# White supremacists boycott "Thor" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424 "2010-12-16T21:14:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/21 "2010-12-17T02:14:29Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Okay, I looked at the CCC website and they say they believe the US is a “Christian country.” Then you look at the boycott Thor site and they decry the “social engineering of European mythology.” > > So, they claim to be Christians and they claim to know it’s mythology and they are still throwing tantrums over it? And here I thought Star Wars fanboys were bad. I think someone at the CCC just found a completely unrelated website, latched onto the “boycott because X is portrayed by a black actor” bit and ran with it. The article _implies_ that there is some reason to suspect a connection, without providing any evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/22 "2010-12-17T02:28:55Z")
Stringer Bell is gonna be Heimdall? Weird and cool. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/23 "2010-12-17T02:31:18Z")
> [@B.Serum](#): > > If one feels the need to make a distinction (I don’t), one could say that the whiteys are the Aesir and the Heimdal is one of the Vanir (I’ve never been clear on what the historical/mythological distinction was between these two groups.) Vanir were the agricultural deities, I believe, usually depicted as fair-haired. Frey and Freyja were Vanir. Heimdal was an As. Also, the conceit of Marvel’s Thor is that the Asgardians are extradimensional aliens with technology-advanced-to-magic, basically. So, go go diverse casting! ---
**Author:** ![Mavis\_Topholese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/24 "2010-12-17T03:28:32Z")
I’m not the world’s biggest Thor fan, but he’s been continually published since 1963, he had his own TV cartoon show in the 60s, and has enough of a pop culture presence to be referenced in movies like “Adventures In Babysitting”. Plus - and this is a big factor in the film’s favor - there’s no way Vince Colletta will get anywhere near this movie to ruin things the way he ruined Jack Kirby’s inks on the original comics. If they manage to capture the Kirby Grandeur, all that gigantic outer space gosh-wow cosmic stuff, they’ll have a hit. Captain America - now THAT’s the movie I’m looking forward to. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/25 "2010-12-17T04:10:49Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > I’ve seen the trailer for Thor. It’ll do better than Iron Man. Boycott fail. > > Incidentally, there was dustup over The Hobbit dealing with the same issue. Mythology based on a white civilization/introduction of a person of color. > > ['Hobbit' movie in racism row](http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a290318/hobbit-movie-in-racism-row.html) 😕 But hobbits are supposed to be tan anyway, aren’t they? Or is that just D&D halflings? As for black Heimdall, remember this is Kirbyfied Thor, where Thor is a blond. Hewing close to the Eddas is not required. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/26 "2010-12-17T04:29:50Z")
They shouldn’t take it so personal. It’s just business. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/27 "2010-12-17T05:54:58Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Idris Elba isn’t playing the part of Thor: he’s [Heimdall](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heimdall). Interestingly, the Wki article on the god (not the Marvel Comics character) says: > > > [@](#): > > > > Heimdallur (Old Norse Heimdallr, modern Icelandic Heimdallur) is one of the æsir (gods) in Norse mythology, in the Edda called the “white god” (hvítastr ása "whitest of the aesir Sæm 72ª; hvíta ás “white as” Sn. 104). > > So, in Norse theology, perhaps this isn’t the best choice – though it’s hardly a reason to boycott. The current big thing in religion is that everything is just _metaphorical_. Don’t be so literal, man. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/28 "2010-12-17T06:00:21Z")
This story reminded me of a production of Wagner’s _The Flying Dutchman_ I saw on DVD. They had a black guy portray the title character, and while it didn’t bother me (he was a good singer), I did chuckle when Senta sings to him, “O you pale faced dutchman,” but no…no boycott. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/29 "2010-12-17T06:04:20Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > As for black Heimdall, remember this is Kirbyfied Thor, where Thor is a blond. And for quite a long time, Odin had 2 eyes. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/30 "2010-12-17T06:40:13Z")
This could be bad. Has a film has ever succeeded without securing the crucial white supremacist demographic? ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/31 "2010-12-17T12:06:25Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > Do we have any color images of Thor dating from when he was worshipped? Gods aren’t always imagined as having the same skin color as the people who worship them. Vishnu is blue-skinned, for example. The Norse might well have imagined Thor to have some skin color different from theirs, for all we know. Thor, in mythology, is depicted as a giant bearded redhead. I’ve met some black redheads , but they’re rare. Actually I’m a bit pissed off with the obligation, for US movies, to have their basic set of “representative” characters. Whatever the story. I’m still waiting for a movie with a white guy playing Martin Luther King, and, off course, no outrage in the USA over it. P.S: a black guy in a movie about Hercules could make sense, in the context of a movie about Asgardians, it is just more “obligatory quotas” forced down the throat. And, Asgardians are not Eternals, they’re not multicultural quasi aliens like beings, they’re manifestations of the faith(s) of the Scandinavians. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/32 "2010-12-17T12:27:50Z")
Look, I’m not racist or anything, I’m just asking… would you want a black man to date your Valkyrie? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/33 "2010-12-17T12:51:12Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > I’m still waiting for a movie with a white guy playing Martin Luther King, and, off course, no outrage in the USA over it. There’s a major difference between a mythological character like Heimdall, which 90% of the people will be unfamiliar with, and a major historical feature like Martin Luther King. But if it makes you feel better, we’ve had a white guy (John Wayne) play Genghis Khan. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/34 "2010-12-17T12:54:02Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > There’s a major difference between a mythological character like Heimdall, which 90% of the people will be unfamiliar with, and a major historical feature like Martin Luther King. But if it makes you feel better, we’ve had a white guy (John Wayne) play Genghis Khan. Exactly. There’s a difference between a black guy playing Kingpin and a black guy playing John F Kennedy. If you can’t see it, that’s your problem. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/35 "2010-12-17T12:59:51Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Exactly. There’s a difference between a black guy playing Kingpin and a black guy playing John F Kennedy. If you can’t see it, that’s your problem. Yes, the difference is that Kingpin is a crimelord in NY city, you dont have to rape all laws of believability to make it work (and in fact it didnt work, more because of lack of talent from the actor and the director than because of the actor’s skin color). Whereas Heimdall is a Norse god. This is just more James West bullshit. It is completely patronizing blacks in plainly stating that they’re unable to inspire heroes and major characters, and the only option for blacks to play such a figures would be to blackwash a preexisting white character. In short, racism comes back full circle, this time with the trappings of political correctness. A little sugar in a turd pile doesnt make the turd pile more edible. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/36 "2010-12-17T13:00:55Z")
So, what - they made the gods’ doorman black? That’s not racist at all. I wonder if Odin knows his name. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/37 "2010-12-17T13:04:07Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > So, what - they made the gods’ doorman black? That’s not racist at all. > > I wonder if Odin knows his name. Lol, didnt think of it that way. Heimdall’s actually a rather cool chracter, and Idriss Elba is a very good actor. But forcing him into the role is stupid. If really they think there’s no problem with having blacks as Norse gods, they should have made either Thor or Odin black. Morgan Freeman as Odin, that would rock, if this is really where we want to go (though I guess if Loki was portrayed by a black actor, it would be called racism). ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/38 "2010-12-17T13:13:38Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Whereas Heimdall is a Norse god. This is just more James West bullshit. The Norse didn’t create the North gods in the mythology. So why would you expect them all to have the same skin color as the Norse? Edit: So it’s stupid to have Heimdall be black but Morgan Freeman as Odin would be awesome? Nice turnaround. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/39 "2010-12-17T13:35:47Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > The Norse didn’t create the North gods in the mythology. So why would you expect them all to have the same skin color as the Norse? The Norse DID create the Norse gods. At least they did up until the point I stopped reading comic books, that is the late eighties (maybe they were retconned since, or their retcon has since been retconned…). There is a quasi godlike group, posing as gods in the Marvel Universe. They’re very multicultural (the equivalent of Hephaistos is black), and a very good mix between SF and mythology (Chariot of the Gods like), they’re called the Eternals. Not the Asgardians. The Asgardians are white for the very same reason most Olympians are white, because they were produced by a “whitish” culture. > [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > Edit: So it’s stupid to have Heimdall be black but Morgan Freeman as Odin would be awesome? Nice turnaround. Hey, I’m just going with your own cheese here. As Alessan pointed out, the black role is for a relatively unkown character, basically they felt they HAD to have a black on the show, yet never had the balls to go all the way with it. Cowardice is one basic ingredient of political correctness. If you dont care about the skin color of your gods, you got to do that for ALL the gods, not just the ones the non-fans wont cringe about. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424/40 "2010-12-17T13:42:55Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > The Norse DID create the Norse gods. At least they did up until the point I stopped reading comic books, that is the late eighties (maybe they were retconned since, or their retcon has since been retconned…). I don’t know very much about how the Norse gods are portrayed in Marvel so someone else will have to answer that. > [@Zombie](#): > > Cowardice is one basic ingredient of political correctness. If you dont care about the skin color of your gods, you got to do that for ALL the gods, not just the ones the non-fans wont cringe about. I never spoke to their motives. If they included a black character so that people wouldn’t bitch, that’s either a cowardly move or a marketing decision, depending how you look at it. But it doesn’t matter to me because I’m not interested in this particular movie anyway. I just don’t think it’s necessarily stupid for there to be a black Norse god, according to my current understanding of how the mythology is handled in the Marvel universe- which is that the “Norse” gods visited the Norse a long time ago and the Norse started worshiping them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-supremacists-boycott-thor/564424.md?page=3)