Everyone, PLEASE go support the new Power Rangers movie.
I know basically nothing about the franchise, I was never a fan as a kid, I get it if you’re like ‘idk what even’ about the movie.
I haven’t even seen the movie yet.
But out of the 5 main cast members, 4 are non-white, and of those, 1 is an openly queer Latina, and 1 is black and autistic.
Words can’t express how huge this is.
Not only is this the first openly queer superhero in a blockbuster movie, she is also Latina.
It’s also, the first autistic superhero in a blockbuster movie.
It’s one of the first times I have ever seen a canonically autistic protagonist in a major piece of media, ever, in a narrative that isn’t just about them Suffering About Being Autistic™.
It’s the second black autistic character I’ve ever seen in any form of media, ever, either, and that is incredibly significant. It’s looking like it will be fairly positive representation, which is so important, given the issues that black autistic people face. (More likely to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, more likely to be the victims of police violence and persecution, etc.) If it doesn’t do well, the diversity of the film will get blamed by Hollywood, rather than any of the individual creative merits of the film itself.
But if this movie succeeds, it could be genuinely groundbreaking, in terms of what is considered viable in terms of casting and representation in major blockbuster movies.
If you want more POC heroes, more queer heroes, more disabled heroes, in your media?
Please, please, go see this movie.
