During the CNN interview in which the rapper denounced marriage discrimination, Jay-Z even went so far as to liken homophobia to racism, which–whether or not you agree with the comparison–says a lot about how much he’s willing to empathize with those oppressed for their sexual orientations. Even more noteworthy is that he took on a pro-gay stance while many of his mainstream rap peers have embraced and encouraged homophobia with their rhymes. All in all, no one expected Jay-Z to comment on President Obama’s gay marriage announcement, much less do so with such sensitivity. But he did exactly that, and clearly so, saying that when it came to discrimination against gays, he “always thought [of] it as something that was holding the country back.” But if “always” is the right phrase to use for how long he’s respected the dignity of gay people, then his music has made him a hypocrite for some time:

Too many faggot niggas clocking my spending/ Exercising your gay-like minds like Richard Simmons -”Two 22′s” (1996)

Now I ain’t down with who like me, or who like you/ That’s gay, I ain’t into liking dudes no way -”La-La-La” (2002)

Furthermore, in his 2009 hit, “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” Jay-Z included a lyric that–while perhaps not explicitly homophobic in and of itself–seemed to reasonably imply that he didn’t give a damn about the plight of the LGBT community. In the song, Jay-Z raps the line, “Boom bye bye, like Buju, I’m crucial.” The lyric is a reference to the song “Boom Bye Bye” by Buju Banton, a single notorious for its explicit endorsement of murdering gay men.

Likewise, while it’s a better-than-nothing credit to 50 Cent that he offered tepid support of gay marriage in a Vibe interview, it’s also important to consider that the’s put out anti-gay content himself:

I mean these niggas got mohawks, they wearin’ skinny jeans man/ I think these niggas is faggots man, for real man/ They with the rainbow club, man – “C.R.E.A.M. 2009″ (2009)

Further, during the same Vibe interview in which 50 Cent argued the validity of gay marriage, the rapper also said: “We need organisations for straight men. We do. We need organisations for straight men in the case you’ve been on the elevator and somebody decides they want to grab your little buns.”

T.I. offered his own progressive view about gay marriage during a RapFix Live interview with radio and TV personality Sway, saying that since gay marriage doesn’t affect him, it isn’t his place to oppose it. But just last year, after Tracy Morgan’s homophobic rant resulted in public outcry, T.I. said to Vibe of gay activist groups:

“They’re like, ‘If you have an opinion against us, we’re gonna shut you down.’ … That’s not American. If you’re gay you should have the right to be gay in peace, and if you’re against it you should have the right to be against it in peace.”

Worse has been said about the gay community, but the rapper’s argument indicated a failure to consider the full context of the situation, or the larger problems it implied. Morgan’s rant had included a bit about stabbing his son to death if he acted too gay, or feminine, for his liking. It’s hard to believe that T.I. would leap to a white comedian’s defense if the comic spoke about violently murdering his son for acting too “black.”

Overall, Jay-Z, 50 Cent and T.I. all seem to be moving in a progressive direction, and they are to be applauded for their statements supporting gay rights. And it’s possible that they’ve all evolved since they’ve made their worst mistakes or missteps regarding the dignity of the LGBT community. But now that they’ve publicly said that they believe gays should not be discriminated against, they have a new obligation, whether through their lyrics or their public statements, to start acting like it.

The post No Homo(Phobia): Newly Pro-Gay Hip-Hop Artists and Their Questionable Rap Sheets appeared first on The Faster Times.

Whether intentionally or not, two of this year’s new console titles have forged a fresh frontier in video game minority representation. Protagonists of color are unsettlingly hard to come by in the world of console gaming, but within a few weeks of each other, Activision’s Prototype 2 and Santa Monica Studios’ Starhawk will deliver black protagonists to fanboy screens everywhere, quietly–if only temporarily–upending the callously monochrome M.O. of the gaming industry.

As it usually goes, white characters, and typically male ones, are the center of attention among shooters, adventure games, RPGs and so on. When nonwhite characters show up, they’re almost always in supporting roles (and almost always black, which is of course its own problem regarding other underrepresented groups). While there have been some noteworthy black characters in modern gaming, they often tend to be sidekicks, guides, confidants or villains. Even when they’re nudged a little closer to spotlight status, the focus on them usually stops short at their roles as part of an “ensemble cast,” or as a partner to another protagonist who’s white. Several sports games have black faces on their covers, but the practice is more for branding purposes than anything indicating protagonists driving actual narratives. Only once in a blue moon are black characters ever trusted to carry the entire burden of a game’s story as definitively leading heroes.

One recent-ish exception is 2004′s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But predictably, the game’s lead, Carl Johnson, is tangled in a web of gang violence that keeps the character clouded in the usual stereotypes. A similar problem plagues 2005′s 50 Cent: Bulletproof, which offers the usual fare of black urban crime as story fuel (with a sequel that switches up the locale but sticks to the pillars of rap, cash and disses to perpetuate the “hood” feel of the first.) Although there are a few other exceptions, most of them are old, and unfortunately easy to forget. In the meantime, white protagonists have more than overwhelmingly dominated the gaming stage dating back to the inception of the industry.

All the more reason to celebrate Prototype 2 and Starhawk as significant, despite being drops in the bucket. The protagonists of these games aren’t only black, but defy the the racial generalizations they would normally imply. Starhawk‘s Emmett Graves saves lives for a living in a futuristic world that honors the Spaghetti West. Prototype 2‘s James Heller isn’t even a “good guy,” but doesn’t need to be to avoid stereotypes and exist as a compelling character just the same; his role is that of a super-powered war veteran both saving and destroying the streets of New York in the wake of a viral outbreak. In both cases, race is an afterthought; the characters happen to be men of color without a shred of gaudy gangsta-ness, and fully able to carry fun, original stories on their own. Here’s hoping for more nonwhite leading characters to come, black and otherwise.

Photo courtesy of Activision.

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The post Two Video Games with Unusually Black Protagonists appeared first on The Faster Times.

ABC’s The Bachelor has seen a bit of a surge in racial scrutiny this year, given that the studio is both being sued for discrimination and lobbied by a new hopeful aiming to be the series’ first black lead. Like its’ sister program The Bachelorette, the series has never featured a nonwhite person in the titular role. And while the cast members competing for the prize of bride or groom have been occasionally diverse, it’s strange to consider that in over 20 combined seasons, not a single person of color has qualified as the star of the show.

The creator of both series, Mike Fleiss, was briefly asked about the issue by EW.com in March of last year. In response to the site’s question of whether there would ever be a nonwhite Bachelor or Bachelorette, Fleiss responded:

“I think Ashley [Hebert, the 7th season Bachelorette] is 1/16thCherokee Indian, but I cannot confirm. But that is my suspicion! We really tried, but sometimes we feel guilty of tokenism. Oh, we have to wedge African-American chicks in there! We always want to cast for ethnic diversity, it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come forward. I wish they would.”

It’s extremely difficult to believe that no people of color, anywhere, have responded or would respond to a chance to find the true love and instant stardom Fleiss’s shows offer, given intentional and aggressive casting searches. In fact, Cyrus Mehri, the lawyer for the two black plaintiffs suing ABC Studios over racial discrimination, said that dozens of racial minorities have come forward claiming they were unfairly excluded from the Bachelor selection process. Mehri’s clients are Nathaniel Claybrooks, who says that his interview took less than half the time of the white applicants ahead of him, and Christopher Johnson, who alleges that he was literally stopped, asked why he was at present at the auditions, and then told to leave.

But regardless of whether these claims hold up in court, Fleiss’s attitude toward casting people of color is already an alarming problem. The fact that he uses the stigma behind tokenism to justify why he seemingly gave up on casting minorities hints at a lack of real conviction regarding diversity. While it’s admirable that Fleiss understands tokenism to be a tired way of approaching minority inclusion, eschewing nonwhite representation altogether need not be the only alternative. Seeing as tokenism is simply the practice of meeting a minimal standard of minority inclusion, the logical counter-measure would be to meet more than a minimal standard of minority inclusion. Casting “a few African-American chicks” as leads in The Bachelorette would in actuality be an incredible leap forward in nonwhite representation for the show, considering its track record so far. A one-and-done inclusion of a minority Bachelor or Bachelorette would absolutely count as tokenism, but as long as the series seriously and consistently aims to cast nonwhite leads as often as white ones, then the show could never again be accused of–or sued for–being lax on the matter.

As of now, however, the outlook is bleak. In the same interview that Fleiss revealed a fear of tokenism to be part of his vindication for The Bachelor and The Bachelorette‘s bleached looks, the creator also said that he prefers to bring back previous Bachelors for new seasons moving forward. Because all Bachelors so far have been white, it’s clear that Fleiss’s “wish” for more diversity is more talk than walk. And as long as sampling the same pool of white people is his priority, tokenism, at this point, would be a step up.

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Hollywood’s big movies are looking as pasty as ever this summer. But if you look hard enough, you can make out a few black folks. Below is a list of the season’s flagship films bringing a little brown to town.

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury – The Avengers (May 4)

It’s been a long time coming, and Sam Jackson has certainly earned his leading-ish role in this ridiculously hyped action movie. In The Avengers, Jackson plays good-guy mastermind Nick Fury, who assembles Earth’s mightiest, if woefully mismatched, heroes in Marvel Entertainment’s magnum opus.

Rihanna as Cora Raikes – Battleship (May 18)

Rihanna plays a hardcore Naval officer in the upcoming merchandise-turned-movie monolith, Battleship. The singer has said that she didn’t want her role to be one that made her look pretty. But with all the slow motion and sweat and gun-firing on her part, it’s going to be an uphill battle.

Will Smith as Agent J – Men in Black III (May 25)

Unsurprisingly, Will Smith is the only black actor with a legitimately leading role in this summer crop of blockbusters. This round, J is somehow comfortable going back in time to the 1960’s. Hopefully he’ll make it through the movie without slipping and falling on all the prejudice lying around.

Idris Elba as Janek – Prometheus (June 8 )

Idris Elba is some dude in a horror film filled with white people, i.e., let’s celebrate if he makes it past the first 20 minutes.

Mary J. Blige – The Rock of Ages (June 15)

In the film adaptation of the classic musical, Mary J. Blige plays a gentleman’s club owner that helps a lead character toward future success. Maybe this will help the singer wash off the stink of that now-infamous Burger King commercial.

Anthony Mackie as William Johnson – Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22)

Mackie plays the childhood friend and vampire-fighting partner to the titular character of this action movie, although you couldn’t tell from the trailers. It’s highly doubtful Lincoln would chum it up with a black guy during the time period, but hey. “Vampire Hunter.” Historical accuracy isn’t really the point.

Dwayne Johnson as Roadblock – G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 29)

In the sequel to the bonkers original G.I. Joe, Dwayne Johnson switches things up and plays a muscle-bound hero who beats up bad guys. Johnson takes on the role of Roadblock, who leads the last remaining Joes in a revenge mission after most of them are betrayed and killed.

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox – The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Freeman is nowhere to be found in the trailers for the summer’s most anticipated film so far, but he’ll be back to play Batman’s gentle-hearted genius buddy, Lucius Fox. The details behind his role are scarce, but chances are he’ll give Bruce Wayne stuff and say wise things.

Whitney Houston, Jordin Sparks, and other black people galore – Sparkle (August 17)

Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks star in the only “blackbuster” of the summer, leading the likes of Derek Luke, Mike Epps, Cee Lo Green, and other black celebs. As a final goodbye to Houston and a remake of the 1976 classic, this one is almost sure to strike a chord with audiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vsVM4arCCs

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

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As could be expected, there are scores of musical tributes to Trayvon Martin on YouTube in the wake of the teenager’s tragic death. Here are a few that have gained some traction.

1. “Super Life” by Chaka Khan, ft. Kelly Price, Luke James and more. This music video is a redux of Chaka Khan’s single of the same name, and nabs several celebrity cameos wearing hoodies.

2. “Wit My Hoodie On” by Los. This song has a much more personal bent, acting as an expression of Los’s personal loss and emotional struggle and tying it into the symbol the hoodie has become. The video ends with a rehash of George Zimmerman’s 911 call before the shooting.

3. “We Are Trayvon” by Plies. Interestingly enough, this video actually posits the idea of reestablishing mutual respect between blacks and law enforcement. Proceeds of the song go to the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation.

Photo courtesy of YouTube.

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Spoilers for the first episode of Scandal below.

The series start of Scandal, for all its social importance as the first network show in 30 years to feature a black woman in a leading role, came with a little extra bang for its buck: the pilot touches upon the high risk of internalized oppression among gays who happen to be conservative. While it’s common for critics to deride gay conservatives as anomalous, hypocritical or “traitors to the cause”–especially in instances of publicly homophobic closet cases–the condemnation of these men and women often overshadows the remaining fact that they were at one point victims rather than villains.

Of course, there’s little excuse for closeted public figures who actively deny gay citizens rights or respect. However, this brand of hypocrisy results from understandable and even pitiable causes; it goes without saying that conservative gays, like moderate and liberal ones, are told from the youngest age of their perverse, unethical and abominable nature, whether directly by people or indirectly by cultural cues. And although homosexual homophobia is easy to despise in the queer and pro-gay community, there remains the undeniable truth that closeted gay bashers inflict pain because it was inflicted upon them first.

Scandal‘s pilot addresses the issue with a compassionate touch, rather than a condemning one. In the episode, protagonist Olivia Pope and her association of “crisis managers,” a team that solves PR disasters for the elite behind closed doors, takes on the case of a highly decorated military vet claiming innocence from the murder of his girlfriend. The veteran, Sully St. James, is a Republican who makes a living giving right-wing speeches, and has actively decried gay rights in doing so. However, when Olivia discovers that Sully’s only alibi is his male sexual partner, a heartbreaking scene ensues in which Sully refuses to go public with the information.

The scene is particularly poignant given Sully’s choice of words for why he can’t come out. He repeats that he “honors the uniform” and that he’s a “hero,” concepts he genuinely believes are mutually exclusive with is sexuality. Sully is even so deeply ashamed of his same-sex attraction that he turns himself in to the police instead of using his gay alibi for exoneration. Although his plot line is wrapped up rather neatly and quickly by the end of the episode, Scandal dedicates just enough time to it to humanize Sully–though he resembles some of the most reviled anti-gay Republicans outed in the real world.

Scandal‘s perspective on the character, and the issues he represents, is refreshingly tender-hearted. While the pilot certainly doesn’t condone or excuse Sully’s political actions, it still prompts viewers to approach the character with understanding. Because as “juicy” as it may be when anti-gay conservatives are exposed in reality, the real scandal lies in the quiet trauma forced upon them to begin with.

Photo courtesy of Hulu.

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And as usual, The Dictator seems more than content to unabashedly “other” the Arab world for comedic effect. For example, in the film’s teaser trailer, Aladeen says a line garbled in exaggeratedly long “Arabic” gibberish to highlight the strangeness of his language. And in a promo in which the character directly addresses the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Aladeen both makes an anti-Semitic slip and references the normalcy of terrorist culture in his region. The film’s promotional material, for the most part, has gleefully embraced distancing Arab Muslims from “us,” the normal culture.

But interestingly enough, the recently-released theatrical trailer seems to promise satirical jabs at not just the Arab world, but at the Western one as well. The end of the ad forces American viewers to acknowledge the absurdity of their heightened fears towards Arab Muslims through minor “surrogate” characters; in the final sequence of the trailer (seen below), Aladeen’s attempt to fool two Americans into thinking he’s one of them goes horribly wrong when he accidentally exploits their 9/11 fears.

Perhaps, like in Borat and Bruno, Cohen will use his stereotypical protagonist to not only poke fun at the people his character represents, but also at the American people harboring nasty prejudices toward them as well. Only the release of the feature will determine whether Cohen will parody both parties in equal measure, but if the promotional material is any indication, it’s possible that Cohen will do what he does best: offend everyone he can.

Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Kerry Washington’s front-and-center status in the new drama created by Shonda Rhimes, Scandal, is a blast of bitter and sweet–serving as both a jubilant reminder of how much black women are desperately needed in leading roles, as well as a sobering reminder of how much black women are desperately needed in leading roles. The fact that Washington is so easy to celebrate as an outlier comes with some uncomfortable context: there are no other leading black characters on network television. Shonda Rhimes’ own Grey’s Anatomy comes with a healthy dose of diversity, but if there’s a lead on the show, it’s of course its titular white protagonist. Otherwise, the world of network TV is woefully bereft of black women as leads.

While black women do exist on network television in some capacity, they tend to show up among ensemble casts or as supporting characters. Yvette Nicole Brown is hilarious on Community, Retta is charismatic on Parks and Recreation, etc., but their roles are the stuff of shared or slivered spotlight. Kerry Washington’s show–about a woman who cleans up PR disasters for the elite who can’t afford them–has a hefty load of supporting characters, but ones whose decisions and actions revolve definitively around Washington’s. Fortunately and unfortunately, a black female lead makes Scandal something of a new pioneer.

And that’s not even to speak of other women of color on scripted network TV. Maggie Q’s Nikita is doing well enough on The CW, but like Scandal, the show is an island in a sea of white norm. To widen the net, men of color aren’t doing considerably better, either. To find people of color in leading roles, cable television seems to be the place for a few more drops in the bucket.

For now, Scandal will have to do. And since Washington’s character on the show is one of only two people of color among eight core cast members, it looks like Rhimes wanted to make sure this series wasn’t perceived as a “black show,” but one that appeals to a wider (white) audience. Maybe that was a deft move; given network TV’s track record with non-white leads, this series might need all the help it can get to keep the whites-centric status quo from snapping back into place.

Photo courtesy of ABC.

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Now that the new image of Johnny Depp as Tonto in The Lone Ranger has been released, the debate on whether it’s appropriate for him to play an American Indian has resurfaced in full. Depp will star alongside Armie Hammer in the adaptation of the ’50s TV series (and ’30s radio show) in the role of what’s traditionally been a sidekick character. However, Depp’s said he plans to turn that role on its head in order to better honor American Indians. Here’s a quote of his from an Entertainment Weekly interview about the character:

“I remember watching it as a kid, with Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore, and going: ‘Why is the f-ing Lone Ranger telling Tonto what to do?’ I liked Tonto, even at that tender age, and knew Tonto was getting the unpleasant end of the stick here. That’s stuck with me.” And he continued: “I started thinking about Tonto and what could be done in my own small way to… ‘Eliminate’ isn’t possible – but reinvent the relationship, to attempt to take some of the ugliness thrown on the Native Americans, not only in The Lone Ranger, but the way Indians were treated throughout history of cinema, and turn it on its head.”

But here’s the thing about the history of cinema: it often includes instances of whites playing people of color, American Indians included. Call it racebending, whitewashing, whatever: an awful lot of Caucasian folks have taken it upon themselves to play ethnicities they have little or no connection to over the years. And Johnny Depp has–out of the goodness of his heart?–added himself to the list.

Apparently, Depp’s way of legitimizing his role as Tonto has been to say that he’s got some American Indian lineage. As he put it to Entertainment Weekly:

“I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line. My great grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek.”

Whatever heritage Depp is claiming here, it’s clear that he doesn’t know exactly what it is. Which betrays the fact that he doesn’t quite identify with being American Indian himself. But interestingly enough, he co-wrote, directed and starred in a film about a modern American Indian in 1997 titled The Brave. So at the very least, Depp seems to feel a genuine solidarity toward the peoples. But once again, he’s made clear that he considers himself a white man rather than an American Indian, at least when you consider this quote of his from Entertainment Weekly:

“I always felt Native Americans were badly portrayed in Hollywood films over the decades… It’s a real opportunity for me to give a salute to them. Tonto was a sidekick in all the Lone Rangerseries. [This film] is a very different approach to that partnership.”

As the Sante Fe New Mexican has noted, and the Racebending nonprofit has echoed, Depp referred to American Indians as “them” instead of “us” during his interview. Making his “salute”–while perhaps well-intentioned–just another example of a white actor costing nonwhite actors an opportunity to represent themselves. Besides, as skeptics have scoffed around the blogosphere, we we would all take Depp to task if he claimed to be an eighth black and wanted to salute African-Americans with a slave role. But instead, issues of American Indian appropriation are met with the usual silence from the majority, and the fact that Depp is allowed to get away with his self-serving “conscience” is pretty frickin’ tonto.

Photo courtesy of IMDB.

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Samuel L. Jackson may get some flack for playing the angry black man too often, but maybe it’s because he’s served that stereotype that he’s been able to avoid another: that of the magic negro. The term refers to black characters who have supernatural or saintly wisdom to bestow on “normal” white characters, and tend to exist for the sole purpose of enriching the life of a Caucasian male before disappearing back into the ether. While this kind of portrayal of blacks is technically positive, it reinforces the idea of the white perspective as the default perspective, and perpetuates the portrayal of African-Americans as “others.” Trading the savagery and stupidity traditionally given to black characters for the otherworldly poise and enlightenment of the magic negro, unfortunately, still keeps blacks a safe distance from “us,” the white audience. Samuel L. Jackson, however, is here to save the day with roles that subvert the magic negro in a variety of ways.

Spoilers to follow.

1. Elijah Price – Unbreakable (2000)

Courtesy of IMDB

In this sci-fi drama, Samuel L. Jackson plays Elijah Price, a man who helps Bruce Willis’s David Dunn discover his potential as a superhero. At the story’s start, David is lonely, lost and almost completely unable to determine his true purpose as man meant to save others. Elijah, a curator with a fixation on classic comic books, enters David’s life with mysterious expertise about David’s connection to superheroes. As the film progresses, Elijah pushes David to fight crime and embrace his innate super-strength, all the while dealing with a condition of his own that renders his bones brittle and susceptible to constant fracturing. In the last five minutes of the film, Elijah shares with David that their opposite physical conditions confirms their opposite purposes, revealing Elijah to be an evil mastermind that has killed hundreds (if not thousands) of people. Our trust in the guru-goodness of the Jackson’s character vanishes instantly, and the magic negro cliche is turned inside-out to reveal a person far more grounded in reality.

2. Gerald Olin – 1408 (2007)

In 1408, Samuel L. Jackson plays a hotel manager who warns Mike Enslin not to enter the titular room, for fear of seeing Mike destroyed by whatever evil has killed the 50-plus previous occupants of it. At first, Jackson’s Gerald Enslin seems to have less of an otherworldly wisdom at his disposal than common sense: the room has resulted in a series of mysterious suicides, and Mike shouldn’t be let into it because of them. But later on, Gerald shows up in a mystical fashion after the room becomes Mike’s nightmarish prison. And although he has all the technical makings of the magic negro–appearing from nowhere, perplexingly wiser about our white protagonist’s predicament than the protagonist himself–he doesn’t offer the usual help. In fact, instead of giving Mike even the tiniest bit of advice, Gerald seems more interested in punishing than guiding. He not only doesn’t assist Mike, but seems to take some satisfaction in his suffering before disappearing abruptly. Although the paranormal properties of the room make it difficult to confirm whether what Mike saw of Gerald was real, one of the movie’s final scenes hints at Gerald’s concrete connection to the room, and all but confirms that Gerald’s appearance in 1408–and the twist on the magic negro he exhibited there–actually happened.

3. Richie – Meeting Evil (2011)

Luke Wilson plays a down-on-his-luck doormat, John, whose life takes a turn when a mysterious stranger named Richie, played by Jackson, shows up in his life. Richie offers John a new perspective and a newly realized confidence after his strangely sudden appearance. The catch, unfortunately, is that Richie is a serial killer and is tempting John toward evil. He pushes John toward cheating on his wife, encourages John to take vengeance on a man who wronged him, and eventually threatens John’s family. Again, the usual magic negro role is subverted when Jackson’s character is revealed to be someone much closer to human than the angelic figures the “magic” archetype would allow.

4. Jules Winnfield – Pulp Fiction (1994)

Samuel L. Jackson’s famous role as Jules Winnfield is probably his most entertaining anti-Magic Negro role to date. After miraculously surviving a life-or-death moment, Jules discovers God and becomes seemingly enlightened beyond measure. So much so that when he’s held at gunpoint by a couple of white thieves, he effortlessly takes control of the situation armed with a powerful excerpt from the Bible and a spiritually awakened purpose. Jules’ poise not only humbles, but arguably saves the lives of the thieves he would have killed on any other day. However, the fact that Jules became a kind of sage sets him apart from the magic negro, who usually begins the film and ends it as “magical.” The magic negro, unlike Jules, rarely ever develops as a character, but is only there to help other characters develop. In any case, even after Jules reaches a point of enlightenment, he’s still prone to yelling, cursing, and violence if necessary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd4VSkj0Wks

5. Nick Fury – The Avengers, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America (various)

In Marvel’s interconnected batch of movies–particularly Iron Man 2 and Captain America–Samuel L. Jackson plays a mysterious man with an unimaginable amount of knowledge who drops into the lives of white protagonists and offers them a higher purpose. However, as Iron Man 2 showed, and as The Avengers probably will, Jackson’s Nick Fury doesn’t exactly “care” about these men as much as he needs them for his own purposes. Although his intentions are good, his methods aren’t exactly saintly, as he even goes so far to imprison or insult the heroes he works with in order to get his point across. The Avengers also promises a Nick Fury who commands respect without necessarily being “otherworldly,” responding to the pressures of saving the world with the fear, desperation, dread and use of violence you might expect of any human being, despite the character’s remarkable poise.

Photos courtesy of IMDB.

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The post Samuel L. Jackson’s 5 Anti-Magic Negro Roles appeared first on The Faster Times.