Thomas Roach on why people need to get over Michael B. Jordan’s casting as The Human Torch in The Fantastic Four….
As many people will be aware Fox is currently developing a reboot to The Fantastic Four which has finished shooting and gone into post production. Many fans and frankly haters are slamming the film already due to the casting. Whilst people believe the ensemble of heroes are too young as a whole, one of the casting choices sticks out.
Michael B .Jordan will be playing Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch, who in the comics is a white character but in this film version he is being played by the black actor. Many haters have lashed out for no other reason than because the actor is black, whilst others feel this betrays the source material. However in the film his sister is played by Kate Mara who is white. People worry that this is an issue but it really isn’t.
Michael B. Jordan has proven himself over the past few years and is certainly a promising newcomer to the industry. Many were annoyed that his performance in Fruitvale Station was snubbed for an Academy Award nomination. He is a talented actor and just needs to get more films under his belt to prove it to the mass audience.
Jordan’s casting did present an opportunity to change the race of Susan Storm a.k.a. The Invisible Woma, however the filmmakers have cast Kate Mara as the sister. This really shouldn’t bother people at all. Actor Reg E.Cathey is playing Dr. Franklin Storm, the father of both Johnny and Sue Storm. It is likely that Sue Storm will have been adopted and that will be brought up in the film. This is not a film about race and the story doesn’t revolve around the fact that they are siblings with one black and one white. People need to calm down about it.
Swapping the race of the character has proven successful in the past. Originally the character of Nick Fury was white in the comics and eventually was reimagined as being black for the Ultimate universe and was actually based on actor Samuel L. Jackson.Later when Marvel started its Cinematic Universe, they cast Jackson in Iron Man and he has appeared now in Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and is set to appear in next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Jackson has proved so popular and no one even sees him as a black version of the character at all. They just see a badass Nick Fury.
If you want the same thing from the comic books ,you should just read the comic books. It would seem pointless to tell identical stories from a comic book anyway. By mixing things up we get something fresh and new. Films reflect modern times, culture and society. They aim to be edgy and stand out. Michael B. Jordan has collaborated with the director Josh Trank before ,and knows how he works. Plus many other actors will have auditioned, and it is likely that Jordan was simply the best person for the job.
I am sure when people actually see the film they may feel bad that they criticized the casting choice in the first place. Unfortunately, some people however are going to hate and will complain regardless of how his performance or how the film turns.
Are you still bothered by Michael B Jordan’s casting in The Fantastic Four? Let us know…
Thomas Roach
Originally published October 6, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
