Television aficionados everywhere have been on cloud 9 since last weekend’s premiere of House of the Dragon, the long-awaited spinoff series to HBO’s universally-beloved drama, Game Of Thrones, that aired to much fanfare between 2011 – 2019. And with just two episodes in, the show is poised to break TV records left and right.
The show, which takes place hundreds of years before GoT, has already gained widespread praise for its next-level visuals, detailed costume design, and more importantly an attempt to be more inclusive in the casting.
The character of Corlys Velaryon, the richest man in Westeros, is played by Black British actor Steve Toussaint. While it isn’t the first occurrence of melanin popping up in the Thrones universe, it’s by far the highest power ranking we’ve seen given to people of color thus far.
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Character fates in the GoT universe are unpredictable, to say the least, so we wish Toussaint and Corlys Velaryon all the best in navigating through The Seven Kingdoms. If all works out, he might even get a spinoff!
When it was announced Toussaint would get the role, it didn’t sit well with some white Game of Thrones fans who believed Corlys should look more like he did in the books (side note George R.R Martin didn’t describe Corlys’ skin color in the books).
But Toussaint’s marvelous portrayal of one of the most powerful men in Westeros has won over the doubters and he has become one of the most intriguing characters on the show.
The mere thought of a whole show about a dreaded Black nobleman working his way up the ranks in Westeros is enticing, and also got us thinking about other Black characters throughout history that also deserved to lead for once. Often we’ve seen characters of color given a mere sidekick role, and even then they stand out so much that it results in fan-favorite status.
In an attempt to speak things into existence, we chose a few Black fictional figures in TV and film that we wouldn’t mind seeing at the forefront of our television screens or in theaters.
From superheroes and cartoon cuties to sassy cheerleaders and a deadly contract killer, we take a look at Black characters who’d make amazing main stars in their own show or film:
Although we love that Susie played so well with kids outside of her race, it would be really nice to see her signature street smarts brought to a playground of kids she can identify with.
2. NICK FURY
As the prime connecting character throughout the entire MCU, it’s almost surprising that Fury hasn’t gotten the Disney+ treatment already. Hey, maybe in Phase Five or Six!
3. STORM
Either in classic animation or live-action the way Halle Berry did so graciously over the span of four films, Storm’s epic origin story as the mother of all elements absolutely needs to be told.
4. KENDRA THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
While Buffy will always be the baddest blonde to slay vampires around Sunnydale, Kendra definitely deserved more than the fate her character was given in Season 2. Whether an origin story or simply bringing her back from the dead — hey, Buffy did it twice! — we deserve to see more of the ill-fated Black Caribbean Vampire Slaver. The accent, well, that may need some work.
5. GERALD
Arnold’s best friend did a great job at standing out amongst their diverse friend group, but maybe we could see a coming-of-age series about the cool young Black man that we all know he grew up into.
6. BRENDA MEEKS
The Scary Movie saga wouldn’t be what it is without Brenda Meeks, played to perfection thanks to the comedic prowess of Regina Hall. There’s a bunch of movies that Brenda could spoof in her own spinoff, and you already know the end result would leave audiences in stitches.
7. RUBY RHOD
We don’t know what galaxy Ruby Rhod would be in following The Fifth Element, but as long as he’s rocking a head-to-toe gold ‘fit we’ll be sure to tune in!
8. ISIS (AND THE CLOVERS)
The amount of Bring It On sequels since the original 2000 film have been exhausting to say the least, but a Clovers-themed spinoff that sees Isis coaching a new breed of Black cheerleaders could be quite a blockbuster.
9. VERNITA GREEN
You already know the fate of Vernita Green if you saw even the first 15 minutes of Kill Bill. However, fans of the franchise are well aware that each member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad has a rich backstory. Let’s start with Copperhead!
10. FROZONE
Samuel L. Jackson probably gets daily requests by fans of all ages to star in a Frozone spinoff of The Incredibles — and yes, this is another one! As long as he has that signature voice, we’ll never let up on praying this will actually happen.
