Maria Sten is Liz Tremayne in 'Swamp Thing' on DC Universe

Yesterday, Gotham's Crystal Reed was announced as Abby Arcane in 'Swamp Thing', and today we have some more casting news. Deadline is reporting that Maria Sten, who had an uncredited role in Straight Outta Compton, has been cast as Liz Tremayne in Swamp Thing.

In Swamp Thing, Liz Tremayne is a close childhood friend of Abby Arcane’s, who splits her time between reporting for the local paper and bartending at her aging father’s roadhouse bar. Her no-nonsense attitude belies a deep compassion for her friends and family as she sets out in her uncompromising quest to expose the secrets that threaten her beloved hometown.

Swamp Thing is expected to air sometime in 2019, exclusively on DC Universe.

SOURCE: Deadline

63 comments

OptimistPrime99

September 7, 2018

LOL https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Tobescolombo
September 7, 2018
I don't follow.
1. ZaQueerdo
  September 7, 2018
  People on this site tend to freak out about non-white actors playing characters who are white in the source material, regardless of how obscure they are (as we're seeing here).
  1. Tobescolombo
    September 7, 2018
    From what I've seen, most freak out when they change the race of significant characters. Like making black canary black. Anyhow I agree with their sentiment to an extent. Diversity is fine, just make a new character or use existing ones (Mr Terrific and the Terrifics would make an awesome movie). Swamp thing is kind of unknown storywise, so I don't think it'll be that much of a problem.
    1. ZaQueerdo
      September 7, 2018
      >From what I've seen, most freak out when they change the race of significant characters.
      You'd think, yet two of the first comments here were complaining about DC's anti-redhead agenda.
    2. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      HA! That's kind of funny. I don't get it though. How many redheads has DC race bended. Apart from Mera and Artemis (Red Hood and Outlaws) I don't see that many red-heads in DC.
    3. Half life 3 confirmed
      September 7, 2018
      What comes to mind is Iris West. I guess Starfire too but she's an alien so I don't know if she counts too. It's not just DC though. TMNT turned April black. There's also MJ from Spiderman homecoming but I think they said that's not MJ though.
    4. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      It's weird, because she goes by 'Michelle' or whatever, but toward the end of the movie, they cameo her also going by 'MJ' like they cameo'd the name 'Robin' for Blake in TDK Rises. Both of them have little in common with their comic book counterparts. lol
      Considering they did that, it seems that they did intend for her to be MJ - or at least, a replacement of sorts for MJ - at some point, and are maybe changing their minds after the backlash.
      My problem with MJ in Homecoming and Iris in The Flash is more to do with the character interpretation than with the skin color.
    5. Half life 3 confirmed
      September 7, 2018
      Someone posted a pic of her saying how she looks like Starfire from Injustice 2 video game. If she was going to be MJ but they backed out, I would like to see her as Starfire in a live action movie.

Erik Mukowoz

September 7, 2018

MMmmm....... What problem does DC have with redheads now?
https://media.giphy.com/med...

thefallen83

September 7, 2018

inb4 all the super-ignorant comments on "blackwashing".

Real Royal Ruler

September 7, 2018

someone at DC casting really doesn't like red heads or really love replacing them with Africans.

thefallen83
September 7, 2018
Africans? How inherently racist LOL.
1. Rick
  September 7, 2018
  Race baitig at its finest. It’s equally as bad as literal racism. Acknowledging Africans or saying the term is not racist. If you’re looking to start internet fights then go someplace else. People likely would say the same if it was the other way around.
  1. thefallen83
    September 7, 2018
    The actress featured in this article is from Denmark.
    https://media.giphy.com/med...
    1. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      You do know that someone's race is different from their place of birth, right?
      She's part Congolese; in other words, part African. This poster is referring to this side of her ethnic heritage in relation to the idea of a color-washing agenda.
      Personally, I don't mind the change.
    2. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      BTW I don't mind the change either.
2. Real Royal Ruler
  September 8, 2018
  https://media.giphy.com/med...
Bri10
September 7, 2018
Waiting for DC to replace redhead Lois Lane with an African actress
1. thefallen83
  September 7, 2018
  Another ignorant bigot.
  1. Bri10
    September 7, 2018
    Think you missed the point I was trying to put across, Lois isn't traditionally a redhead, yet, we have Amy Adams in all her ginger glory in the role in the DCEU, a case of gingerwashing. So I'm mocking his outburst at DC's alleged ginger hatred, by proposing Amy Adams will be replaced by an "African" actress
    1. Sense
      September 8, 2018
      Good point

Fréaláf Hildeson

September 7, 2018

inb4 racist trolls get outraged over a character they had to Google.

ZaQueerdo

September 7, 2018

So how long before we have people freaking out about the racebending of a character the person posting has never actually heard of before they read this article?

thefallen83
September 7, 2018
Someone just called her "African" because of her skin color, when in fact she's from Copenhagen, Denmark.
1. Tobescolombo
  September 7, 2018
  She's part Congolese.
  1. thefallen83
    September 7, 2018
    I'm Puerto Rican, which is 1/3 Taíno Indian, 1/3 Spanish and 1/3 African. What am I, based on your beautiful logic?
    1. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      How do you even know you're 1/3 african, out of curiousity? Also no need to be snide.
    2. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      Snide is part of my charm.
      How do I know? Because we're descendants of those people since the 15th Century.
    3. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      Okay That's nice, but as far as I know She's half Congolese and her skin color kind of proves that, so it would'nt be much of a stretch if someone says she's african (which doesn't matter).
    4. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      I see your point. I live this on a daily basis. How? If a Puerto Rican is born in the United States, Americans (white people, mostly) don't see them as Americans (although it doesn't matter if we're born in Puerto Rico OR the mainland, we're still American citizens) and Puerto Ricans don't see them as such over here. So... what truly defines you, really? Your heritage or your place of birth?
    5. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      There are a lot of generalizations in that sentence, the first part about white people not seeing them as Americans feels vague, but I'm not gonna get into that.
      Yes, your place of birth defines you, but that's besides the point. I'm sure the people complaining about this would complain even if she was from iceland, but she was still black. From what I've seen it's about the growing habit of race bending comic characters.
      In this case though, I don't really care either way (if it was someone significant like lois lane or supergirl I'd be a lot more annoyed).
    6. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      I really don't care. White, black, brown. I'm color-blind towards that.
    7. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      Fair enough.
    8. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      First I'd ask if you mean 'All Puerto Ricans' by saying that, because it seems unlikely that every person born in Puerto Rico meets those exact balanced measurements.
      There are tons of potential scenarios that don't break evenly into thirds like that, and hereditary traits don't always manifest evenly either.
      For example, it's completely possible that a couple from Africa with 100% African ethnic ancestry moved to Puerto Rico and had a child there too. Or, alternately, maybe it was just one person and they had a child with someone who already lived there with totally different ancestry and skin color - let's say one of them was fully African, and the other was 1/3 Taíno, 1/3 Spanish, and 1/3 African: the resulting child would be 4/6 African.
      Math and infinite possible variables aside, for all intents and purposes when talking about something like skin color in movie casting, you might refer to this person, who was born in Puerto Rico and is indeed Puerto Rican, as 'black'. This is perfectly fair if an obviously significant amount of their genetic make-up leans black. And 'African' specifically would apply if the dominant traits line up with an African ancestry.
      Given that Maria Sten is part Congolese, and this side of her genetics clearly dominates her visage, there's no good reason to consider 'African' to necessarily be a racist or derogatory descriptor. There's nothing inherently negative implied by the descriptor alone. The only thing being painted negatively is the idea of 'race-washing' taking priority over accuracy to a character adaptation, not her race itself.
      Generally beyond this discussion, you'd just be referred to as 'mixed race'. However, if one (or more) of those race influences effect something that someone is trying to make a point about, it's reasonable to specify which one and why. This is simply one of those cases.
      While I don't think it's a big deal for this character, who is clearly not very well known or iconic enough for the legacy or storytelling to be significantly impacted by the change, I also don't think it's right to go around generalizing and labeling people racists because they disagree with the choice.
      Which isn't to say there aren't some *real* racists out there, of course. I read some pretty nasty things about the Starfire casting choice for Titans.
      The problem is, if we brazenly mislabel people who aren't truly racist, it becomes sort of a 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' scenario, where people go numb to the repeated false accusations and shrug us off as loonies, which opens the door for the real wolves to get away with more because the whistle blowers are no longer taken seriously.
      We've got to be careful with how we administer these kinds of character accusations, or it can lead to more harm to society than good.
    9. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      Do you happen to know how Africans got to Puerto Rico back in the 15th Century? Trust me. It was not willingly. :)
    10. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      I don't see what that has to do with anything I said there, but, yes, that is one of many parts of human history that I find disappointing - along with other horrible things still taking place in the present.
      Do you have any thoughts on any of what I did say? Because I tried to be reasonable and formal and answer your question thoroughly without being insulting, and it looks like you didn't read any of it and are just throwing something random back with some vague implication that I should feel bad about something I took no part in and have a moral opposition to.
  2. MrShmoo
    September 7, 2018
    Congolese is a nationality not a race
    1. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      Fair point, but he's trying to make the point that she's from Denmark therefore you can't call her African, at least that what I'm getting from his comment. But she's part Congolese, so that doesn't really add up.
    2. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      If she was born in Denmark and has a Danish passport and is a Danish national then she is European- to refer to her as African is to view her race over her nationality
    3. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      https://media.giphy.com/med...
    4. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      As a multi ethnic Englishman i say Anytime
    5. thefallen83
      September 7, 2018
      That was, literally, the name of a talent agency I was part of in NYC. Multi-Ethnic Talent.
    6. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      I mean yes, but the whole conversation is about race-bending, so I don't really get where you're going.
    7. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      Im going in the direction that the original comment from Real Royal Ruler complained about 2 red head characters being replaced by Africans, didnt say Black but said Africans. It all depends on your perspective ie is an American an American or a African American/ Native American/ Asian American.
    8. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      Okay, I get it now. Terminology then.
    9. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      State of mind.
    10. Tobescolombo
      September 7, 2018
      Okay.
    11. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      The topic at hand *is* her race, though. What does it matter if she's from Denmark if the person is referring to her African genetics as the discrepancy from the comics?
      No malice intended, but smearing that guy's character as racist based on that particular comment is uncalled for, and hawking on whether or not he's considering her nationality is an irrelevant tangent.
    12. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      Why was the topic at hand her race, not who she is or what skill set she has or who this not well known character is. Why was race the topic at hand
    13. Rust
      September 7, 2018
      I wasn't the one who made the initial comment, but I imagine it was simply that the person wants the cast to look as close to the source material as possible.
    14. MrShmoo
      September 7, 2018
      I know it wasnt you mate, it was someone called Real Royal Ruler who was trying to be clever/sarcastic/funny and it then spun off between me Jack and Toby.
MrShmoo
September 7, 2018
Until the class bell has rung

MrShmoo

September 7, 2018

Blackdirting? Care to explain yourself

MrShmoo
September 7, 2018
Bullshit you knew what you was doing
White - Washing
Black - Dirting
1. Rust
  September 7, 2018
  Surely you must see how people may find that offensive though, man. ;p
  1. myzterius
    September 8, 2018
    Now if this wasnt a racist comment, i dont know what is.

Flower & Monster & Golden Calf

September 8, 2018

The fake outrage is intense!

Sense

September 8, 2018

This is the most you’ll ever matter, the power of an anonymous internet troll is all you have. In the real world you are nothing and this sense of mattering that the Orange Turd in the WH has given you recently won’t last for much longer.

Sense
September 8, 2018
lol YOU DON’T MATTER
1. Sense
  September 10, 2018
  YOU
  DON’T
  MATTER
  1. Sense
    September 10, 2018
    TU NO IMPORTAS
    너는 상관 없어.
    Вы не имеете значения

Nahuel Benvenuto

September 8, 2018

I am shocked they did not cast her as Abby, given how modern times are

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Maria Sten is Liz Tremayne in 'Swamp Thing' on DC Universe

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