Is Velma Even A Scooby-Doo Show? | Wiki Weekends

[@wikiweekends]

Hey, if you enjoyed the video and you would like to support us further, we now have a Patreon. While support is appreciated, it is in no way expected. www.patreon.com/WikiWeekends - Karl and Lucas

[@unironicallydel7527]

I definitely like the fact Mindy said she identified so much with Velma then went out of her way to make the character as unlikeable as possible and nothing at all like Velma. Twas a funny joke, I guess.

[@mttylerdurden9]

Fun fact: Velma Was already race swapped before this show twice. She was Japanese in the direct to TV live action Scooby Doo movies in the 2010s, and she was latina in the animated film SCOOB.

[@SlyJMan]

Honestly, my biggest frustration with the show is that it claims to be about giving credit to Velma as the smartest characters from Scooby Doo, the one who really solves the mysteries, but she's objectively really stupid. She not only cheats off Norville for school assignments, but her investigation is riddled with biases and she, for the most part, stumbles ass backwards into a clue or lead.

[@sev1120]

Plus she is just, objectively, a bad person in the show. She treats everyone around her horribly, the only people who like her she uses them for everything they're worth before dumping them to the side, and she feels zero remorse for not only publicly humiliating someone, but also sending them to prison on false charges.

[@FlipPyro]

Shaggy isn't a coward...even if he knows monsters aren't real ...he is still facing a crazy guy in a costume in every episode...

[@Cutie_Amor]

A crazy guy in a costume, often with dangerous tech that replicates monsterous abilities

[@phantomshike]

I would actually Argue that specifically in the context of WW2 stories, Captain America being white is important. He's a blonde haired blue eyed white man with superior abilities to those around him. He's the ideal form often associated with the Perfect man to the Nazis. And despite being the Nazi's ubermensch, he STILL stands in total moral opposition to everything they do. To quote Overly Sarcastic Productions: "The Ubermensch is real and he F*CKING HATES you." Aside from WW2 stories this doesn't matter. At all.

[@SYKRAL1]

What video is that from? I don’t remember that quote

[@Definitely_Not_Shakespear]

It's from one of the Superman vids. Can't remember which one.​@@SYKRAL1

[@Manga_ManX]

I'll add onto this since you basically said exactly what I was going to say. Steve Rogers the character himself being white is important for all the reasons you mentioned. I would also add that John Walker being white by extension is also important, albeit less so since he was basically the failed attempt at a sequel to Steve. The mantle of Captain America itself can belong to anyone of any race or gender, and that's been proven before with Sam Wilson, but in my opinion the most important pin to add into this is the character of Isaiah Bradley. Isaiah was a black Captain America from the same time as Steve, fought in WWII and everything, but his story, the way he was treated, it was all completely different from Steve. Steve was shown off to the world, while Isaiah was swept under the rug. The origin of Captain America is pretty entrenched in him being a white guy for the exact reason you and OSP brought up, so Steve Rogers specifically, and to a lesser extent John Walker should as far as I see it be white, but anyone else who wants to take on the mantle? Go for it. If Beta Ray Bill, Jane Foster, and a fuckin frog (true name Puddlegulp lest I dare even come close to slandering that tiny legends name) can become Thor, than any race, gender, or whatever can wear the shield and stripes as far as I'm concerned.

[@musicjunkiie2393]

​@PsychoticSaiyan10 ypu mentioning thor, should thor only be white? It makes sense in terms of him being norse, and norse royalty at that but idras elba was a great hiemdal and im not sure MARVEL thor has any strict race needs

[@Destoroyahhhhhh]

I'll add to this with B. J. Blazkowicz from Wolfenstein. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is built like a brick shithouse. His father is a polish Jew. Those things together do make the game more amusing, an Arian looking Jew who goes by the name BJ fights against the Third Reich and even gets to kill Hitler himself. How can you not smile at the schadenfreude.

[@Nevyn515]

The wheelchair thing: I think it was Mac and Me, where the best kid actor was cast, and the kid they cast was in a wheelchair. The chair was not referred to in the script and nothing was changed, it’s just the actor happened to be in a wheelchair while being in the movie.

[@Chet_Manly]

I wonder how the falling scene was written in the script at first

[@yungillegiterate]

You should talk about this with JelloApocalypse in some capacity. Dude has LIVED inside Scooby Doo for years and loves talking about it. He would probably love to have the kind of conversation about the franchise that you'd want. Worst case, he has a video defending Fred as Scooby Doo's best character, and somehow he makes some valid points, so that'd be a good watch.

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Of course Velma is not a Scooby-Doo show. It doesn't have Scooby-Doo, it doesn't have the Mystery Gang, and the few times the characters look and act like the ones they're supposed to, it's begrudgingly.

[@totallyunoriginal4825]

A character I see as “should” be white is frank castle as the punisher. I feel like him being white adds to his relationship with the police and the existing systems really well and changing his race would fundamentally change the motive and characterisation that led to him becoming such a monster in the first place

[@alwaysxnever]

Agree. Never considered that.

[@CartesianDuelist]

Good call. Although I wonder how all the cops with skulls on their cars would react to a punisher with any more colour than a snowman 😂

[@darthekul1]

​@@CartesianDuelistwell there was the time he went under cover and turned his skin black which is a thing that actually happened

[@seanhurley9216]

I think Homelander wouldn't be the same if he wasn't white

[@lordofuzkulak8308]

30:35 - did not know that about Shaggy, I just took it for granted that he was a stoner since whenever it was that I first heard ‘Shaggy is a stoner is subtext’. But even if it was the case, I don’t think that making him anti-drugs for Velma would inheritently be a bad thing as I think it opens up storytelling potential of showing him going from teetotaller to a recreational user and having him move from a clear cut black and white stance on the issue of drugs to a more nuanced one. Unfortunately, from what little I’ve heard of Velma, it doesn’t sound like they’ve gone anywhere near that narrative route.

[@LordAKiraAndou]

snow white since the being ''white as snow'' thing is a main descriptor

[@thomasruffo2819]

With race swapping, while I largely agree with you. But as an asian American, I've never had an issue identifying or relating to white characters. I also think for representation, id always rather a well written original character, largely because of my own personal nostalgia. I'd rather use miles Morales than making Peter Parker black, id rather Kate bishop than making Clint barton a woman, it feels more impactful to see original characters, or new characters who take up a mantel represent you than simply changing other characters.

[@johnark4723]

Same! I don't like Blade because he has the same racial ancestry as me (half black and half white). I like him because he's cool, and I love his movies. There was so such a missed opportunity to make their own Mystery Incorporated of racially diverse members. We've already seen what that could look like. Angel Dynamite was one of the best characters in that show. She was prominent, badass, mysterious, and a great mentor. I wish there was a Scooby-Doo fan who showed them that.

[@zeogold]

Anyone who has a hard life will relate to peter Parker regardless of skin color or gender. The same way people who have suffered abuse can relate to Bruce Banner, how people who have lost their parents at a young age relate to Batman and Robin, how people who seek redemption relate to Iron man. The list goes on. The only people who can only relate to others if they look like them are narcissists and psychos.

[@Ghost_wheel]

I am older than Scooby Doo. And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids!!!

[@proftrees]

Mindy Kaling did a great job writing some of 'the office', but she followed that up with 'the mindy project', so I don't have high of hopes when she has creative control rather than being a contributor.

[@leon46295]

Ive got a good representation example: superstore. Garret is in a wheelchair and the only times it comes up is to make a joke about how the wheelchair is not important

[@ShadowSpark-dx4jq]

One of the worst issues about the Velma show is that when Velma is having a panic attack, it’s basically just a satirical parody of what a doctor would think a panic attack was 120 years ago. It’s genuinely that bad, especially compared to puss and boots version of a panic attack, which was released with like a month of Velma, which has been universally praised for its representation of anxiety and chronic stress and what they can do to someone

[@Amuro1X]

Velma is the weird example of a show that everyone can hate. There's bozos out there that hate anything they see that has women or racial diversity in it that were going to hate Velma no matter what. But then Velma is the kind of show that changed all the main characters races so it could...make racial jokes at their expense? Like, what the fuck were they thinking!?

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

They weren't. They literally had a joke at the expense of adult people who watch animated shows. They could have saved it by saying "children's animated shows", but since they didn't, I'm convinced none of the people involved knew they were making an animated show, solely based on that joke.

[@TheTbf96]

The reason why the former has become more common is because raceswapping is mostly done for activists reasons. By comparison, imagine if a republican voter in marvel decided to retcon wakanda to have originally been white and then we see the original population of Wakanda shittalk current day wakandans. This is pretty much what those activist writers like to do, except the roles are reversed. Or they use an established female character (like Kevin Smith's he-man show) and make her a cunt we are supposed to side with even when she is blatantly in the wrong. Velma is all that, dialed up to eleven as compared to the regular 6 to 8. So now race swaps and female main characters are pretty much a symptom of the decease that are activist writers

[@awandererfromys1680]

I think it's easy to raceswap the superheroes but not their alter egos. I mean growing up black in Kansas would make you a different person than white farmboy Clark Kent. A black Frank Castle would be a fundamentally different Punisher. Superhero comics often deal with social issues so it would be hard to ignore the difference in life experiences.

[@Iceleopard45]

When the first season came out one of my little brothers friends mom put on Velma for their family during dinner and the mom didn’t know it was an adult cartoon and just heard it was about Velma so when the episode started she had to quickly run up and cover the nudity on the screen while screaming at her husband to turn the tv off with the remote. She then proceeded to quickly call MY mom and tell her DO NOT WATCH VELMA with the kids!

[@christinebenson518]

I watched South Park at like 10/11. I didn't care, neither did my mom.

[@darktoadthesticky]

I am just,... just older than the Scooby-Doo Show. I was just a few months old when it first aired.

[@DonalvonGriffyn]

June here, call it 3 months.

[@jonathanmanard7797]

Look I'm not saying shaggy is on the green, but anyone who mixes marshmallows and sardines has to be on something

[@wikiweekends]

Hey all! Some clips in the video got copyright claimed a few days after the video already released, so if you notice any weird moments with clips cutting in and out, then it's because we had YT remove the clips so the video could remain monetised. It's not a big deal, but realise it may throw off a few viewers, so it's easier to just leave this comment here for clarification. Thanks for watching as always! 😁 - Lucas

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

I think if they wanted to make Velma Indian, since she's Kaling's self-insert, they should have changed her colours a bit, to prevent literally everybody from calling her "Black Velma".

[@MrVxBojanglesxv]

To me the show is basically character assassination of everything in scooby doo. It takes lovable/mildly traits and exaggerates them to an annoying proportion and constantly has meta jokes that take jabs at the audience that would be watching this for the nostalgia. It definitely feels like they had another show written and needed a better known ip to latch on to in order to be noticed.

[@mrroboshadow]

Honestly I wanna peak into the alternate universes where Mindy wasn't given Scooby-Doo but instead one of the dozen other Hanna Barbera shows Imagine captain caveman, or Josie and the pussycats

[@MrVxBojanglesxv]

@@mrroboshadow like a jabberjaw but with no jabberjaw.

[@sev1120]

Plus, if this is, miraculously, someone's first ever scooby doo (or scoobt adjacent) show they ever see, it's gonna ruin the IP for them because of not just how the characters suffer such horrible treatment, but it's references are so specific that it immediately dates the show

[@mrroboshadow]

@@MrVxBojanglesxv I think in that specific case it'd be an improvement I remember the character had an extremely grating voice

[@alwaysxnever]

12:40 that sounds more interesting than whatever tf Velma, was.

[@Grimmance]

21:05 having watch 2/3-3/4 of the show actively and letting it run while I play games i can say this. Mindy apparently really hated scooby doo and wanted to crap on it, because she wrote a lot of good hooks for a scooby series, but she crapped on the IP the whole time. Very few of her susbversions actually worked, most felt like she was working out writers room drama.

[@darthultor6365]

For the character that must be white, I kinda feel that James Bond fits most of the criteria fitting why Batman is white. Especially the earlier versions

[@generaldeadpool3245]

26:13 when fred goes rambo mode

[@barakkizunga7889]

I think Amazon’s The Boys Homelander would be changed the structure of what they tackle if Homelander was black any different color ( they mention parts of these in some episodes and spin off Gen V issue being a different race beside white). That’s not including the origins of Vought’s compound V into play.

[@Hantick360]

45:50 I think the only situation where the main characters SHOULD be white is How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, and the only reason I think that's the case is because they are supposed to be wikings. And when you hear "wikings" you think of a white man/woman.

[@mileslugo6430]

A pup named Scooby doo is low key goated

[@Tirnel_S]

With a banger opening song

[@mileslugo6430]

@@Tirnel_S with the best version of Velma

[@jacklansdale77]

The supernatural episode was IN supernatural, not scooby doo, a ghost in supernatural possessed an episode of scooby doo or something and the brothers got sucked in. Thus is my algorithm comment.

[@ecurps1]

You guys are the reason I learned WHY Scrappy was hated.

[@xelldincht4251]

the original creators of Scooby Doo would roll in their graves

[@richard4058]

45:15 Snow white. It refers to her porcelain like skin.

[@TooMuchBSToo]

This makes me wanna go watch Mystery Inc. again

[@mrroboshadow]

You mean the show that did basically everything Velma wanted to do but better? Why would anyone wanna watch that instead of mindy's self insert show? What a misogynistic opinion And because I need to say it, this is sarcasm

[@NoRegs30]

Velma feels like a scooby doo show written by people who don’t like Scooby doo and are way too edgy, while the animation team tries to make a good show but can’t fix the writing and it makes me sad to see

[@evertrainingeverstone6069]

Simple plan opened up for The offspring a couple years ago in Toronto. I had 0 idea who these guys where until they played what's new Scooby-Doo and everybody lost their collective minds. Mine included.

[@thestranger954]

Lol, my mother isn't even older than Scooby Doo. It's genuinely wild to think about just how long standing the character and franchise is. Hope it gets a good new series here soon.

[@TrueAmericanReject]

I wonder if the show would’ve been better if it didn’t feel like a mean spirited Scooby Doo show, but just a quirky cast of new characters inspired by the medium going through a ton of horrible traumatizing true crime & finding the comedy in it to cope. It just feels like it doesn’t want to be the thing it’s subverting.

[@PukeLizard]

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? has gotta be my favourite but to be fair when it released my mum was in the target audience so I might have a bias from my childhood lmao

[@wyldweasel4746]

The Johnny Bravo x Scooby-Doo was one of my favorite crossovers as a kid

[@Raccon_Detective.]

For me it was Ben Ten X Generator Rex.

[@MachineChrist6]

My mom just chimed in and said "yup!"

[@somedudewatchintv5297]

Did she watch it? Is she a fan other stuff?

[@retrooni]

27:00 the cold disapproval from lucas, pretty sure it just froze my diet coke gaddamn

[@WolfHreda]

Not only did Velma unite the world I'm harmony against her, but with its second season, it's got people rethinking their opinion of Scrappy Doo, as he apparently murders her in an upcoming episode.

[@tokyoshadow10]

For the discussion of white swapped character, I'm gonna throw out Johnny Bravo.

[@Eonn141]

I'm older than Scooby-Doo by (literally) a few minutes.

[@keithgarner2759]

To answer your question: Elle from Legally Blond since she is meant to be the valley girl stereotype. Richie/Gear from static shock for the racism confrontations. Honestly Steve Rogers Cap and Trask if they exist in the same universe should both be your stereotypical alt-Right demographic to contrast each other and pull both of them a bit further towards their respective ends of the moral pole. Like ypu said, Batman. Superman and Cap during their WWII stories for a f-you nazis. Your ubermensch hates you.

[@LeonardGreenpaw]

28:01 He says sardine is in the sandwich, Thats not vegetarian or vegan!

[@kyleellis1825]

season 1 should have ended with shaggy and velma getting their brains removed and put in the "correct" bodies. really make everyone reeealllyy mad

[@SteelyDanOfSteel]

The only racial swap I've ever had a problem with was for Netflix's Death Note. Aside from every other problem, they took a character known for being a pale and unkempt shut it and made him a good-looking, well dressed person with dark skin. That's surface level, there was a lot more wrong with that depiction. Great actor, bad casting.

[@lindlekindle]

As someone else has pointed out in the comments, Steve Rogers as Captain America specifically due to the fact that the writers back then wrote him as an allegory for what the Nazi's believed to be the ideal person, pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, the peak of humanity. But with the caveat that if that sort of person existed, they would absolutely despise everything that the Third Reich stood for. This is even shown with B J Blazkowicz in the Wolfenstein series whose primary characteristic since 1991 being that he despises the Nazi's and the ideals of the Third Reich as a whole but has the looks of the "Perfect Aryan".

[@joehumble385]

Yall should watch “Knights of Badassdom”

[@Chet_Manly]

Not gonna lie, that was a shitty girlfriend. I didn't feel bad for her.

[@TheArtofKAS]

The videos just keep getting longer and the discussions grow beyond expectation. We love to see it guys 😂

[@Rath-Issac-Pace]

On the "evil" side, probably dr. doom, just by actual locale

[@matthewbelcher5389]

Yeah they met on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer

[@niagargoyle]

Another way the show is needlessly mean-spirited is the way that it rags on demographics that represent current viewers. Velma makes disparaging comments about grown-ups who watch cartoons, and it's just like... "Who else is going to watch this show? It's definitely not for kids." And that becomes my main question: who is this show for?

[@leon46295]

I feel like consistently excellent is a bit much, but i would say consistently positive

[@richardchisenhall387]

Man IDC what anyone says, it was Linda cardelini in those movies, props to Sarah Michelle Geller but I really liked Velma there And the 90s Addams family was amazing as are the other live action versions (haven't seen the animated so idk)

[@azuretiger-kfpmarketingstr6018]

I would add a counter point to the Cap America comparison though in that being created by a Jew, Jack Kirby, Steve Rogers was intended to satirize the Aryan ideal. A blonde hair blue eyed dude who punches Hitler in the face, a literal F.U. to the Nazis. That said, the "Title" of Captain America is definitely one that could be explored from multiple angles as represented by Sam Wilson Cap.

[@VeneficusCubes]

Natasha Romanov (Black Widow, Avengers) She needs to be white because she is russian ex-kgb agent. But even that is weak argument since her backstory is clearly historical.

[@mikebass9425]

I agree that whiteness doesn't usually matter to a character, but ethnicity does. An Italian or Irish character should at least look Irish or Italian. I think Steve Rogers Captain America is an exception though. Him being so blonde and white he probably made Hitler hard, and yet he fought against the Nazis is important to the narrative.

[@takeru3159]

When the Netflix Death Note Movie was announced, I was actually arguing that making Light white was the best choice seeing how it is set in America. Light is suppose to be a highly privileged having gone to the best schools and never having to really struggle in his life. That is what allows for his warped sense of morality where he believes the law is the law and has no problem condemning a man to death with the absolute certainty that they are guilty because they have been claimed as such. Though it isn't 100%, the majority of the people you find with that kind of view in America is going to be white. The movie ended up being shit so it didn't matter in the end though.

[@Jason-fm4my]

I can't believe you've seen all these shows. It's kinda amazing.

[@netmonmatt]

Velma is such a weird show, because they clearly know the source material and make extremely deep cut references that people wont get often, and clearly want to make all the characters have arcs (including the parents!), but the episode quality varies so wildly. Also like, the show is well aware that Velma is an awful person, but thats such a hard sell when your episodes are so hit and miss.

[@DarthStuticus]

Kanye would play hitler? does he still count as black or did he get disowned?

[@graylinshowell7051]

I'm just waiting on Karl to comment on the Yorkshire Child Ear Nibbler.

[@songsforsanguinius8576]

This video taught me that shaggy is Vegan Straight-Edge

[@kacpermoranski3175]

The only thing that could save Velma as a show is if that was intentionally made that way to highlight all shitty things that a show like that can do. It somehow have all those things that viewers hate.

[@_createusernamelater_6041]

Could’ve made him look like a stoner, but still be t-total and get annoyed that Everyone thinks he’s a stoner. Like he could be really into hydroponics to grow fruits but everyone one thinks it’s coz he’s growing weed or something

[@rainydaygaming5507]

So I did get a little into Season 2 and they're exploring the cowardly side of Norville as PTSD from an event at the end of season 1. For me I'd say it's solid B-tier and Im fine giving it time to cook.

[@sarank1809]

Depending on the storyline/ universe Steve Rogers captain America would need to be white. Otherwise Isaiah Bradley storyline and how he was discriminated against makes no sense in the MCU. As in it wasn't because he was black because Steve Rogers was black. But a white Steve Rogers allows that racism. Then that makes falcon captain America mean more.

[@doctorleak5312]

The first Scooby doo film was honestly scary

[@thesilentspeaker632]

In terms of characters that being white is important to their character (at least in my option) I’d say Steve Rodgers for 2 main reasons. 1- he is meant to look like the “ideal” man by 40s standards. White, blond, blue eyes, absolutely jacked. 2- this is the more important reason. Him being white and a symbol of America adds to the personal stories of Sam Wilson’s captain America and Isaiah Bradley’s captain America in how they are treated in the role in comparison to someone often heralded as “the” Captain America despite earning and holding the same title.

[@Gimbork]

the supernatural crossover was in supernatural and it is amazing i believe it is in season 14

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

My DAD is older than the scooby doo show. My mom is not. 😂

[@crowfather9171]

You kinda need B.J Blazkowicz to be a white American, atleast in the new games there is a point where it is referenced that he meets the ideal image of the Germans while still opposing the Nazi forces.

[@richardchisenhall387]

I'd argue, Tony Stark doesn't have to be white, but original captain America has to be white mainly bc of when his character is portrayed, he's from the ww2 era. Modern captain America, it doesn't matter, but I think original flavor should have a certain look and that's white, blond with blue eyes. That is what essentially fuels the tragedy of Isaiah Bradley and it's terrible but it's a powerful story. On that note, John Walker, also must be a white man as he's meant to be the new Steve Rodgers. For the majority though, it's not a big deal

[@DarlingDeliveries]

2:38 NOPE

[@thrasher698]

I'd argue that John McLane from the Die Hard movies would have to remain white no matter what direction you took anything else in those movies. As an aside while I don't think making Shaggy black is something negative, I do think taking a character with the stereotypes associated with Shaggy and making them black is hilariously tone-deaf.

[@aaronjones5314]

1940s captain america

[@tripleperson8455]

Id argue that while Captain America can be any color, Steve rogers specifically needs to be white. He comes from WWII America, which wouldn't let a black man be their symbol. We see this in the falcon and winter soldier series, there were black super soldiers but they weren't allowed to be captain america.

[@bobspldbckwrds]

Also, we have a black ww2 era captain america. It's Isaiah Bradley.

[@jonathandamato1305]

Maybe the og actors didn't wanna commit to a main character

[@Corlock78]

I will say this about He-Man Revelations, Alan Oppenheimer also voiced Moss Man in the original series. So, he was reprising a role from the original series, just not the role he's most known for. So, still kind of mean spirited, but not as mean spirited, sort of.

[@Disthron]

Wouldn't the cast of the Adams Family have been based on the cast from the 60's TV show?

[@jojotheswede8444]

Mystery Incorporated is the GOAT of Scooby-Doo shows. Also I'm a 97' so I'm definitely NOT older than Scooby-Doo, still grew up watching it though. Headless Horseman episode is one of my favourites.

[@seancochran6108]

Idk about black Steve Rodgers, not captain America, but Steve

[@PyroofMisterE]

Just gonna say big had my mom watch this and she was born 2 years before scooby doo

[@beezle7127]

It's difficult to have a negative opinion about media without being labelled Racist, Homophobic, Transphobic or Sexist. I do wish some people would let an opinion just be that rather than nit pick the opinion and make it some hateful comment towards a community. I feel it also pushes people apart and pushes more people to the extremes of their darker opinions that would be wrsthered and worn away over time to be a more positive or more neutral opinion

[@Some_Average_Joe]

I mean, there is a deluge of bad faith media "criticism" that muddied the waters though

[@Hopalongtom]

I actually really enjoyed that Netflix He-man continuation. It was fun to see the original show canon be continued in that way. As a fan of the original from the reruns I watched as a kid.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Its a show. But its not a Scooby-Doo show.

[@lenag2002]

tbh the only character I can think of that must be white is Snow White, the entire plot centres around her being the 'fairest of them all', fairest meaning fair skinned meaning she is white. Additionally, her name is a reference to how white and pale she is. However, they could rewrite the character to mean fairest in the more literal sense of being fair and kind or refer to white Elizabethan style makeup.

[@CocoMura]

I'd say there's a trope of richness and whiteness, a black batman never being distant to the woes of gotham seems a bit thin blooded. I'd say anyone raised ridiculously rich enough can find themselves emotionally distant to the common man. But uh it IS hard to find someone where being white isn't incidental. Some fictional character where their "whiteness" is essential is tough.

[@johnark4723]

I'd say Superman is a good example. Him not being Jewish (with Jews being commonly seen as white), it messes with his original symbolism and separates him from his creators. With his story being so tied to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's history, it's like slapping them in the face.

[@Ginge907]

I'd argue that Peter Parker has to be a white guy (specifically Peter not spiderman I love miles )

[@sentinelseven2079]

i had a friend who assumed tom hollands peter parker was at least part latin because he read aunt may as latin (shes Italian as it turns out) and that felt decently natural so i feel a bi-racial peter would fly decently easily

[@conorhibbert1562]

its still weird to think Fred from the live action movie was a lead writer for the wwe for years

[@kyuutakitsune7163]

Imo, race being irrelevant to characterization in western media is something that, until relatively recently, was a privilege exclusive to white characters. What I mean is that, for pretty much any contemporary setting, ignoring race in the character's lived experience requires plot contrivances bordering on plotholes. For example black cap america.Can we really say, knowing the US armies records with black soldiers, that the story would have played out the same? I just think "1940s us army experiments on white man" and "1940s us army experiments on black man" have justified different implications. That's assuming a black soldier would voluntarily let the army experiment on him, or that a recluter was sympathetic enough to let him join the army despite not meeting the physical requirements.

[@stratospherica]

Definitely agreed. Even today you still see people ask why a character "needs" to be Black, or Asian, etc., and sometimes female, gay, disabled, transgender, etc. As if there needs to be some kind of narrative payoff or everyone should be white.

[@mountainmiscreant]

I've been watching a whole bunch of Scooby-Doo with my kiddo. Here's my problem with Velma being the smart one: She doesn't really solve the mystery until the villain is unmasked. She's all hindsight. There are some examples contrary to this observation, but more often then not she doesn't provide any useful insight prior to the climax.

[@robertsonmcnaughton4850]

This head line was my impression after consuming the first season, I'll likely watch the second but it truly isn't a Scooby-Doo show

[@Kayclau]

The dialogue of the show reminds me of 90's, 2000's TV anime in the worst way. There are some jokes that I like, but not enough to save the show.