I haven't been a big fan of much that has popped onto the CW since its inception. Most of their offerings remind me of soap operas targeted at teenagers. There's nothing wrong with that and it's a great demographic to go after. But is the CW looking to solidify it's gay market with the addition of a new super hero?
I've been tempted to check out Grant Gustin in The Flash since I had a huge crush on him from his time on Glee. Now, the CW has thought of another "Terrific" reason for me to tune into their network.
Some longtime DC Comics fans were in for a treat this week after it was announced that the television series Arrow had cast actor Echo Kellum to play an openly gay version of Michael Holt, also known as Mister Terrific, a black superhero. Introduced in 1997, Mister Terrific is a genius millionaire with 14 doctorate degrees and a gold medal in the Olympic decathlon.
Mister Terrific joins openly bisexual Sara Lance (Canary, played by Caity Lotz) as the show's queer characters, part of a deliberate effort by its creators to introduce LGBT characters into the world of TV superheroes. Series co-creator Greg Berlanti, who is also openly gay, said as much earlier this year to the Advocate. "The network has been very welcoming and they realize the younger generation doesn't really have issues with that kind of stuff," he says. "They don't really see [being LGBT] as a negative. There's a lot more understanding, openness and compassion around this issue today and that's a great thing." – mic.com
Have you seen Kellum before? "[He's] known for work on Fox's Ben and Kate and NBC's Sean Saves the World, and has also worked on comedy staples Key and Peele and Rick and Morty." – hollywoodreporter.com
The CW is definitely not your grandfather's Cable TV station. Comic books are also showing us a little more diversity.
Diversity in comics: In recent years, comics have become noticeably more diverse. In the print series, Spider-Man is now Miles Morales, a biracial black and Latino 15-year-old boy, and Ms. Marvel was recently portrayed as a Muslim-American teen Kamala Khan. – mic.com
The fourth season of Arrow begins early October on CW.
We will have to watch to see how the CW handles its new superhero. Originally, Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific decided to become a superhero after he lost his wife and child (some sources say unborn child) in an accident. There will need to be some rewriting of his back story, or maybe he will be a late bloomer? There has also been some criticism of late in regard to DC Comics making Mr. Terrific a little more thuggish.
Mister Terrific is traditionally known for his smarts, having mastered theoretical physics as a child. But I guess that wasn't enough for DC, who felt he needed a revamp accomplished using the character customization engine in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Dope indeed. – theouthousers.com
He's a great character to bring into the fold so let's do it right, CW. We'll be watching.
Hopefully they realize having
Hopefully they realize having a straight person play a gay person is the same as black face. crazy.
Huh? If the opposite is true
Huh? If the opposite is true, don't tell NPH
Thats the stupidest thing ive
Thats the stupidest thing ive ever read on these comments really?