And clearly the brain trust at DC Entertainment doesn’t understand that at all.
Of all of the controversies surrounding the launch of DC’s New 52 roughly two years ago, one of the biggest was the radical changes to Amanda Waller. I had no intentions of reading New 52 so I gave it no mind. And every now and then I’d read a review where the New Waller just made me groan and be pleased with myself that I didn’t sink any money into that BS. Then DC started releasing information about new live-actions programs they will be pushing within the next few months. One is called ‘Gotham’ and it will be centered on Jim Gordon. This is a stupid idea because do you really want another police drama on the air? Beyond that ANY live-action series based on a Batman character will be compared directly to the Christopher Nolan movies and I thought we were trying to get away from Nolan DC. But that is a different rant for a different day.
Now, I am NOT the biggest fan of Arrow in the world and it fits in the DC mold of reaching to a younger audience by taking a massive dump on established franchises. I would say here that ‘it has its audience, so I don’t care’, but if the ratings reports are correct this particular blight might not be with us much longer…which would give them more time to do a Wonder Woman live-action show on the CW! That rant is written and ready for the day DC announces the cast. So I won’t spoil you here.
No, THIS rant is on the casting for Amanda Waller’s appearances on Arrow! Today’s lucky contestant is one Cynthia Addai-Robinson…and by the photo provided she is clearly meant to be inspired by the New 52 version of Amanda Waller. I think they dropped the fact the she’s a Ph.D for New 52 so it’s just Amanda. But before I make a judgment call, I decided to check into the woman’s acting ability because for all I know we have untapped potential here. So, what do we got?
BUT, I’m not going to watch Arrow because regardless of how hard she works in the role I will never approve of her version of Waller.
Let me be absolutely clear: Amanda Waller being younger isn’t my problem. Amanda Waller being a supermodel now instead of plus-sized isn’t my problem. DC did that to EVERY female character in the New 52 so it isn’t a problem with just her, it’s a problem with their view of women overall. My problem with the New 52 Amanda Waller is simple: this Waller is a fucking idiot.
‘JP what do you mean by that?’
Well I haven’t been buying the serials, BUT I do follow the scans and reviews of the comics as I mentioned earlier. So I can give you a few examples to make my case! Let’s start with the introduction of James Gordon, Jr. Long story short, Junior is related to EXACTLY who you think he’s related to, only Junior’s a complete psychopath and serial killer. In the New 52 Amanda Waller brings him into the Suicide Squad and because Waller looks like she does now, Junior begins to creep on her. New 52 Waller’s response to Junior’s leering?
Shortly after this comic was released, Newsarama talked to Adam Kot: the writer for the Suicide Squad at the time. In it he tries to explain why Waller brings Gordon onto the Squad, but it only compounds what I said about this version being stupid:
Nrama: What's Amanda's motivation for bringing James Jr. to the team?
Kot: Nothing better than a psychopath when it comes to dissecting other psychopaths. Gordon Jr. is young, "talented" and driven. Waller wants his expertise and she believes she can keep him on a tight leash. That said, she's involved with running other teams, so if she overcommits, something might just slip her attention for a moment.
Waller drops her macho routine for a change as Kot reinforces the idea that she really does have good intentions at heart, even if she isn't afraid to sacrifice a handful of incarcerated supervillains in the defense of the homeland.
And this is just this character’s stupidity in the Suicide Squad title. I ignored her working with Teen Titans after Tim Drake outsmarted her. Nothing against Drake, but seriously this woman went toe-to-toe with Batman! She also tried to recruit Black Manta into the Suicide Squad by offering better tech. No leverage to, you know, make him do it: just better tech. He declined because he wasn’t born last week and she just walked away. And then there’s the fact that she was outsmarted and held captive by HARLEY QUINN of all people. And this is just getting depressing so I’m going to stop.
How do you think this run on Arrow is going to go? Does anyone here really believe Robinson’s Waller is going to be a master chess-player twisting villains and heroes to ensure America’s interest in that stupid town? Or is she going to be one more ‘badass’ tough girl who will melt in the presence of the right underwear model posing as a DC character? And if you think that was too harsh, talk to me about how well they’re handling ‘Laurel Lance’ in that show.
It isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but the degradation of Amanda Waller is confirmation of the disconnection between DC and its hardcore fans. I talked about it on the podcast and I stand by what I said: they will kill themselves trying to be like Marvel when it is better for them BOTH to be unique but whatever. It will be interesting to see what other characters they toss under the bus in their misguided quest for profit. I mean, haven’t we all been waiting for a love triangle with Wonder Woman in high school?
Yeah…that rant will come sooner than any of us think I assure you. JP3: Out.