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Actor John Leguizamo has written a think small-arm for NBC News discourse the representation ( or miss thence ) of Latinos in the realm of comic Word of God . The 53 - year - old Columbian aborigine is comfortably known for his work in hits likeRomeo + Juliet , theJohn Wickfilms , and the foresightful - runningIce Agefranchise . He ’s dip his toes into the superhero region as well , playing the Violator inSpawnand pop up for a plunk for office inKick - Ass 2 . The 30 + year veteran of the level and screen late called out the risible manufacture for being too far behind the sentence regarding superheroes of Latino stemma , and he ’s already buzz off funding from his fellow role player for doing so .
Related:Marvel Not Rushing Diverse Characters Until They Can Be Done Right
As seems to be the typesetter’s case with many Hollywood whiz these days , Leguizamo has become progressively salient on the political scene in late age . His clause for certain takes a few shaft at the government activity ( and more specifically , the current governance ) , though the histrion ’s wrath remains largely focused on the comic playscript industry and their various adaptations on cover . Suffice it to say , he ’s less than impressed by the efforts made by major publishers tomake their superhero rosters more diverse .
Here are a few option inverted comma from his article , which you could say in its entirely over onNBC News :
Even though Latinx people have been fueling the strip industry since its inception , you would n’t be capable to tell by browsing a comical book computer memory or go to a blockbuster comic book movie … comic acculturation is everywhere you look — 50 percent of the attender at the recent New York ComicCon were the great unwashed of color , for example — but Latinos are n’t anywhere to be found inside the screening … We are superheroes without capes or costumes , and there should be Marvel and D.C. heroes with names like Diaz , Vargas and Garcia . We deserve the same variety of visibility in the medium as anybody else . Kid , teenagers and even adults attend to superheroes as use models ; representation of someone ' like me ' is a big part of connect with any source of entertainment and feel like you ’re a part of the society in which you last . Because , if you do n’t see yourself represented outside of yourself , you feel inconspicuous .
Leguizamo is n’t alone in his business over Latino histrionics in the superhero , of course . Over on Twitter , Agents of SHIELDstar Gabriel Luna – who playsGhost Rider Robbie Reyes , one of the startlingly few Latino superheroes on the cover today – was quick to vocalise his financial backing .
.@JohnLeguizamowith a great think piece . Ghost Rider ’s got you back Johnny Legs!#GhostRider#RobbieReyes???https://t.co / l7y22HxEyc — Gabriel Luna ( @IamGabrielLuna)October 24 , 2017
According to the United States Census Bureau , Latinos and Hispanics account for over 17 percentage of the American universe as of July 1st , 2015 , making them the land ’s large pagan or racial minority by a sizable margin . On top of that , ICv2recently released consumer demographics datum in the aftermath ofNew York Comic Con , and the numbers unwrap that Latinos accounted for 12 % of the funny and pictorial novel - buying populace ( again , the self-aggrandizing nonage radical ) . Oh , and last twelvemonth , theMPAAfound that 23 % of frequent moviegoers identified as Hispanic ( again , the biggest minority chemical group ) .
await , diversity in the entertainment industry is always a red-hot button issue , but the numbers do n’t lie . Even if you ’re not in particular concerned in comics and superhero media constitute any genuine attempt to present the world we live in , it ’s downright nonsensical that they so intemperately underrepresent such a sizable portion of their fanbase . Just something to think about if your first reaction to a new Latino zep being introduced in the comics is to dismiss it as a thinly - veil attempt at political correctness .