Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 5 hours 30 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,305.00
    -3.25 (-0.06%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    40,107.00
    -37.00 (-0.09%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,504.00
    +0.25 (+0.00%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,135.00
    -3.40 (-0.16%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    81.73
    +0.38 (+0.47%)
     
  • Gold

    2,214.00
    +1.30 (+0.06%)
     
  • Silver

    24.60
    -0.15 (-0.59%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0805
    -0.0025 (-0.23%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.1960
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • Vix

    12.94
    +0.16 (+1.25%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2617
    -0.0021 (-0.17%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.4200
    +0.1740 (+0.12%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,388.30
    +696.80 (+1.00%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,931.98
    +1.02 (+0.01%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,168.07
    -594.66 (-1.46%)
     

Marvel Executive Jeph Loeb Is Under Fire for Wearing a Karate Uniform to Promote Iron Fist

“Several layers of bad.”

Marvel executive producer Jeph Loeb is coming under fire this week for wearing what some think is offensive attire to promote the TV series Iron Fist at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s just the latest in a string of questionable decisions surrounding the Netflix show, which has been called out for cultural appropriation before — the main character is a white guy who discovers a mystical Asian city, learns kung fu, and becomes an evil-fighting machine. It’s a classic white-man-saves-the-day story, which isn’t exactly the most original concept in history.

Jeph, however, continues to defend the show despite the ongoing criticism. Electronic Frontier Foundation policy analyst Katharine Trendacosta posted a tweet highlighting this. “I asked Jeph Loeb why Marvel in the 21st century was still doing ‘white guy becomes master of magic in Asia’ stories, and he looked me right in the eye and said it was because Danny Rand had to be an outsider.”

At Comic-Con, Jeph seemed to double down on his defense of the show by wearing a karate costume to announce Iron Fist’s season two premiere date.

On social media, people had quite a bit to say about Jeph’s “look.” One person called it “several layers of bad.” Another said that he had “certainly made a choice” with the costume.

Some possible though bizarre explanations for the costume have popped up on Twitter. One is that an audience member had waited all night to get in to the event, so Jeph signed the jacket for her.

Those who attended the panel said that Jeph apparently wore the costume as part of a comic bit with one of Iron Fist’s lead actors Jessica Henwick, who at one point reportedly came on stage and told him to remove the jacket and headband.

Whatever the reason for Jeph’s costume, it’s already added to the ongoing discussion about what’s considered cultural appropriation, like when Marvel’s editor-in-chief, C.B. Cebulski, admitted that he used to write comics under a Japanese name. Then, just a few months ago, a white student wore a qipao — a traditional Chinese dress for women (also known as a cheongsam) — to her prom. Her prom photos went viral, and many people said that her wearing the dress was problematic. And who can forget the backlash from fans over Scarlett Johansson’s casting as Major Motoko Kusanagi, a Japanese protagonist, in the film Ghost in the Shell? It made Hollywood’s lack of inclusion for actors of color — especially Asian actors — that much more frustrating.

Unfortunately, it seems like we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to educating people — especially those in positions of power and influence — about what is appropriate when it comes to portraying different cultures.

Teen Vogue has reached out to Marvel for comment and will update the story accordingly.

Get the Teen Vogue Take. Sign up for the Teen Vogue weekly email.

Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out:

Marvel Exec Backtracks After Claiming People 'Didn’t Want Female Characters'

Advertisement