02 Aug Fan-Casting: The Milestone Universe
BY ALEX SMITH
Gay and trans characters, frank discussion about race, the war on drugs, political intrigue, societal generation gaps within the Black liberation movement, and all the healthy (and unhealthy) teen angst to fill any CW show writer’s moleskine— we’re talking about Milestone Comics, an absolutely breathtaking endeavor from Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle. The creators, with backing from DC Comics as a distributor, envisioned a diverse lineup of characters, most of whom were Black, during a time (the mid 90s) when diversity was not exactly a buzzword in the comics industry. The first books were Static— the teenage hero with typical teenage problems, who would eventually gain enough popularity to garner his own television show; Hardware, a Black tech genius whose story is wrapped up heavily in corporate espionage; Icon— a Superman-like figure who was—gasp!— a Republican, who consistently clashed with his rebellious, teenage sidekick Rocket; and Blood Syndicate— a diverse cast of gang members who become anti-heroes after gaining powers as victims of government and corporate experimentation. The impact Milestone had on the comics industry is underwritten about (even acclaimed comics writer Grant Morrison leaves Milestone out of his super-hero history book, Supergods), yet it is still felt throughout the industry today. Many of today’s writers and artists can trace their experience of seeing the Milestone characters on the shelves as a turning point in their own development.
McDuffie passed away in 2011 but his legacy and the characters live on. It can be theorized that the popularity of Milestone paved the way for some of the first more modern, comicbook worthy adaptations of super-heroes on the big screen. Hollywood’s use of Black characters in the 90’s, like Spawn and Blade and the general multi-cultural cast of The Matrix can be attributed to Milestone’s impact. The stories in Milestone comics were cinematic, full of intrigue, and not weighed down with heavy-handed exposition. The Dakotaverse (another name for Milestone’s universe, based on the city of Dakota where most of he action happened on page) felt real, lived in. The problems of the characters were reflective of real life problems, displaying the kind of grounded story-telling the bloated 90’s comics at DC and Marvel and Image neglected. It’s no surprise then that Spawn and Blade– two Black superheroes– would hit the screen before even the X-Men and Spider-man eventually would.
As if to coincide with my own personal re-read of these comics, Milestone has been in the media recently. Plans to revitalize the company have come to light, and with that it would be interesting to speculate even further down the road. What would the cinematic debut of a character like Static look like? Do fans have enough room in their collective watching for another MCU— in this case, the Milestone Cinematic Universe? Wouldn’t it be awesome to see a gritty and surreal Blood Syndicate film directed by Ryan Coogler? Or a Hardware film depicting the bizarre underbelly of the corporate world directed by Boots Riley? What about a grounded, yet spectacular sci-fi retelling of Icon and Rocket helmed by Ava Duvernay? In that spirit then, here’s a list of some of the major players in the Dakotaverse/Milestone Comics and the actors who would be spot on in portraying them—
HARDWARE—John David Washington— His cool and even temperament, his smart and sharp looks and impeccable acting skills makes JDW the perfect fit for Hardware. Hardware’s the Iron Man/Batman of the Milestone Universe. It would be awesome to see JDW moving through an espionage, corporate intrigue laden world like his character in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming TENET.
ICON—Idris Elba— Icon is the Superman of the Milestone Universe, so we’d need someone strong, fatherly, and a bit cultured. Elba plays that to perfection in this role. It also helps that he’s totally jacked.
ROCKET—Keke Palmer— Keke’s fun personality and playful acting skills are perfect for Rocket, Icon’s sidekick who is always getting into trouble and always telling off her so-called boss.
STATIC—Caleb McLaughlin— Many young actors could play Static, it’s true, but not many could play Virgil Hawkins, Static’s real life, teenage persona, the way Stranger Thing’s McLaughlin could. Intelligent, funny, yet also a bit awkward and unsure, McLaughlin would be perfect in this role.
HOLOCAUST—Djimon Hounsu— Holocaust was a former member of Blood Syndicate who turned into an out-and-out big bad. Mostly I think Hounsu often gets cast in these roles, but to bring out the depth, anguish and intensity of this bad dude, you need an actor like Hounsu in this role. I’d considered Winston Duke but with his prominent role as M’Baku over at Black Panther/the MCU, I think Hounsu would have more time to dedicate and differentiate the role.
DMZ—Michael Jai White— DMZ is a mysterious character with some connection to Icon, but that’s all I’ll say. He’s a fierce fighter and a wise sole, and since Elba is already our Icon, Jai White has both the chops and the experience (And the bod. And the fight game. And plus he played Spawn in the ‘90s.) to play the Blood Syndicate’s weirdest member.
WISE SON—Tyler James Williams— this may be the character most against type on this list, and it’s exactly why it’ll work. Williams, from his titular role in Everybody Hates Chris, is a fantastic actor who would relish a chance to play a gang banging 5 Percenter who gains the power of invulnerability. This is one of the most tortured characters in Milestone and Williams could deliver a brilliant performance here.
FADE—Michael Cimino— I saw Cimino in Love, Victor, a show about a Latino teenager and his journey to come out of the closet, playing the titular character, so maybe that’s why I think Cimino would be perfect for Fade, BS’s closeted gay character with ghost-powers. But the resemblance is uncanny if you slap a 90’s goattee on Cimino, plus the dude can act.
DHARMA—Laurence Fishburne— Dharma is the Dr. Doom/Lex Luthor of Milestone, a know-it-all megalomanic who starts a team called the Shadow Cabinet to right the wrongs that he predicts are happening in the universe. He comes off as wise, well-traveled, and universal in his thinking, all the qualities Laurence Fishburne has exhibited time and again. With Fishburne adding a Morpheus-esque element to the role, sounds like cinematic gold.
IRON BUTTERFLY—May Calamawy—So, I’ve only seen one episode of Hulu’s Ramy, but the standout character for me was Ramy’s sister, Dena. She’s sassy, energetic and full of potential depth, and the actress playing her, Calamawy, is electric. Perfect for Palestinian super-hero Iron Butterfly who is the intense, strong-willed, and powerful field leader of Shadow Cabinet. The character’s Wonder Woman meets Hawkgirl motif is an important thing to project, but in order for a character like this to come across as less of a cartoon and more real, it will take an actor with not just chops, but incredible grace. Rising star Calamawy has all of that.
IOTA—Indya Moore— Iota has the power to shrink to an infantesimal size, but she’s also clever, and capable. Moore’s on-screen characters have been all that, and they’d bring a powerful, standout performance for this member of Shadow Cabinet.
BLITZEN—Lana Condor or Kelly Marie Tran—(I can’t decide.) We’ve seen Condor as a fighter on Deadly Class, but Tran has my heart if I’m being frank, for her underutilized role in the Star Wars sequels. Blitzen is a member of the Shadow Cabinet with super-speed, a smart mouth and tons of energy. She’s also one of mainstream comics first openly queer characters as she’s in a relationship with Donner.
DONNER—Emily Blunt— you know, I had a little trouble with this one? Blunt playing the super-strong, genetic experiment gone right-ish Donner, a member of SC, is definitely a good fit– again, strong, no-nonsense, and, like, really white, but in reality Blunt probably wouldn’t be around to play the role. Still, one can dream.
STARLIGHT—Issa Rae— Starlight is one of the newer characters, but she’s extremely powerful and, despite being a mostly opaque being, glows. Rae’s ability to light up the screen means she’s perfect for playing the cosmically inclined heroine.
Alex Smith lives in the seams in the cloth of existence where he desperately stitches together universes with one hand and with the other, armed with an espresso tamp, makes valiant attempts to keep his lights on. A member of the sci-fi artist/activist collective Metropolarity, founder of the Queer sci-fi reading series Laser Life, and curator of the retro-futurist electro mash-up art-jam Chrome City, Alex’s stories and writings embolden the weird, strange, and revolutionary dichotomy of being Black and Queer in a world that marginalizes both. @TheyAreBirds (IG)
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