Negroes in Narnia

“It’s based on Medieval Northern Europe and there aren’t many black people in Europe.”

“They changed that character to a person of color to fulfill a diversity quota! It ruins the character!”

“What if we made Black Panther white?!”

If you are a fan of any current media, and even slightly frequent the internet then you’ve probably heard ridiculous statements like this. We live in a time where many of our favorite creative properties are being brought to life on the screen, and with that often comes a few changes. One of the most notable changes is the ethnicity and race of some of the characters from these series. This seemingly minor change often sends the internet fandoms into a tizzy. Some of the noteworthy cases of this being Anna Diop being cast as Starfire in the television show Teen Titans, and Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel in the upcoming live action remake of The Little Mermaid. Some fans seem to believe that there is little to no place for diversity in our fictional media. Allow me to briefly explain why they’re wrong.

I’ll start with the first statement for the sake of cohesiveness. A lot of fantasy is modeled after medieval European culture. While it is historically true that these were predominantly white societies, fantasy can exist without being historically accurate to our real world. To be clear I’m not referring to the media set in that actual time period and era. In those cases it is logical that there are few to no people of color. I’m referring to a fantasy setting loosely inspired by that period. How is it possible that you can fully believe that ghouls, goblins, and dragons exist within that realm, but somehow seeing a person of color ruins your immersion? People can make the argument that differences in skin tone wouldn’t occur because of one bogus reason like climate or another, but in a world where mythical creatures evolve alongside humanity I don’t think it’s so far-fetched to believe humans with different skin tones could be born. Even if a reason like climate and regional differences were viable, it could be assumed that different regions exist within that world, and it is totally possible for a family or large number of those people to have migrated to this predominantly white made up fantasy country. If you feel like that’s a lot of assuming, then I want to add that in our current reality life originated in Africa, and that people of color were the first citizens of the world. So for you to believe that in a fantasy universe human life would begin, evolve, and develop to a point mirroring our own in medieval Europe without people of color existing at any point is a large assumption on its own.

Now for the issue of Race Washing. I generally agree that a character should not be racially changed just for the sake of diversity. That being said there are instances where the race of a character should not matter at all as it does not affect the character. If the character behaves exactly the same, but is a few shades darker that does not affect the core of the character. If the character’s change in race alters their story, personality, or any other trait they’re typically known for then yes that’s a problem. I find that people often link a change in personality to a particular character to their newfound skin color when both are present and that isn’t usually the case. A writer can alter a character in a way that displeases the fans without changing the race, and a writer can change the race of a character while continuing to portray them perfectly. The two issues are not always linked, and yet people continue to assume one is the fault of the other. If you dislike an actor/actress portraying a character that’s fine. If that person doesn’t live up to your fictional expectations of how hot they’re supposed to be that’s fine, but stop using a change in race as a reason to hate on a character. I can understand being displeased with not seeing a character quite how you envisioned them, but what is wrong with more diversity. If you just don’t like people of color, then at least be honest with yourself and say that. And to just go on record I’m not saying that I agree with changing a character for the sake of diversity, I’m just saying it doesn’t indefinitely ruin a character.

Now on the flip side of that let’s discuss why white characters can usually be changed without issue and why people of color characters can not. The first and most important thing you need to understand is that people of color characters are often created because there is a lack of representation for that group. The identity of that character is typically deeply tied to their race, or culture. Black Panther was created specifically to be a black character. It is part of the core of who he is. Superman is a character whose race is not deeply tied to who he is. That being said I will say that Superman is an iconic character in such a way that his image is that of a white man, and that’s perfectly fine. No one should go out of their way to make a black Superman, but if that was to be a thing it would not alter the course of his story. For this argument I’m ignoring the entire DC universe where every hero is black, because that’s a strange topic worthy of its own article. Concerning this point I do want to say that if these characters are to mirror our actual reality then it would be negligent to have something like a black Superman whose character development completely ignores the real issues of racial prejudice that we face in reality. The fortunate thing with the issues these kinds of fantastical characters face is that race is rarely a factor. Being black wouldn’t alter how Superman defeats Lex Luther, or how Batman faces off against the joker. There are exceptions to this, and those stories are explored fully. For example there is a Marvel character named Blue Marvel, who was basically beloved in the same regard as Superman (in their respective universes), until the public found out he was black. When telling stories like these the character’s race is a huge factor in the core of the character. It can often depend on what story is being told, how it is being told, and why. This again brings me to the most important point is that people of color characters are crafted to fill a need, or give a voice to the struggles of that group while attempting to inspire and entertain all who consume the media.

With all that being said I think it’s best if we all try to be more understanding and inclusive with the media we consume. Being critical over minor details can ruin one’s experience of a truly great show or movie. That is not to say valid criticism is not welcomed, but next time stop and think before bashing characters based on skin tone alone. I think we all just want a great experience when our favorite characters are brought to life.