Popular Culture Review Vol. 27, No. 2, Summer 2016 | Page 48

Gadot , in her own defense , retorted , “ The true Amazons had one boob so it won ’ t bother them in their archery . So it ’ s not going to be like real Amazons . We always try to make everyone happy but we can ’ t ” ( Begley ). After Jason Momoa , signed to portray Aquaman in Batman v . Superman as well as a stand-alone film , announced that his version of the character would not sport the traditional blond hair and orange and green suit , the online anger spread quickly ; ultimately , a photo released online of an imposing and heavily tattooed version of Aquaman seems to have intrigued fans enough to perhaps persuade them to let go of the hair detail . Historically , the backlash to the casting of Batman has often been particularly passionate and at times venomous , forming as powerful counterpublics that have had influence over multi-million dollar film productions . What distinguishes the rhetoric of the casting of Affleck as Batman from other role decisions is the sheer convergence of what I will refer to as “ antecedent public rhetoric ” embraced by this counterpublic and shaping the media response to the production of the film , as well as feeding the passion of those who vehemently oppose the choice of actor . In effect , the rhetorical history of casting Batman influences the current public rhetoric while relying on antecedent rhetorics to shape the structures of the argument .
Why so Serious ? Rhetorical History of Batroversies
A working knowledge of the history of casting Batman in multiple film incarnations is essential to understanding the intricacies of the current online backlash . Powell , Pigg , Leon , and Haas articulate this need in “ Rhetoric ”:
Working from the concept of rhetoricality as a condition of existence and of discourse means
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