Credit – WikiMediaCommons
Surprise, surprise. We have someone at Marvel complaining about the lack of representation in something. Yes, more representation needed from a fictional comic book character, because representation is so lacking in Hollywood these days. Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab, came out and slammed Warner Bros. for ‘Black Adams’ apparent lack of diversity, because the character and his background are fictionally representative of Egypt, and there are no Egyptian actors in the movie. There’s actually plenty of diversity hires in ‘Black Adam’, but none that satisfy Mohamed Diab, because they are not Egyptian. Diab, who is Egyptian himself, boasted about hiring Egyptian actors and crew for the Moon Knight series, and claimed that Warner Bros. should be representative of the Egyptian culture as well. The problem with this, is that the Moon Knight character garners his powers from the Egyptian god Khonshu, and that’s about the extent of the Egyptian connection. If Diab is so concerned about being representative and faithful to the Moon Knight comic book, the inaccuracies in the trailer alone, prove he’s nothing more than a shill and a hypocrite. Marvel Studios should tell their directors to clamp up about diversity and inclusion in their movies and TV shows. Fans are well aware of how inclusive Disney and Marvel want to be. Advertising it even more, on a prospectively good Marvel Disney+ show is not wise, considering Marvel Studios’ track record with the last four.
Hollywood Has Placed Themselves in a Virtual Diversity Box With No Doors
Mohamed Diab, said in an interview at filfan.com, that he was annoyed with Warner Bros. Studios lack of Egyptian representation in ‘Black Adam’. ‘Black Adam’, which is based in a fictional location called Kahndaq, does base a lot of its story around Egyptian mythology. Diab argued, that because a fictional character from DC Comics has his roots based in Egyptian mythology, that we should be representing that culture appropriately.
“I was really annoyed with DC when they set Black Adam in a fictional middle eastern country as an excuse to cast non-Egyptians, when it was obviously meant to be in Egypt. Representation opportunities shouldn’t be wasted… But it’s not a full mistake since it’s based on an iteration of the comics that doesn’t mention Egypt.”
If we’re going to use Diab’s logic, that fictional comic book characters should be wholly represented by their cultures, then it should be pointed out that
Credit – Gage Skidmore WikiMediaCommons
the main character of Marc Spector is being portrayed by a Guatemalan/Cuban actor in Oscar Isaac. The character of Marc Spector, actually hails from New York City, is white, 6’2″ , weighs 225 lbs., and has brown hair and brown eyes. This show was filmed, for the most part in Budapest and Jordan, so are we really going to continue this ridiculous journey of box checking. If Diab actually cared about checking the boxes, and wanted to be as accurate to the faith of the comic book, then he would have cast a white male in the lead role, instead of a Guatemalan/Cuban actor who is 5’9″. It’s patently ridiculous the actual box with no doors, directors like Diab have placed themselves in. Diab is doing nothing more than virtue signaling, and only serves to diminish the possible success of ‘Moon Knight’.
Related: A Completely Forgettable Character
Mohamed Diab Has Already Started Moon Knight Off on the Wrong Foot
The initial trailer for ‘Moon Knight’ actually looks promising, despite the cultural inaccuracies of not being faithful to the comic book(I jest of course). ‘Moon Knight’ will probably start off strong like its predecessors, and then fall off a cliff, drowning in its own self inflicted diversity trap. All Mohamed Diab did, by claiming something as ridiculous as a lack of Egyptian representation in a comic book movie, was cement to fans, Marvel Studios’ dedication to focusing on diversity and inclusion, over actual story. Diab might actually be a good director, and ‘Moon Knight’ might actually be a good Marvel Disney+ TV show. But considering the current climate Hollywood studios vs fans see themselves in, why would Diab jeopardize the success of ‘Moon Knight’? All Diab’s done, is project his obvious political leanings, to a fanbase that’s sick and tired of identity politics playing the main part in their favorite franchises.
