This was never going to be like the cartoon – why did anyone think it would be?
This latest shambles – in which Starfire actress Anna Diop was forced to close the comments on her Instagram following a tirade of racist abuse – has us at The Newplex completely bewildered.
We spoke incredibly enthusiastically about the Titans trailer in our team podcast this week, but in the episode (which we recorded last Thursday), Newplex member Ben Senter highlighted that, already, comments had been made about the race of Diop – who, you’ll notice, is black. Somehow, some people have taken issue with this, and I honestly can’t figure out why. Because Starfire is orange in the comics? Is this yet another case in the long line of Hollywood castings where orange actresses have been overlooked? Oh that’s right – orange people don’t exist (outside of Essex anyway). So let’s get a grip, folks.
I don’t need to write in this blog why directing hate at Diop for her casting is unacceptable – if you’ve managed to read beyond the first paragraph, you’ve already demonstrated a level of cognitive prowess far beyond anyone who would.
Call it racism, toxic fandom, or just staggering stupidity, this episode has highlighted a ridiculous set of assumptions “fans” had about this new Titans series, and their disappointment at this trailer is both entirely unfair and totally of their own doing.
Your criticisms, my replies
So, while I’m still reeling at this latest demonstration of idiocy, I wanted to comment on some of the criticisms of the show that I could find. Searching for the Titans trailer on YouTube reveals the trailer itself in the first two results, and then this What Culture video in the third. Now, to their credit, they are one of the only places I’ve seen to actually try and articulate their criticisms with some reasoning, and for that they should be commended. I must also make it absolutely clear they have not made any disparaging remarks about Diop’s casting – and in fact said they liked her look in the trailer. Their actual criticisms of the trailer – as comparatively harmless as they are – however, do provide me with a list of things to comment on. So here I go.
“The costumes look good. The graphics don’t.”
I agree, most costumes look really good – though even I am not convinced of Hawk and Dove’s (is it even possible to make them look cool IRL?). We didn’t see many obvious computer graphics in this trailer – there was some effects on a gun shot and Starfire’s energy powers – both of which looked really cool. There’s a scene with oily graphics spinning around Raven at the end which looked fine.
“What have you done? You had the Teen Titans, a bunch of teens who are also Titans. It’s kind of in the name…”
You’ll note the distinct lack of the word “teen” from the title. Most of these actors are in their 20s. This is not the Teen Titans.
“The comic wasn’t afraid of doing mature storylines… but at no point did Dick Grayson turn around (I don’t even know where he’s working – is he working as a therapist?) and go ‘hey dad, f**k you!’…”
Which comic are you talking about? The current line-up for Teen Titans features a ten-year-old with a bloodlust – also, this isn’t the comic. The consensus is Grayson is working as a cop. Dick Grayson calls Bruce Wayne by his name – he’s not his father.
“…and then murder five people.”
Remains to be seen – I’m not convinced he killed anyone on further viewing of the trailer – and even if he did, I’m totally cool with them taking the character in a new direction. It worked wonders for Arrow, which is a smash hit.
“Reboots can be dark… but I associate the Teen Titans with having a good time…”
Which version have you been reading? Like all DC comics, shit gets dark fast. Oh you’re talking about the Cartoon Network show from the 00s? Aimed at kids? Cool. Maybe give Teen Titans Go a try.
“Acting looks hammy as f**k.”
That’s a little unfair, we’ve only seen a few seconds of actual speaking – but if it’s anything like the Arrowverse, you could well be right. I’d refer you to those show’s staggering success however.
“The Teen Titans, I thought, could have been their version of Thor: Ragnarok…”
Why on Earth did you think that? At what stage since the show’s announcement until now did they give you the impression that was the direction they were going in? The logo? Nope. The cast/set photos? Nope. You put that expectation on them when at every turn they told us otherwise.
“…something a bit light-hearted… reminding people that – at the end of the day – what you’re watching is actually quite farcical and silly.”
Who the hell wants that? Again, maybe give Teen Titans Go a try – sounds more up your alley. I don’t want a show to patronise me for being a comic fan – Justice League did an adequate job in that – the best DC work is dark. Let them do their thing, and stop comparing them to Marvel – we already have Marvel.
“It’s the fatal misunderstanding of what makes the comic so good – except Wonder Woman.”
Wonder Woman wasn’t set in Gotham. Or 2018. There was a heartbreaking scene when she encountered war refugees though, or when a whole village was gassed to death. Super light, that.
“The dark and gritty thing is possibly a bit over”
I do actually agree with you to a point – it’s just dark and gritty is seldom done well. I think Batman v Superman did a good job.
“Thor: Ragnarok and Gaurdains of the Galaxy came along and proved we could have a bit of a laugh”
I agree – though there’s room for both. Those films do not have fantastic stories (especially Ragnarok), so if that’s all we had, the superhero genre would die out pretty quick – or would just be the reserve of thrill-seekers.
“I’m trying to give it the benefit of the doubt…”
But you’re not.
Thank you to What Culture for listing some non-racist things they think looks wrong with Titans. I know I’ve been dismissive of everything they had to say – but I am happy to finally have a list of things to comment on.
False expectations
Watching that video, it reaffirms my feeling that fans have put some completely unfounded expectations on this show, and they’re mourning the loss of a show that only ever existed in their heads.
This show is aimed at adults, and I can only speak for myself, but I do not want a show that’s light-hearted and silly and just does some campy humour with familiar characters – there’s nothing engaging about that, and I wouldn’t have the time to waste on it.
At no point since Titans’ announcement did I suspect that it would be anything like the Teen Titans cartoon – why would it? The cartoon already exists and, crucially, they said this would be aimed at adults right from the off. We also knew Greg Berlantti was an executive producer, and we were told that the Arrowverse was the starting point tonally.
So if you’re sat that there thinking that this is not the show you were expecting, frankly, you haven’t been paying attention. This was never going to be what you assumed it would be, and they’ve been telling us that this whole time.
Change the message
Sadly though, these false expectations can manifest in far uglier ways than a dumb YouTube video. What compelled me to write this blog was the news that Anna Diop has been receiving racist abuse online, with the disgraceful conduct directed at Kelly Marie Tran still fresh in the memory. We need to be clear that, while you might not like a TV show or a movie or whatever, we as a fan base will not tolerate this kind of behaviour in our communities. We already know why it’s wrong, so I won’t bother writing it out here, but to get the ball rolling on changing the message from DC fans, I wanted to share these notes from fellow Newplex members:
“Get a grip. Morgan Freeman’s character ‘Red’ in Shawshank Redemption was meant to be played by a white, Irish redhead. Our beloved animated Aquaman and Wonderman are voiced by people of colour. Have we not had enough of an onscreen orange glow-stick? Get a grip.”
“I my opinion, the Titans trailer didn’t just meet expectations, but it surpassed them. Due to the current crop of CW TV shows it’s safe to say I was expecting a softer, and lighter approach to the series, like Flash, and Arrow from season 3 onwards. However, I was very wrong. Instead we got this wonderfully edgy, and almost Watchmen-esque style trailer, and I’m proud to say I absolutely love it. Perhaps the most exciting thing for me was how Dick Grayson came across in the trailer, especially his remarks towards Batman. I think it will be very interesting to see how they uncover what happened between Dick and Bruce, and what led him to his current state”.
– JOPO
Nothing to complain about
We’ve got to get better at this. We all love DC, but we need to be open to creators taking things in different directions. We’re so much more accepting of it in the comics, with the various parallel universes or imprints, but as soon as someone tries something new on screen, everybody loses their minds (to quote the Joker – or rather, one version of the Joker. Jared Leto’s is pretty darn good too. And that’s before we even mention Mark Hamill…).
This was a great trailer. Slick editing and fantastic music. At this point, before the first episode has gone out, there’s nothing to complain about. Definitely not about the fact that it’s not based off a children’s cartoon from 15 years ago, and certainly not because a previously orange extraterrestrial is now played by a black woman.
Let’s get it together.
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