Daredevil Vondie Curtis-Hall is Ben Urich

[Marvel Spider]

I noticed he didn't have a thread, so I decided to start one! What do you guys think of Vondie being cast as Urich?

 

[TheFantasticJoe]

To be honest, I haven't seen this actor in anything before, so I'm not familiar with him, but he seemed to be very enthusiastic about the show on the panel. I'm sure he'll do a fine job.

 

[Mike Murdock]

He looks old and grizzled, so it works for me. I do like his comment on the panel. His first thought was "How can I play this character, I don't wear glasses."

But I am unfamiliar with him, so I'll have to wait to see more.

 

[Six]

I've only seen him in Die Hard 2, with President Ellis. He looks the right age. I'm sure he'll knock it out of the park.

 

[NinjaTurtleFan]

In my opinion, Jack Coleman or David Duchovny would've been the perfect Ben Urich.

 

[Mike Murdock]

Not so sure about Jack Coleman. I could see David Duchovny, but he's a bit too big of an actor for the role.

 

[Yellow Cyclone]

i wonder if the sony/marvel negotiation rumors are true and we can get the daily bugle/jonah in the future

 

[SlamAdams]

He's a good utility character actor that could rock this kind of role I think.

 

[Six]

I posted this in the other thread, but here it is again.

Vondie in what is most likely his attire as Ben Urich, with the actor playing the New York Bulletin Editor-in-Chief, M. Ellison, presumably his boss.

 

[Hypestyle]

I'm loathe to read what the "negative" posts are saying, due to the obvious racial difference.

Mr. Hall is a solid character actor, and a director in his own right- "Gridlock'd" (w. Tupac, Tim Roth), Glitter (w. Mariah Carey), Waist Deep (w. Tyrese Gibson) and select episodes of different TV dramas.. maybe he'll eventually direct an episode here or there.

 

[Naked Shia]

I don't know this actor, but Ben urich is a great character, and from the look of the picture, he does seem to have a lot of charisma. I hope he will put a memorable performance.

 

[FVD]

I really do hope he'll cameo in future Spider-Man films at the Bugle. Gotta see him and Jameson yell it out at each other...

 

[djsunyc]

we got a shot of him in the new trailer. looks like he is following the mob and is piecing together it's heirarchy...

 

[Naked Shia]

yes, it was school to see him investigating like that.

 

[Rowsdower!]

I only really know him from is Chicago Hope, and I hated him on that show, but it was because his character was annoying. But all the characters on that show were annoying. He's a good actor. I'm sure he'll do fine here.

 

[Chance Jackson]

I thought he was great in this but I really wish Marvel had avoided an often perceived trope with this kind of protagonist(going any further would be a spoiler but it's one you could probably guess lol)

 

[RockSP]

I thought he was great in this but I really wish Marvel had avoided an often perceived trope with this kind of protagonist(going any further would be a spoiler but it's one you could probably guess lol)

Spoiler

Heh, yeah I came in here to say that anyone upset about the race change (though I haven't seen any of that for once) can rest easy that they went with the tried and true "kill the black guy" thing, lol

 

[PWN3R]

Spoiler

Yes, his death added some serious stakes to the story and it made sense for his character and his arc. No denying that. But I still can't believe they were happy with making that decision, the decision to kill off someone with such potential to the greater MCU. It was a great, unexpected thing, because I kept thinking, and this was my exact thought process, "Ha, they're not killing Urich. Ok, but they're not going to KILL HIM kill him. Well, ****. They just killed him."

And it hurts even worse because this actor ****ING NAILED Urich. He was Ben Urich. I loved him. Every now and then when he's speaking he gives this weird grin/frustrated grimace and it speaks volumes to what this guy is thinking and has seen. I just wanted more of this Urich.

ALL MY RAMBLING ASIDE, he had a damn good arc and it seriously made Kingpin a threat with Urich dead.

But to me it's a situation where they're cashing in so early when they could have explored so much more. But you know, the fact that I'm so worked up about this? Maybe the writers were on to something...

Yeah, spoilers. Do not click this unless you're done with the series.

 

[Silvermoth]

I adore his face. He looks like he has lived

 

[Whatupman]

He was perfect as Ben Urich. Truly, truly great.

 

[fixxxer]

His might have been the best among a bunch of superb performances. A toast to Mr. Vondie Curtis Hall. Truly masterfully done, sir!

Spoiler

I get that a lot of people are disappointed that they killed Urich since we now won't get to see him working for the Bugle, interacting with Spidey, figuring out Daredevil's identity, etc... but I think his death was pretty integral and served the story really well. It was about as impactful as anything I've ever seen in the recent past.

 

[DrCosmic]

Spoiler

Heh, yeah I came in here to say that anyone upset about the race change (though I haven't seen any of that for once) can rest easy that they went with the tried and true "kill the black guy" thing, lol

Spoiler

Honestly, it made me kinda sick, and marred the series as a whole for me because of this very issue.

I get the point, of course, that they needed to raise the stakes, that they needed to get rid of someone we cared about and of the options: Matt, Foggy, Karen, Claire, Wilson, Vanessa, Stick maybe the Priest, he was the best option. This happens, and this trope continues because regularly it is the black character whom writers do not envision a future for, whom they're less invested/interested in. Extra kick in to the head: the other 'person we lost along the way' was the Hispanic lady we cared about.

I really could go on for a while about this, but I'll keep it short. Knowing how awesome Marvel is, to still see this brand of inequality in life value, especially in the current news cycle, it just goes to prove that black men will always be more expendable than white folks. I mean, if Marvel can't come up with something better... who can?

Maybe Luke Cage can take on this trope in a way that's interesting, and not just played for laughs ("The black doesn't die today!"). He is after all the fantasy of a black guy who can't be gunned down. Marvel's willing to be gritty finally. Love to see some serious issues at play to go along with the blood and bones.

Vondie Curtis-Hall did a heckuva job by the way. He brought a lot to this role, and he made it sing. His moments with his wife were pitch perfect and

 

[Jason Kane]

Spoiler

Heh, yeah I came in here to say that anyone upset about the race change (though I haven't seen any of that for once) can rest easy that they went with the tried and true "kill the black guy" thing, lol

Now I'm side-eying DeKnight even more about that.

Spoiler

Hell, I'd probably wouldn't have mind Fisk having Mrs. Urich offed as another effective way to break Ben to where he'd give up the crusade until another meeting with Matt would've re-energized him into going ahead with the publication rather than just kill him

Spoiler

Honestly, it made me kinda sick, and marred the series as a whole for me because of this very issue.

I get the point, of course, that they needed to raise the stakes, that they needed to get rid of someone we cared about and of the options: Matt, Foggy, Karen, Claire, Wilson, Vanessa, Stick maybe the Priest, he was the best option. This happens, and this trope continues because regularly it is the black character whom writers do not envision a future for, whom they're less invested/interested in. Extra kick in to the head: the other 'person we lost along the way' was the Hispanic lady we cared about.

I really could go on for a while about this, but I'll keep it short. Knowing how awesome Marvel is, to still see this brand of inequality in life value, especially in the current news cycle, it just goes to prove that black men will always be more expendable than white folks. I mean, if Marvel can't come up with something better... who can?

Maybe Luke Cage can take on this trope in a way that's interesting, and not just played for laughs ("The black doesn't die today!"). He is after all the fantasy of a black guy who can't be gunned down. Marvel's willing to be gritty finally. Love to see some serious issues at play to go along with the blood and bones.

Vondie Curtis-Hall did a heckuva job by the way. He brought a lot to this role, and he made it sing. His moments with his wife were pitch perfect and

Spoiler

I can easily see the Preist dying though Fisk though he has no dog in Matt's quest. Maggie (Matt's nun mother) maybe but even for this version of Fisk would make him as bad as his dad if he did given the love for his own mother and the means he took to protect her. Definitely can't see Stick dying since he's vital to the Chaste v. Hand saga and just as not on Fisk's radar anymore than the Preist

 

[Human Torch]

It didn't really occur to me while I was watching it, but once I saw this thread go up, I knew exactly what it was going to be filled with comments about....

Spoiler

Think of it this way. Urich isn't even supposed to be black. If they cast him accurately,there wouldn't even be this conversation. You can't have your cake and eat it too,I suppose.

 

[fixxxer]

^

Agreed with that. Curtis-Hall's performance was one for the ages. Quite simply, he was magnificent in the role. [blackout]His death was necessary and central to the story being told.[/blackout] This had nothing to do with the [blackout]"black guy dies first" trope[/blackout] or anything like that.