Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Black Adam isn't even out yet but it's already causing quite the controversy in the comic book community. The project which has been in developmental hell for over a decade already began filming last month and so far, it seems like the official cast for the highly anticipated DC Extended Universe film is already on lock. Speaking of, one of its cast members is receiving backlash for taking on the role of Cyclone, one of the key characters in the film.
When it was announced that Quintessa Swindell, a black actress will be playing Maxine Hunkel, a character who is traditionally portrayed as a white woman in the comics, people weren't too thrilled. A lot of comic book purists raised their eyebrows and attacked DC and Warner Bros. for allegedly gender-bending the role.
Now, in a new interview, Swindell is finally breaking her silence about the issue and according to her, she chose not to pay attention to the backlash while admitting that she's tired of getting attacked for accepting the role. When asked about how she handled the criticism on the Black Girl Nerds podcast, the 24-year-old actress said: "I didn't. It's 2021. Like, I'm tired. I just didn't really have an opinion of it. My focus is to learn as much about the character as I can about the character and do the character justice... There's so many elements of Cyclone that are so fascinating and so different than a lot of other superheroes I've seen."
I gotta say, while I'm not really bothered about the sudden change in the character's racial roots, I do understand where the diehard fans are coming from. However, it's unfair to attack the actress for accepting the role and if anything, fans should grow more receptive to these kinds of changes. We all know how the comic book landscape is already evolving so this shouldn't really come as a surprise. All that matters to me quite frankly is how she portrays the character.
Black Adam hits cinemas in 2022.
Also Read: Black Adam Star Dwayne Johnson Issues Warning to the MCU Ahead of Filming
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