Fantastic Four’s Jessica Alba Says Marvel Movies Are “Still Quite Caucasian” Despite Diversity Efforts

Calls from large fandoms for further diversity efforts have finally started to materialize in major franchises like Star Wars and the MCU, both of which have seen a big expansion in their on-screen representation. It previously took Marvel Studios until their eighteenth feature film to have a non-white lead in one of their movies (2018’s Black Panther) and not until their 21st film for a solo female-led movie (2019’s Captain Marvel). They’ve made more improvements since then as well, but for some that were there previously it seems like perhaps not enough it still being done for fans watching what unfolds in these blockbuster movies.

“It’s a business initiative for people now that they realize how much money they can make,” Fantastic Four star Jessica Alba said in a new interview with Glamour UK when asked about diversity efforts on the part of Hollywood studios and other. “It’s something they care about, which is fine. How they get there really doesn’t matter. You’re like, ‘Great. Now you realize there’s a whole group of folks that you just frankly left out of the conversation because you just didn’t even see them. They were there the whole time.’ And I guess it’s the people in charge. However they get there, it really genuinely doesn’t matter. I just think more for the younger people who are coming up, who are going to be our future leaders, it’s important for them to see the world on screen, or in stories, in the dreams that we create as entertainers; it reflects the world that they’re in.”

Alba then turned her attention to the new crop of Marvel movies being made, noting that she believes these blockbuster franchises continue to focus on “Caucasian” stars over others. She adds, “Even if you look at the Marvel movies – that’s the biggest driver of fantasy and what’s happening right now in entertainment, because it’s sort of the family thing – it’s still quite Caucasian…I would say I was one of the few back in the day… And it was before Marvel was sold to Disney… but it’s still quite… more of the same.”

A woman of Latina heritage, Alba was cast as Sue Storm in the first two adaptations of Marvel’s First Family. Alba’s casting marked a pretty major point in superhero movies where the race of a character on the page didn’t necessarily prohibit a performer of a different race playing them on the big screen. Attempts at the same thing in years following would sometimes go almost unnoticed (eg. Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin in Daredevil) while others spurred fiery “discourse” (eg. Michael B. Jordan in Fantastic Four 2015). 

When considering the crop of Marvel’s Phase Four movies and TV shows in the MCU however, Marvel’s latest chapters have had more women and people of color in front of the camera much higher than others including the likes of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. 

Where do you land on this? Do you think Marvel’s diversity efforts could continue to be even more present? Sound off in the comments below and let us know.