*“Lord of the Rings” fans are outraged over the fictitious character Aragorn being depicted as Black for a new collectible card game.
“Lord of the Rings Magic: The Gathering” series shows Aragorn as a Black man for the first time ever, and new artwork released on social media sparked outrage.
Aragorn is a key character in JRR Tolkien’s beloved book “The Lord of the Rings,” and in Peter Jackson’s blockbuster movie, he is played by the white actor Viggo Mortensen. In the “Magic: The Gathering” artwork, the character is a Black man with hair twists and a grey goatee.
Many Tolkien fans are upset that the character doesn’t look like Mortensen. According to Tolkien’s book, Aragorn is of Numenorean descent, a group of people with fair skin.
“And Aragorn gave it a new name and called it Andúril, Flame of the West.” pic.twitter.com/zi1JQBCHjb
— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 28, 2023
“I find it hard to understand why would it be beneficial to take a ‘Numenorean’ (describes as fair-skinned) and turn it into another race,” Italian artist Federico Martani wrote, Newsweek reports. “Isn’t it more empowering to have great characters that fit a ‘race’ and are proud of it, instead of taking well established ones and swap them?”
“This is just race-baiting,” Thomas Crown tweeted in response, per Newsweek. “A publicity stunt in the worst taste.”
As the Daily Mail reports, an article published by TheGamer defends Black Aragorn.
“The most common criticism is that Aragorn is descended from Numenoreans, and they were all white,” the author, British journalist Ben Sledge, wrote.
“I don’t buy it. Even if we’re ignoring the fact that Numenoreans are made up and Middle-earth is make-believe, there are plenty of people of color in Tolkien’s works,” Sledg continued.
“There is plenty of room for lore-accurate black or mixed race Numenoreans if you’re willing to actually think about it,” he added.
Wizards of the Coast, the company behind “Magic: The Gathering,” noted in a post on Monday that diversity is at the center of its new Tolkien set, Insider reports.
“The Lord of the Rings is about the different peoples of Middle-earth coming together to fight Sauron, finding strength in their diversity,” the firm wrote. “Fans of all backgrounds have been enjoying these stories, characters, and locations for decades, and we wanted this set to reflect on that broad inclusion.”
The Aragorn character design is part of the card game’s new “The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth” set which is slated for release on June 23.
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