When Batman was drawn for the first time, he had purple gloves.
Nothing else on him was purple.
In retrospect, it looks really silly, but it wasthe style at the time.
Stories and characters grow and change over time.
Superman couldn’t fly for 3-5 years after his creation.
Doctor Who has changed numbering methods for the Doctors more than once in its six-decade history.
And this doesn’t just apply to modern nerd fare.
In all cases, these stories were made up.
They’re inherently flexible.
It’s a “best of” Batman.EveryBatman.
Alfred asks Master Wayne why we fall down (Batman Begins).
Bruce talks about being an incorruptible symbol (The Dark Knight).
He runs down a dock with a bomb held over his head (Batman 1966).
Batman is a chameleon who changes with the times his writers live in.
He’s not alone in that, though.
The two biggest elements have to do with Dwarven beards and people of color.
Certain texts also state that Dwarven men outnumber women two to one.
The idea that Dwarven women have beards is not conclusively stated and has to be deduced from context clues.
Except… there were.
Countless historical texts do the same.
While people of color certainly existed in medieval Europe, what does that mean for Middle-earth?
Tolkein’s attitudes toward race and his descriptions of the races of Middle-earth are anything but simple.
We could fill a book about it.
In fact,peoplehave.
Orcs are evil, Elves are good.
But here’s the thing: those are totally irrelevant.
When writing new fiction about an existing world, there are some things you’re free to’t change.
The details around those core elements, however, can change.
In fact, theyhave tochange.
Middle-earth, though, like Gotham City and Tatooine, is a made-up place.
In between all the details Tolkien gave us are countless blank spaces to fill in.
These are fictional worlds and are not beholden to the history of planet Earth.
Humans wander and migrate.
Canon is a bad excuse for racism, sexism, and hate.
Does having people of color in a Lord of the Rings story change anythingimportantabout it?
Overzealous adherence to canon is a crutch for many fans that holds back these stories and characters.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly?
