I just watched THOR at the cinema. Apparently, it is worse than I thought. Not only does a black actor play Heimdall (“the whitest of the gods” according to Norse mythology), but one of Thor’s sidekicks is an Asgardian Chinaman (who actually gets mockingly called “Jackie Chan” by an earthling - Fandrall, who is still white in the movie, gets called “Robin Hood”). Asgard is a veritable multiracial paradise, with East Asians serving as horn-helmeted guards of Odin’s throne and blacks, Chinamen and whites mingling happily together at a sumptuous feast at the end. Unlike on Earth, in Asgard all races seem to get along!

—Constantin von Hoffmeister