Is Secret Invasion racist?

[Iceburgeruk]

http://www.marvel.com/comics/onsale...=/comics/onsale/covers/1208/MASPOT_SECINV.jpg

What is this cover saying? Is it saying that we shouldn`t embrace change? Is it saying I shouldn`t trust the very friendly skrull lady with a nice dessert? Why shoudln`t we trust them? Because they are skrulls? That seems patently racist. Would a comic company publish a cover with the same latent meaning with a mexican or asian woman on the cover?

http://www.comicbookbin.com/Secret_Invasion005.html

They raise some pretty good points. It does seem they are using an alien race as evil, one-dimensional villains. If you did that with a group of people on earth you would be being racist because it is a species of green aliens its apparantly ok.

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/091108si6commentary2.html

The return of the "embrace change" tagline this time used to highlight how gullible and naive the "hippy" characters are. So the comic is trying to say they are idiots for accepting skrulls into their community? That they should run them out of town because they are aliens?

Marvel seem to be walking a very dodgy line with this. Hopefully they will resolve it in a way that will defuse the problem but its just as likely they will end it with the remaining skrulls being wiped out by the marvel superheroes.

Marvel has always had a bit of a dodgy view of the skrulls. Whereas most races became 2-dimensional the skrulls have mostly been villains. There are a couple of character and events to do with skrulls who were godd guys but mostly marvel has portrayed the entire skrull race as being bad. I can almost imagine this scene occuring in a meeting at the avengers headquarters about the skrulls...[YT]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gTDhgR3p12w&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gTDhgR3p12w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YT] Marvel does seem to portray them in the way that guy views other races. I don`t think its conscious racism on marvel`s part but it deserves some thought on their part about whetehr they should reevaluate the treatment of the skrulls.

 

[Iron_Stark]

F'n Skrulls next thing you know they'll be trying to take our jobs and not try to learn English.

 

[Iceburgeruk]

F'n Skrulls next thing you know they'll be trying to take our jobs and not try to learn English.

Its just frightening. I can almost imagine the secret invasion plotline ending with mister fantastic proving that skrulls aren`t really sentient and the avengers killing every skrull in the universe. Thats how off the portrayal of skrulls and the marvel superheroes is.

I wish someone would just start writing them properly. As if they were a real beings like us and not some sci-fi racist scapegoat moustache twirling villains. I don`t mind villains but i despise the idea of someone clkaiming that someone could be villainous simply through their heritage. As i said if it wasn`t a fictional alien species it wouldn`t be allowed.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Are you...like..serious?

 

[Iceburgeruk]

Are you...like..serious?

Its not a major issue but you have to admit if you replaced the word skrull in secret invasion for say russian or african or mexican it would be very racist. Just because they are a fictional group doesn`t make it ok.

I mean its all very odd.

We have a publicity campaign which has skrull kids, skrull women and a skrull holding a human hand, which are all inferred to be propaganda by the skrull invasion.

Anyone who wants to give the skrulls benefit of the doubt are gullible fools.

Skrulls are killed by the hundreds while no humans are shown getting offed.

Superheroes who oridinarily refrain from killing now kill because a) its war!!!! b) they are aliens so it doesn`t apparantly count.

All the skrulls are part of this invasion conspiracy. Even ones like llyja who was the torch`s wife.

The whole "enemy amongst us" "skrulls could be anyone" bit sounds alot like the 50s witch hunts.

All seems a bit racist to me. What`s next skrull relocation camps?

 

[chamber-music]

All it takes is a few articles in the Daily Mail and I would believe it

 

[SuGarRush]

You are joking right?

This is the first return I've seen to decent comic book villains from Marvel in AGES, and you're decrying it on the grounds of racism?
They are EVIL aliens. That's their Schtick.
What's next:

"Society for the Moral and Humane Treatment of Vampires"? "Werewolf petting zoos!"
"Monsters are People TOO!"

The idea that something can be evil simply because of what it is, that is nothing new. It's a standby of fiction. And has been for centuries.

Marvel's crappola they've put out for the last 15 years has suffered from the problem of ambiguous heroes and villains. No one is good or evil, they're all just these amoral, ****ty, jerks. No one acts like a hero, they all just strive to impress the lowest common denominator.

Now Marvel FINALLY returns to a comic book standby, the Alien Invasion, and people are complaining?

Take some drugs for the hyper-sensitivity my friend.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Super-Skrull thinks the invasion of Earth is a folly perpetrated by religious zealots. Crusader's just defected and decided to help humanity. Jazinda's helping She-Hulk. Hulkling and Xavin are working with their respective teams to stop the Skrull invasion and save Hulkling. Lyja stopped working with the invasion force after encountering the Human Torch again.

I agree that there could be more of a clear division among the ranks of the Skrull invaders themselves, with some actually believing the propaganda that they're saving Earth, but there are at least a few Skrulls who aren't just one-dimensional redshirts.

 

[Iceburgeruk]

You are joking right?

This is the first return I've seen to decent comic book villains from Marvel in AGES, and you're decrying it on the grounds of racism?
They are EVIL aliens. That's their Schtick.
What's next:

"Society for the Moral and Humane Treatment of Vampires"? "Werewolf petting zoos!"
"Monsters are People TOO!"

The idea that something can be evil simply because of what it is, that is nothing new. It's a standby of fiction. And has been for centuries.

Marvel's crappola they've put out for the last 15 years has suffered from the problem of ambiguous heroes and villains. No one is good or evil, they're all just these amoral, ****ty, jerks. No one acts like a hero, they all just strive to impress the lowest common denominator.

Now Marvel FINALLY returns to a comic book standby, the Alien Invasion, and people are complaining?

Take some drugs for the hyper-sensitivity my friend.

Skrulls are an alien race right?
But apparantly they are all evil.
Hmm what was that definition of racism and bigotry again.

If dc made up a human race somewhere in europe and said they were all evil down to the last man, woman and child they would get done for being racist. Why is it acceptable just because it is an alien race?

Villains are good vaillain are cool. Have doc doom take over nyc or magneto attack bombay. Thats fine. they are individuals who have chosen a path of evil. But to have an alien species who are simply evil outright is racist. Are skrull babies evil?

 

[Anubis]

Corpy just told you all you need to know to see that they aren't' all a buncha evil *****e bags, just the religious zealots that are currently invading. You sir, have an overdeveloped sense of outrage. Porn and Funions will cure that right up.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

But Skrulls aren't all evil.

 

[JackBauer]

Are skrull babies evil?

Yes they are. Kill them all!!

Seriously though, enough with this overzelous politically correct bull$#!t. It's a comic book about an alien invasion. Just try to have some fun, for chrissake.

 

[November Rain]

the evil alien invasion is a lil old fashioin and yes it is racist but it's always been in all forms of media.

if they were a skrull cult or group then fine, even among their ranks i would suspect some form of variation of ideals, tolerances and methods. Kinda like how all vampires/monsters in buffy are evil/good or have the same goals

but in this case they are only a plot device being used to showcase the variations of the heroes so i can allow it.

all invasion stories are somewhat gimmicks

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Um, they are a Skrull cult. This cult just happens to comprise the vast majority of what's left of the Skrull Empire after the Annihilation Wave killed off billions of their people.

 

[November Rain]

how can any majority be consired cult by the very definition of the word?

 

[Anubis]

Because when they win, they plan to drink poisoned kool aid and become one with the force.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

how can any majority be consired cult by the very definition of the word?

Because size has nothing to do with the meaning of the word "cult"?

 

[KangConquers]

They're taking rrrrrrrr jerbs!

 

[Blader5489]

Its not a major issue but you have to admit if you replaced the word skrull in secret invasion for say russian or african or mexican it would be very racist. Just because they are a fictional group doesn`t make it ok.

The line between reality and fiction is exactly what makes it ok.

 

[chris moore]

Not all Skrulls are evil. But I'm pretty sure all the ones currently putting the smack down on the superheroes and claiming Earth is their world are evil. I bet there's tonnes of 'em back on the Skrull homeworld who couldnt give two craps about settling down on Earth and having the little bespectacled bloke down the block doing their accounts this quarter.

Racism (no one bite my head off here) is really only perpetuated by those who continue to define races, and bring attention to specific groups. We all go about our business, and people are people and some are more annoying than others but it has nothing to do with where they come from or what colour they are etc - its just that the guy walked out in front of me at the traffic lights without looking and I had to brake hard. He's not stupid for being who he is, he's just stupid. Then something happens (maybe just a government opinion on something that requires money or a vote) and all of a sudden someone is claiming that the gay community needs to be heard, or the black commuity, or the muslim community or the christian community. Someone suddenly draws attention to what becomes a separate group of people which is segregated from society by one minor, unimportant in the grand scheme of how much of our taxes goes on planting trees thing.

So no, SI isn't racist because its not about aliens. Its about a bunch of fanatical beings who want to kill every being that could challenge them and force (gently, but with the relaxed indication that its pointless to bother fighting) the populace in general to do things their way. A guy on a bus stands up and declares he's going to blow himself up, I don't think 'ooh, he's white so I'll just disarm him' or 'ooh, he's such and such and they always do that so I'll kick the nuts offa him'. We all stand up and kick the nuts offa him regardless of where he's from cos the idiot is going to blow himself up (and not in the privacy of his own home). Same with SI - if anything it shows that when a bunch of people who can be anybody and (currently it seems) have any ability, everyone of every race, religion etc comes together and decks them all. Villains back up heroes, mutants get defended by humans. That should be message.

 

[November Rain]

it can actually corp and it was that sense that i was using it but i'm not going to get into a semantic war

my point still stands.

 

[Ion Kenshin]

Chris.....Very well put man. Very well indeed

 

[TheCorpulent1]

it can actually corp and it was that sense that i was using it but i'm not going to get into a semantic war

my point still stands.

Well, they were still a cult by your definition. The only reason they're the majority now is because of the Annihilation Wave. The point is that they're a fringe group with unorthodox beliefs, not representatives of the entire Skrull race, so calling the invaders "all Skrulls," as Iceburger did, is a misnomer in the first place.

 

[Anubis]

I suppose, kill enough of an entire race and the minority becomes the majority. (Assuming they were already hiding out on the fringe of the empire due to persecution by the majority like this buncha fanatics were.)

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Is it fair to judge the Skrulls based on that, though? Kill every human except our criminals or terrorists or whatever and we'd look pretty awful, too.