Jessica Alba thinks there is still work to be done for racial diversity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actress starred as Sue Storm in the 2005 film Fantastic Four when at that time the comic book film genre was dominated by white actors. However, in recent years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has shown more diversity.
Their first Muslim superhero was seen in the Disney+ series Ms Marvel which was released in June 2022, previous efforts of inclusivity included the award-winning movie Black Panther in 2018, and recently with the release of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.
However, in a cover interview for Glamour UK's July/August issue, the 41-year-old actress — who has been open in the past about her Latina roots — says she believes the superhero giant's films are "still quite Caucasian."
"Even if you look at the Marvel movies — that's the biggest driver of fantasy and what's happening right now in entertainment because it's sort of the family thing — it's still quite Caucasian," said Alba.
She further added, "I would say I was one of the few back in the day ... and it was before Marvel was sold to Disney ... but it's still quite … more of the same.”
“I just think more for the younger people who are coming up, who are going to be our future leaders, it’s important for them to see the world on screen, or in stories, in the dreams that we create as entertainers; it reflects the world that they’re in."
This is not the first time Alba has spoken out about having limited roles as a Mexican American, especially in the early 2000s. “They couldn’t figure out my ethnicity. You’re not Latin enough to play a Latina, and you’re not Caucasian enough to play the leading lady, so you’re going to be the ‘exotic’ one. Whatever that was," she told PopSugar in 2017.