Why is there still such a fuss over Idris Elba as Heimdall?

[Vartha]

Hello, I'm new to this board. So new that I don't even have an avatar yet, but I wanted to say that I couldn't agree with you more. I just saw Thor today and Idris was excellent as Heimdall. He looked and sounded amazing.

Welcome aboard!
Heh Elba was intimidating wasn't he? There was either some Script change, or a part deleted, but just before Thor, loki, and the Warriors III go off to Jonutnheim, the Warriors III make some comments about Heimdall being able to hear a bug fart in another Realm, then they ride out to Heimdall, and he's looking at the Three frowning. lol They apologize for what they said. lol

 

[jacobed]

The funniest part in the whole movie is when the Warriors 3 are talking about Heimdall and then he summons them and then him talking with them after that. I was laughing so hard

 

[Nathan]

"Shhhh! Heimdall could be watching."

*Guard enters* "Heimdall demands your presence!"

 

[Vartha]

lol the Scene I described happens just before the door opens in the script, I think Volstagg says, "uh oh" after the guard says "Heindall demands your presence." lol

 

[The Morningstar]

I liked it when he was like "You would disobey your king and bring Thor back?" And the Warriors Three are hesitant "...yes...?"

"GOOD!"

 

[Vartha]

lol

 

[Kurosawa]

Heimdall was awesome in the movie. He was played perfectly, and he got to kick some ass too. He's the man.

 

[Drizzle]

I loved that it took a lot for Loki to freeze Heimdall but he broke out of it anyway. Badass.

 

[SuperSoldier985]

The spillreview was hilarious. "They cast a black guy in the movie and what do they make him? A doorman!"

lol, I love those guys

 

[bullets]

I thought the actor did a great job. My only problem, and the one thing that ruined it for me, was that he was black.

How does that ruin anything . He came across as one of the best characters.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

So he was great in the role but you are still concerned about his race? Complete nonsense like that is why I hate the internet sometimes.

 

[The Morningstar]

That's one of two things...

Racism.

Or slavish obsession with the source material to the degree that it impairs your judgement.

Both things are bad.

 

[piccolo]

I was one of the guys going ape**** about his casting in the thread we had, but Heimdall was great and Elba did a fantastic job.

Hogun on the other hand did seem a little weird.

 

[Quasimod0]

Hogun wouldve benefited from a moustache. Heimdall was awesome though!

 

[The Morningstar]

Yea... Hogun, not that impressed.

And was he rubbing lotion of Volstagg's arm? haha.

 

[DieSmiling]

Basically, there are two types of people upset that Elba (who is awesome) was cast as Heimdall:

A) Fanboys who want everything as faithful to the source material as possible

B) Racists like the CofCC who are worried about the "tainting" of white culture.

I'm pretty sure the majority of people on this board who were upset fall into group one.

To me, it's all about how iconic the character is. Would I be upset if Beyonce were cast as Wonder Woman? Yeah, for a plethora of reasons, one of which is that the character has a certain iconic appearance. I'd be upset if she were blonde too.

But Heimdall? With all due respect, is it that big of a deal?

 

[goh78]

I was one of the guys going ape**** about his casting in the thread we had, but Heimdall was great and Elba did a fantastic job.

And that's why this community gets a bad wrap and 'nerds' in general. Complaining before seeing it, then praising it afterwards.

99% of the world has zero idea who Heimdall was before this movie, myself included. The weren't even portrayed as "Gods" and even poked fun at it -so in the end it doesn't matter at all, just like everyone in opposition to the oppositionists tried to say.

 

[ClarkLuther55]

At first, I thought it was weird that they went with a black guy to play a Norse God. But after seeing the it in the context of the movie (that the Asgardians were an extremely advanced race that inspired godly myths), as well as Idris Elba's EXCELLENT performance, I was won over. He was a supporting character, but came across really, really well.

 

[DarthDaveBanner]

This film backs up that old saying "There are no small parts, just small actors".

Sif, the Warriors Three and particularly Heimdall weren't huge roles but were made memorable by the great performances. This is why "actor's directors" like Branagh are perfect for these types of fims.

 

[The Morningstar]

Yea, Branaugh got good performances out of pretty much everyone. Although I found Darcy pretty annoying, but that wasn't due to bad acting, that was just the way she was written.

 

[Sabaoth]

Idris Elba was fabulous as Heimdall.

All those who oppose Elba as Heimdall are just old fashioned racists, disguising their agenda in the form of acceptable sounding catch words such as "culture", "tradition", and "heritage".

So next time you see some one say, "I'm not a racist but I don't like Elba as Heimdall" because I am protective of "tradition", "culture", or "heritage", you will know what they really mean, which is "I am a racist but don't want to be labeled as one, so I'll use these nice words so you won't see where I'm coming from".

Marvel's Thor is a product of the sci-fi fantasies of two Jewish boys from New York, who were inspired by Norse myths; it is not and never was meant to be a direct adaptation of the myths that provided that inspiration.

 

[Midnight Black]

Idris Elba was fabulous as Heimdall.

All those who oppose Elba as Heimdall are just old fashioned racists, disguising their agenda in the form of acceptable sounding catch words such as "culture", "tradition", and "heritage".

So next time you see some one say, "I'm not a racist but I don't like Elba as Heimdall" because I am protective of "tradition", "culture", or "heritage", you will know what they really mean, which is "I am a racist but don't want to be labeled as one, so I'll use these nice words so you won't see where I'm coming from".

Marvel's Thor is a product of the sci-fi fantasies of two Jewish boys from New York, who were inspired by Norse myths; it is not and never was meant to be a direct adaptation of the myths that provided that inspiration.

Very well put. Elba's performance was dope and stuck out more than other characters with more screen time, and I'm not just saying that because I'm black. Brannagh was right in casting him. Heimdall as a character has a very important and significant presence in the Asgardian world and comic lore. Thus, having a character that could pull it off effortlessly was key. Plus, dude was huge compared to other characters second only to Thor and the Ice Giants.

I mean I don't know about any of ya'll but I would think twice before crossing that gate if some giant black dude with crazy eyes was holding a giant sword, a la Mighty Max.

 

[Vartha]

Yea... Hogun, not that impressed.

And was he rubbing lotion of Volstagg's arm? haha.

Actually the script describes these healing stones Hogun crushes up and rubs over wounds. He was SUPPOSED to carry a bag of them with him. At some point Hogun drops the bag and it gets crushed and Thor grabs it with the remaining powder to heal someone, don't recall who and why right now.

 

[Arach Knight]

I am glad to see that most of you are able to overlook Elba's origins. Perhaps the issue stems not just from the fact that Elba is "black" (a vague term) but that he is of clear African heritage (one parent from Ghana and one from Sierra Leone). If it were a black American, then perhaps there would not be as much room to fuss. After all, most black Americans (not those who recently emigrated) have white ancestry in the range of 20-30% on average. Still, I think the man was a fantastic choice for the role. He sounded more authoritative and intimidating than Thor, and that says a lot.

 

[Dstorm]

Idris ROCKKKED the role of Heimdall, i think he did a great job ... perfect fit.. his eyes were hot