People worried about the sanctity of Scooby-Doo are unhappy with the race of Velma being changed.
Scooby-Doo may seem like an odd thing to be precious over, but some people are concerned about the direction the occupants of the mystery machine are heading in. A spin-off series is set to change up one of the characters and fans are conflicted, to say the least.
Mindy Kaling, known for her fantastic work on The Office (US) and The Mindy Project, is the director and showrunner for the upcoming series said to focus on Velma and will star in the titular role.
Nonetheless, some fans are worried about the new direction that will be explored.
The spin-off won’t include the mystery machine or Scooby-Doo, making it a unique take on existing characters. For many, this would be a significant change, but it seems most people are worried about the race of Velma.
Speaking at the TV Kids Summer Festival 2021, Warner Bros. executive Tom Ascheim noted:
We have a lot for children, Mindy Kaling project called Velma because she was excited to reimagine what Scooby-Doo would be like if Velma were of East Asian descent and lived in a different world.
The fact that Velma will be of East Asian descent has led to criticism from some fans. One person wrote, ‘so basically your making a new character but need name recognition [sic].’
Another echoed this sentiment, writing:
Then make her a new character?!? Why are y’all so scared to make a new character? “Cause they wouldn’t be popular so-” that’s no excuse, you wanna make a new character popular? Then expose that character to as many people as possible, by attaching the name of a popular character-
The backlash to this announcement appears to be similar to what Brie Larson received when she was announced as a female Captain Marvel. Nonetheless, franchises frequently change aspects of characters successfully and this Velma adaptation looks set to do the same.
Not only that, but this isn’t the first time Velma has been represented as a person of colour. Hayley Kiyoko starred in the Scooby-Doo television film Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and was well-received by fans.
With this in mind, those who are outraged by Velma’s race being changed may want to double-check the output of the franchise in recent years.
*story by UniLad
