When Marvel revealed who would be playing The Human Torch in Fantastic Four, the Internet responded with a wide variety of criticism like “They’ve destroyed it.” But now, it’s the actor Michael B. Jordan’s turn to respond to the trolls on Twitter.
In a recent essay penned by the actor himself for Entertainment Weekly, the 28-year-old actor broke down his initial feelings surrounding the casting backlash and how he currently feels about his critics.
“You’re not supposed to go on the Internet when you’re cast as a superhero,” Jordan opened, referencing the original comic character who was described as having blond hair and blue eyes.
“I didn’t want to be ignorant about what people were saying,” he wrote. “Turns out this is what they were saying: ‘A black guy? I don’t like it. They must be doing it because Obama’s president’ and ‘It’s not true to the comic.’”
Months later, the new Human Torch says that the haters no longer bother him. “Some people may look at my casting as political correctness or an attempt to meet a racial quota, or as part of the year of ‘Black Film.’ Or they could look at it as a creative choice by the director, Josh Trank, who is in an interracial relationship himself — a reflection of what a modern family looks like today.”
Jordan also said he aspires to inspire Hollywood’s portrayal of comic book superheroes in the future.
“Sometimes you have to be the person who stands up and says, ‘I’ll be the one to shoulder all this hate. I’ll take the brunt for the next couple of generations.’ I put that responsibility on myself,” he said. “People are always going to see each other in terms of race, but maybe in the future we won’t talk about it as much.”
We feel you, Jordan! Forget the naysayers and do your thing! After all, we’re sure the haters will still be lined up at the box office; prove them wrong!
Miles Teller, Jamie Bell and Kate Mara also star in the film directed by Josh Trank. Fantastic Four is set to hit theaters August 7. Will you be watching?
