The only Latino character in the Avengers franchise was just killed off. So where's the fan outcry?
Is Agent Jasper Sitwell’s lack of popularity is a combination of bad luck and unappealing characterisation, or was it influenced by racial bias?When Sitwell was killed off in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was clear that his character arc had many similarities to that of Agent Coulson, who was resurrected following the hugely popular #CoulsonLives campaign. But a week and a half after Sitwell’s death, his equivalent fan campaign, #IBelieveInSitwell, is not exactly taking off.So, why does everyone love Coulson so much more than Sitwell? What makes them so different?
Well, while Joss Whedon bumped up Coulson’s tertiary role to that of a lovable everyman hero in The Avengers, Sitwell was revealed to be a sleeper agent for the evil HYDRA organization. But as we already know, being evil has nothing to do with a character’s popularity. Just look at Loki, who tried to commit genocide in Thor and attacked New York in The Avengers, but is still widely beloved throughout Marvel fandom. If being a mass-murdering alien overlord isn’t enough to put people off, then Sitwell’s apparent HYDRA defection can presumably be humanized as well.
