Justice League The J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter Thread

[Changeling]

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[Changeling]

I can see Will Smith as John Stewart or Black Lightning (Who ive always liked)

Not as Cyborg though, they should get someone young.

Will SMith should not be Flash. Id rather have a white actor for that.. why change up the race of the character just for the hell of it? I can see Will Smith as the Flash sure, its easy to imagine him cracking jokes while fighting aliens in a Flash costume, but there are tons of capable white actors that could do just as well if not better in the role

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Yeah. I can imagine Will Smith as the Flash easily, I just don't want to see it.

He doesn't seem like the type for John Stewart, but I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of him taking the role. I could see him as Black Lightning... wouldn't be 'shocked' if he got the part.

 

[Changeling]

Oh you're so punny!

Black Lightning is a badass. The name is kinda goofy though... He's a black guy... With lightning based powers...named Black Lightning

But if DC wanted to switch things up for the sake of diversity, Black Lightning deserved a place on the Justice League in the new 52 more than Cyborg. Maybe they should change his name though... kinda racist.

 

[Changeling]

I still think itd be sweet to have a movie where Batman gets fed up with the Justice League and creates the Outsiders. Then I can finally see Black Lightning on the big screen <3

Metamorpho, Katana, and Black Lightning would be musts, but the rest of the team can be changed up. It'd be cool to have Geo Force and The Creeper on the team too imo.

And if Martian Manhunter isnt in the Justice League movie, the perfect place for him is in Batman and The Outsiders.

Think about it. A Batman lead team called Batman and The Outsiders could be huge.

Batman or Green Arrow
Black Lightning
Metamorpho or Martian Manhunter
Katana
Geo Force
The Creeper

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

Oh you're so punny!

Black Lightning is a badass. The name is kinda goofy though... He's a black guy... With lightning based powers...named Black Lightning

But if DC wanted to switch things up for the sake of diversity, Black Lightning deserved a place on the Justice League in the new 52 more than Cyborg. Maybe they should change his name though... kinda racist.

Yeah, I agree! I've always thought his name was racist and goofy... There's no imagination put in it at all, just straightforwardness.Then again, I'm used to DC and Marvel heroes being straightforward with their names. Guy with spider powers? Spider-Man! Man who dresses up like a bat? Batman!

I'd rather Black Lightning than Cyborg in the new 52 JL, good call.

On the subject of Batman and the Outsiders... I've never thought about that as a movie, but now that I consider it, I like it. Batman's name alone would put butts in seats. I'd love to see the others on the big screen as well, it would be a visual treat. Wow... Now this movie's going to be stuck in my head as I consider the possibilities.

Thanks a lot, Changeling.

 

[thorstone]

The suit is an important part to the character... however, race is as well. Sure, you could easily see Will Smith as the Flash... but then again, you have an odd point of view that alienates a few people on here, so it's no surprise. The Flash is a white guy, WB's not going to change that.

A mixture of CGI and prosthetics is necessary. For example, the CGI would be added to his eyes for the glow they have. J'onn's been depicted as a "black" man in he comics and animated shows. This has nothing to do with Hollywood or racism. Also, we'd see the black actor fully when J'onn shapeshifts into him to conceal his Martian form.

CGI for powers is not the same as CGI for the appearance.

I'm reminded of the Silver Surfer-- a character that was portrayed as a silver white-guy with the voice of a black man. I'm not in favor of white washing a black actor to appear as a white man on screen.

Manhunter has angular features and a white man's nose-- his face is modeled after the appearance of a white man.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

CGI for powers is not the same as CGI for the appearance.

I'm reminded of the Silver Surfer-- a character that was portrayed as a silver white-guy with the voice of a black man. I'm not in favor of white washing a black actor to appear as a white man on screen.

Manhunter has angular features and a white man's nose-- his face is modeled after the appearance of a white man.

The red glowing eyes are apart of his appearance. His powers have nothing to do with them... So no, it still counts. And where did I say that the black actor portraying MM would be "white-washed"? That's ridiculous, and wouldn't happen. The actor portraying him would have no need to appear white, because once again, MM is not white. He's a Martian.

All you did was find a version of MM with a slimmer nose. MM's had so many different looks over the years that it makes your point moot. Here, I can post pics of MM with a wider nose as well:

Spoiler

It doesn't matter what his nose or anything else looks like. Martian Manhunter is not black or white, he's a shapeshifting Martian. Let it go.

 

[thorstone]

He is a shapeshifter, but the shape and features he takes are sharp European features. The character just does not look like Manhunter when people try to visualize a black actor as him.

I chose that image because I think it's a good model for the character's head.

It would be more appealing to black audiences to actually have a black actor play a black super hero-- a hero that is a major character like The Flash.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

He is a shapeshifter, but the shape and features he takes are sharp European features. The character just does not look like Manhunter when people try to visualize a black actor as him.

I chose that image because I think it's a good model for the character's head.

It would be more appealing to black audiences to actually have a black actor play a black super hero-- a hero that is a major character like The Flash.

Sharp European features? Riiiight, that's your own opinion and not a fact. His appearance has varied from artist to artist throughout the years-- The pics I posted should have told you that. In the ones I posted, he looks more black than European, so are you going to say that the artists over at DC drew him wrong simply because you disagree?

Now you're speaking for an entire demographic? I'm black, and find MM being black in his human form more appealing than the Flash being turned black. At least MM being black would come from somewhere, since it's been done in the comics and animation. The Flash being black would come out of nowhere, and would be an unnecessary change. I find it funny that you think every single black person is going to like a black actor playing a black superhero, when the superhero isn't even black to begin with.

 

[kewlmatto]

I think WB could be clever and actually make Martian Manhunter and the genocide of the Martians the actual plot for the film.

Malefic can be the villain and the contagion can be used for Mars first, then Earth. A good way to introduce J'onn and quite a different story to The Avengers.

Justice League would band together to stop Malefic and in the process find J'onn, the only other green martian remaining.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I'm starting to think the best way to go about it is to have the League already going six-strong at the beginning, and then they come across J'onn.

 

[Powerman34]

I'm starting to think the best way to go about it is to have the League already going six-strong at the beginning, and then they come across J'onn.

Exactly! Just have the big six come together and they come across j'onn and dont know if he is friend or foe! Kinda like Super 8, maybe he came to earth and was captured and now he finds superpowered beings who he can relate to and agrees to join them to protect his new homeworld!

 

[thorstone]

Sharp European features? Riiiight, that's your own opinion and not a fact. His appearance has varied from artist to artist throughout the years-- The pics I posted should have told you that. In the ones I posted, he looks more black than European, so are you going to say that the artists over at DC drew him wrong simply because you disagree?

Now you're speaking for an entire demographic? I'm black, and find MM being black in his human form more appealing than the Flash being turned black. At least MM being black would come from somewhere, since it's been done in the comics and animation. The Flash being black would come out of nowhere, and would be an unnecessary change. I find it funny that you think every single black person is going to like a black actor playing a black superhero, when the superhero isn't even black to begin with.

My argument remains that Flash's look isn't linked to his race but instead the costume; while Manhunter's look is dependent on the face-- like Hellboy. The analytical implication of casting a black man as Manhunter is xenophobia. I know that's not how you're looking at it, but it's how it plays thematically 40 years down the road when people look back at a movie with four white people and a black man in ape-ish prosthetics and green makeup.

The race of characters like Flash and Spider Man are not required to be white.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

My argument remains that Flash's look isn't linked to his race but instead the costume; while Manhunter's look is dependent on the face-- like Hellboy. The analytical implication of casting a black man as Manhunter is xenophobia. I know that's not how you're looking at it, but it's how it plays thematically 40 years down the road when people look back at a movie with four white people and a black man in ape-ish prosthetics and green makeup.

The race of characters like Flash and Spider Man are not required to be white.

No, that's how you see it when a Black man plays Martian Manhunter. Don't speak for everyone else. You're the only one even comparing MM to an ape, when he really doesn't look like one at all except for the brow, which can and will probably be done with prosthetics. What you're saying just sounds racist, like people won't be able to accept it because of a Black male's appearance when there would be no implications of that at all. I hope you realize that this is all stemming from your own head and nowhere else. I have yet to see your opinions based in reality. And no, your argument does not remain... there's nothing to argue. The Flash's race is apart of who he is as well as his costume. Don't try to make it seem any different, because you'd be wrong... If a black guy played Flash, I can guarantee you that there would be legions of fans(as well as the general audience) wondering what the hell happened. Every version of the Flash has been white, and people know that. Heck, I remember when people thought GL was off because it wasn't starring a black man(John Stewart) mostly due to the JL cartoon. What leads you to believe they wouldn't think any differently with the Flash, only this time the race is reversed? There's really no point in arguing. You're not making any sense, and I'm surprised you haven't realized it yet.

You only use Spider-Man because of the recent race change they did with him in the comics. Comics do things like this all the time, and it's okay because they normally go through radical changes. However, movies are a different approach and you should know that. If Spidey were black in TASM, for example, people would think it's strange and wonder what the hell happened. It was different with a character like Nick Fury because outside of the comic book community, most people didn't really know who he was before the MCU movies. Flash is well-known and it would not work out the same way. Get that through your head.

 

[shauner111]

Spider-Man in costume wouldn't matter, but everyone knows and looks at him as Peter Parker. And to everyone, Peter Parker is a white teenager/young adult.

Martian Manhunter doesn't really matter in my opinion. I would be fine with any race. Black or white. Flash? yes the general audience might not know Barry Allen or Wally West by name but it's not just the costume, they know him as a white man. It would be extremely odd to see a black male underneath that costume.

 

[thorstone]

There are certainly characters like Thor or Superman that you could never cast someone other than a white skinned man as, but I just don't see why Flash would look strange with brown skin when nobody complains about Harvey Dent, Nick Fury, or Green Lantern having been changed to a black man (though Jordan and Stewart are separate characters).

I suggested ape-like prosthetics for Manhunter from the beginning with my opinion that he should be handled similar to Hellboy.

The brow of Manhunter is drawn out and exaggerated in Neanderthal fashion-- it is one of the European features I was talking about.

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

I've already given you reasons for characters like Dent, Fury, and GL. The brow has nothing to do with MM being European, because he isn't human. It will also be probably done with prosthetics, so it doesn't matter if the person playing him has a protruding brow or not. I'm done here, for now.

 

[cleverusername8]

One HUGE pet peeve of mine is when people say that movies beed black cast members to make it relatable for black audience members. That's completely ridiculous. I'm black and not once have I not liked a movie because of a predominately/entirely white cast. To be honest, race doesn't even cross my mind if I'm watching a movie I enjoy. So we can take that viewpoint and push it somewhere else (in the wise words of Patrick Star lol)

But on to the issue at hand about MM's modeling: he took on the likeness of the scientist that summoned him correct? So his design is based off of whatever race that guy is meant to be right? So this argument is incredibly useless.

And his human form has been different races at different times. I mean in the JL and JLU cartoons he changed his human form twice: once he was a reddish-brown haired white man and late he was an elderly Asian man. Then in JL Doom he was a black guy (not gonna lie, when I heard them call him John, I was confused thinking that they were showing John Stewart gor no apparent reason XD) So his human form will be whatever the filmmakers feel is best.

 

[Changeling]

[/SPOILER]

It doesn't matter what his nose or anything else looks like. Martian Manhunter is not black or white, he's a shapeshifting Martian. Let it go.

Martian Manhunter looks dead on Peter Mensah here imo

And the dude suggesting that MM can only be played by an actor of European descent because Mm's facial structure is European. Thats complete ********, any artist can draw MM any way they want, and people have been drawing him for decades, naturally different artists means different looks of the Martian. Your point is flawed because Mm's look has changed so much from artist to artist.

The prominent brow and the red eyes are the only thing that matters. The rest is a green man... the brow and eyes can be done on anyone, black or white. For me, I want a black actor for Mm because I imagine him as black and theyve shown that John Jones is black in Justice League Doom.

That makes a lot more sense to me than getting Will Smith as the Flash lol

 

[Shikamaru]

But on to the issue at hand about MM's modeling: he took on the likeness of the scientist that summoned him correct? So his design is based off of whatever race that guy is meant to be right? So this argument is incredibly useless.

That point got me thinking. It would be so, SO freakin' awesome if WB gets Neil deGrasse Tyson (as himself) to be the scientist that summons Martian Manhunter in the JL movie. Words cannot explain how awesome that would be .

 

[Changeling]

what the ****

 

[Eddie Dean]

Neil deGrasse Tyson should just play Martian Manhunter, actually that would be pretty cool.

 

[thorstone]

"I've already given you reasons for characters like Dent, Fury, and GL."

All of those characters were changed from white to black in my life and nobody got ******** about it.

No matter what you think about artists drawing him differently-- the brow is, like Hulk's, an exagerated caucasion trait.

Also, in addition to looking at Hellboy for inspiration on the prosthetics; I believe the following is a good reference.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

The thing is, neither of them look like Martian Manhunter. Who doesn't always even have this exaggerated brow you seem to think can define as a white only trait.