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September 4, 2014September 5, 2014

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Confirms Villainous Role as DC Comics’ Black Adam

Dwayne Johnson, better known by some as The Rock, finally confirmed that he will be taking on the role of Black Adam in the upcoming DC Comics film adaptation.

There are still many questions left unanswered, like when the Shazam adaptation will hit theaters and if Johnson will be donning a spandex bodysuit for the role, but at least fans finally know who will be the face of the famous antihero.

Johnson took to his own social media to confirm the role and express his excitement over the part.

“ ‘Kneel at his feet or get crushed by his boot.’ My honor to become… #BlackAdam #TheAntiHero #DCComics,” he tweeted Wednesday.

He also shared an image of the magic-wielding supervillain he will portray putting his arch nemesis, Shazam, in a frightening chokehold.

For many fans, the 42-year-old actor’s decision was no surprise.

Last month, he talked to The Associated Press about how much he loves antiheroes and even pointed out Black Adam as one of his favorite DC Comics characters.

During an appearance in Mexico City to promote his latest film Hercules, he explained that he will do everything in his power to satisfy the fans.

“I am putting my heart and soul and my bones into this role,” he said.

Toby Emmerich, president and chief operating officer of New Line, is not the least bit worried about Johnson’s ability to bring this character to life.

“We love Dwayne and have had nothing but success with him over the years,” Emmerich said. “When I look at Dwayne both off screen and on screen, he is such a larger-than-life character, and it just made perfect sense to me that we put him in a DC Comics movie. You look at these comic book characters and they have this certain swag and charisma that Dwayne carries with him wherever he is, so that’s why this always made sense.”

Warner Brothers has not announced an official release date for the film.