Jesse Williams 'Detroit: Become Human': The internet weighs in on Quantic Dreams' casting for Marcus

Impact

A new trailer for Detroit: Become Human was released yesterday during Sony's E3 presentation. Although the plot and gameplay were enticing, nothing seemed to grab people's attention more than Jesse Williams, who plays the game's protagonist, Marcus.

For a while it seemed that people couldn't tell if it was Jesse Williams or just a very intentional look alike, but when it clicked, everyone seemed to have a strong opinion about the Detroit: Become Human casting decision.

Detroit: Become Human: Most of Twitter seemed to be excited about Jesse Williams as Marcus

The majority of the tweets about Jesse Williams seemed to be either confusion or positive. Like this relatable tweet.

There were quite a few reactions like this — just excited because Jesse Williams is a stud muffin.

Other people were excited at the prospect of a black man leading a game about a revolution that clearly has thematic roots in black activism. The trailer featured symbols like the black power fist.

Detroit: Become Human: Some people weren't happy with this decision

On the inverse, some people felt the game was exploiting black activism. Bianca Antoine specifically talked about Sony choosing to use a "Negro spiritual," a practice that has historic roots in slavery and black churches.

Others were put off by the fact that Jesse Williams himself doesn't look like someone who would be from the city of Detroit.

In a thread, @OhHeyDJ specifically mentioned that he thought it was a "safe choice" because Jesse Williams is "as dark as a slightly toasted piece of bread."

It'll be interesting to see if any opinions change when the game is released — we'll be able to tell a lot by how the game stands on the back of real life black activism. But unfortunately, it seems we'll have to wait a while to find out.

More news from Nintendo at E3 2017

Check out even more news from Nintendo’s big E3 2017 presentation, including an exciting look at Super Mario Odyssey, new details about the Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC and confirmation that Rocket League is coming to the Switch. Plus the latest on new Metroid and Kirby games on the way.