By snagging the role of Chani in the upcoming Dune film, actress and singer Zendaya has once again continued her accumulation of redhead roles, following the long tradition of Black and nonwhite actors snatching up those roles. While we haven’t gotten Poison Ivy yet (but she is on our wishlist), it is coming. Until then, here are five redheads Zendaya could claim as her own to further cement her position as The Ginger Snatcher.
(image: Netflix)
1. Lilith:
The mythological red-haired first wife of Adam and thrown out of paradise because she wanted to be on top in bed sometimes. Lilith has shown up in a lot of pop culture due to her interesting place in Hebrew folklore. She is both a feminist icon and a figure of horror at the same time.
I think it would so cool if Zendaya showed up as Lilith in the adaptation of the Sandman comics. Also, Lilith has yet to show up in the DC series Lucifer, even though she’s a character who belongs in that universe. I’m just saying there are plenty of ways to get Zendaya as Lilith, and I think she deserves to be the Demon Queen of Hell.
(image: MTV)
2. Quinn Morgendorffer:
When the Daria reboot comes (and we know it’s coming), they are absolutely going to race-bend characters, because for most producers, that’s just as good as writing actual roles for people of color. So, I look forward to my now-interracial Morgendorffer family, and to take the role of vice president of the Lawndale High fashion club is none other than Zendaya. Not only does Zendaya have the fashion chops to play a character like Quinn, but she could absolutely tap into some of the emotional nuance of the character that appear later in the series.
Yes, I do just want to see Zendaya wearing a bunch of fashion pieces.
(image: Disney)
3. Sally The Ragdoll:
To give representation to the Black Goths out there. Zendaya can play soft, tragic figures, and I think she’d be an excellent Sally. Not only can she sing and look longingly into the distance, but the role isn’t one-note, and she can play the sneaky parts for fun equally to the quieter ones. We want to give Zendaya all the range she deserves.
Also (fingers crossed) we could maybe get her to bring back those dreads and really just make people seethe
(image: Lucasfilm)
4. Mara Jade Skywalker:
You know Disney is going to bring back this character in some way because they are frauds looking for new ways to bring people back into Star Wars post-Rise of Skywalker, attempting to tap into some of the Legends mythology, which they have no problem doing even if it’s just to dilute the original. I genuinely think it would be cool to see Mara Jade onscreen as a Jedi, and since the Star Wars franchise has continued to fumble when it comes to delivering on that one bit of rep, bringing in Zendaya, someone with star power, to lead a Mara Jade series … I would love to see it.
(image: Parisa Tag / Focus Features)
5. Queen Elizabeth I:
Yeah, she’s a real white person, but imagine Zendaya in those outfits. Worth it. Actually, you know what … Angela Bassett for Queen Elizabeth, and Zendaya for Lady Jane Grey. Fixed it. Perfected it.
(image: ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images)
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