Just in case you were concerned about the lack of diversity among members of Mystery Incorporated, HBO Max has released a trailer for their new “Scooby Doo” spin off series featuring black “Velma” that will debut in 2023.
In the trailer black Velma can be observed writing a text message directed at HBO Max, ostensibly taking a swipe at people who would be displeased with the character’s race swap.
“Dear HBO Max, I just learned you intend to make a genre bending, comedic origin story of Judy Jetson. When I heard this new version of Judy Jetson wouldn’t be ‘boy crazy,’ the only word I had to describe my disgust is ‘Jinkies!'”
“If there is one thing the internet agrees on, it’s that you should never change anything ever. I hope you die! Sincerely, Velma,” black Velma said, adding “Well, at least Judy’s still white.”
Velma in 2002 vs Velma in 2022 https://t.co/evqkwgoKgT pic.twitter.com/vUNwNCGrEB
— Jack Hadfield 🇬🇧 (@JackHadders) October 6, 2022
While Velma is black in the new TV series, she is apparently a lesbian in the upcoming “Scooby Doo” movie. It’s unclear if a third project is in the works in which the fictional character may become both black and gay.
The new HBO Max show appears to be the latest development in the Hollywood trend that involves transforming historically recognized characters from white to black.
As Valiant News reported last month Disney’s trailer for their new adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” featuring singer and actress Halle Bailey as black “Ariel” received extremely low marks among users and critics on YouTube to the tune of 1.5 million dislikes in a single day.
Online defenders of the new Disney film have claimed that the millions of dislikes were dished out by “racists” and “white supremacists” who allegedly take issue with the prospect of “Ariel” being portrayed by a black woman of color.
That's a lot of racist bigots.
— Darren Tilby (@TilbyDarren) September 12, 2022
“The only reason this is getting flak is because the main lead is now of African American descent. It’s extremely disgusting how alive racism and prejudice is in this world,” tweeted user @BedsideGamma in defense of black “Ariel.”
