Comic Writer John Byrne Offers Controversial Thoughts on Michael B. Jordan's Casting in Fantastic Four Movie Reboot

The debate surrounding Michael B. Jordan's casting as an African-American Human Torch in Josh Trank's Fantastic Four reboot movie continues, and comic book artist and writer John Byrne has weighed in on the discussion with his controversial thoughts.

Byrne worked on the Fantastic Four and X-Men comics in the mid-1970s and also re-launched Superman for DC in 1986. Back in 2005, he commented on Jessica Alba's casting in the Fantastic Four movie because of her tan complexion and blonde hair. He said women like that "look like hookers to me."

Now, he has offered his thoughts on Jordan's casting as Johnny Storm, a white character, on his public forum (Bleeding Cool collected the comments):

"This is, of course, why I maintain 'colorblind casting' and 'race swapping' are two different things. 'Colorblind casting' applies when the race of the character is not known. James Earl Jones in the Hunt for Red October, for instance. 'Race swapping' is when one known race is swapped out for another.

And from where I stand, race swapping is like treating a gangrenous leg by cutting off a toe. If there is a lack of roles, especially good roles, for 'minority' players - and there most certainly IS! - then FIX THAT. Don't put a bandaid on it.

When it comes to casting a Black actor as Johnny Storm, there is a degree of historical ignorance at work that is insulting to Stan Lee and the memory of Jack Kirby."

He said much, much more than just the three paragraphs above, so be sure to read all the comments here. In the meantime, give us your thoughts on what he had to say in the comments below.