Fury After New Black Panther Is Revealed to Be White
the passage discusses the ongoing debate in pop culture regarding “race-swapping” of established fictional characters, where creators change the race of characters traditionally portrayed as white to non-white. Proponents argue that this provides more portrayal for minorities,while critics see it as creatively lazy and an infringement on original narratives.A current controversy centers around Marvel’s “Black Panther,” in which T’Challa, a Black character, is usurped by his blonde, blue-eyed son.This change has sparked a backlash not typically seen in previous discussions on race-swapping, as some critics argue it is disrespectful to the cultural origins of the character. The author highlights the hypocrisy in the reactions of those who once supported race-swapping of white characters but now condemn similar actions against a Black character. The passage ultimately reflects on the complexities of identity politics and cultural representation in media, suggesting that the judgments surrounding these changes may reveal underlying biases and inequalities in how different racial groups are perceived and treated in the discourse.
It’s not so fun when the race-swapped rabbit’s got the gun, is it?
Or, something that sounds like that.
Anyone who cares at all about pop culture is probably aware that one of the hottest debates within it involves “race-swapping” established, fictitious characters.
Everyone, from “The Little Mermaid,” to “Spider-Man,” seems to have one — if not multiple — non-white variants of their original designs.
Proponents of these race-swaps argue that it’s a key way to give minorities more representation.
Critics argue that the race-swaps are creatively lazy and dilute established brands.
(This writer tends to agree with the critics.)
In most of these instances, including with the aforementioned mermaid and human-arachnid, the race-swaps will take historically white characters and make them black, or at the very least, not white.
Those who disagree with these race-swaps are often derided as bigots or racists and are unfairly shamed by the fandom’s more liberal-leaning fringes.
Well, now that shoe appears to be on the other foot — and those sitting in their ivory, judgmental towers aren’t handling it that well.
To wit, Marvel Comics’ “Black Panther” — the leader of a fictitious futuristic African nation called Wakanda, played most recently by the late Chadwick Boseman — has long been a black-focused superhero world. The description and name make that rather clear.
“Black Panther” is a mantle handed down to the king of Wakanda, and can be wrested by combat.
The current king, T’Challa, is bested by an estranged son in the most recent developments of the comic book. Once that son removes his mask, it’s revealed that the new king of Wakanda had blonde hair and blue-ish eyes.
(T’Challa is black, by the way.)
By besting T’Challa, his white son was now king and thus on a direct path to being Marvel’s new “Black Panther.”
The move proved unsurprisingly controversial, but not from the usual crowd:
I’m not Black, so I’m not an authority on these topics. I’m Latino and Argentine, and I’m descended from Austrians, Spaniards, and Italians.
However, I believe giving T’Challa—the king of an African utopia where no one suffers—a Caucasian son is an insult to Black people. pic.twitter.com/FkFQEUNS85
— Secure in Carapace (@Shawstacular) June 4, 2025
Wait, so even T’Challa is a snow chaser? Damn, the writers must be white cause ain’t no way a black writer would tarnish black panther like that.
— luongas (@luongas) June 6, 2025
I’m so confused and this is gonna give the bigots some fuel
— Ayman ☭ (@GuyWhoConquers) June 5, 2025
Alas, the other side of this debate did not offer much sympathy.
Blacks celebrated when beloved White characters were flipped Black, now suddenly they are against race swapping characters?
Why should they care btw, Black Panther is a fantasy character. That was their argument the other way round. pic.twitter.com/OeXkrl9Ye7
— Phaeton (@Phaet0nn) June 5, 2025
Look, at the end of the day, this is a lot of emotional grievance being spilled over a fictitious character in charge of a fictitious place.
But it’s also a microcosm of the cultural rot at the heart of leftism, which primarily involves identity politics, and the hypocrisy within.
By the warped rules of identity politics, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with a white person assuming the mantle of “Black Panther.”
But since tacit racism against white people isn’t just allowed, but encouraged, by the left, there is apparently something wrong with a white “Black Panther.”
It’s always the same hypocritical song and dance from the left: “These are the rules — unless you’re white, straight, married, etc.”
It’s a sick joke that’s thankfully being exposed on the front lines of the culture war by, of all things, a comic book.
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