Racism not the reason for outrage over Michael B. Jordan’s Human Torch, says Stan Lee

When it was announced that the Human Torch in the new Fantastic Four movie will be played by up-and-coming star Michael B. Jordan, pretty much the exact opposite of the blond-haired, blue-eyed hot-headed teenager we've come to know in the comics, the internet pretty much flipped out.

And though much of the criticism surrounding Jordan's casting revolved around his skin color, Marvel comic book legend Stan Lee believes the complaints aren't so much racially motivated as they are driven by concern with just a change from what we've seen since the '60s.

"They’re outraged not because of any personal prejudice. They’re outraged because they hate to see any change made on a series and characters they had gotten familiar with," Stan Lee told Entertainment Weekly, attempting to justify the criticism among comic book fans.

"In Spider-Man, when they got a new actor, that bothered them, even though it was a white actor," he added. "I don't think it had to do with racial prejudice as much as they don't like things changed."

While I'm sure there are a quite a few racists out there who dislike the casting choice based solely on Jordan's skin color, I actually agree with Lee's comments. People don't like change, regardless of what it is. I believe much of the concern was as much ignorance as anything, like idea that Sue Storm could be white and Johnny Storm could be black is some sort of wild notion. It's 2015 people, there are numerous explanations we could go with on this one.

It's not just Jordan feeling the heat either. A similar sentiment has been expressed with Paul Feig's Ghostbusters reboot, which will feature an all female cast. Though some of the backlash is fueled by sexist a**holes, I believe many of the complaints have more to do with Hollywood constantly crapping on classic films, sh*tting out generic reboot after generic reboot.

If Ghostbusters or Fantastic Four flop, it's not because of casting decisions, it's because of weak writing and a mundane plot.

That being said, Stan Lee has expressed a ton of confidence in Jordan's performance as the Human Torch.

"But I think they’re gonna get to love this character. So I’m not the least bit worried about it. I always tried to pepper these groups with as much racial diversity as possible because that’s the way the world is."

I say give it a chance. Heck, give both movies a chance. They may be different takes on the characters or franchises you've grown accustomed to, but it doesn't mean it will take anything away from the originals you already love. You can still love those and enjoy the new spins.