Peter Shinkoda says ex-Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb made anti-Asian remarks during Daredevil's run
Canadian actor Peter Shinkoda is breaking his silence regarding his experience with Netflix’s Daredevil, alleging that former head of the Marvel’s extinct TV division, Jeph Loeb, made anti-Asian comments to the writers. Per Deadline, Shinkoda, who played high-ranking Hand member Nobu Yoshioka, was participating in a panel with fellow co-stars Geoffrey Cantor and Tommy Walker for #SaveDaredevilCon—a fan-led online convention that ran from July 23 to July 26. While answering a fan’s question about his character’s backstory, Shinkoda chose to speak about a scrapped storyline between Nobu and Madame Gao, played by Wai Ching Ho. “I’m kind of reluctant to say this,” the actor said,“but I have to because… I’m not into really protecting certain things anymore. Jeph Loeb told the writers room not to write for Nobu and Gao…[because] ‘nobody cares about Chinese people and Asian people. There were three previous Marvel movies, a trilogy called Blade that was made where Wesley Snipes killed 200 Asians each movie. Nobody gives a shit, so don’t write about Nobu and Gao.’” He also claimed that many of the writers and showrunners privately confirmed Loeb’s comments and resulting orders to him, though he did not name anyone specific.
Shinkoda also took to Twitter to speak on his and Wai Ching Ho’s absence from the show’s season two premiere event, claiming that they were not invited to join the rest of the cast, despite both existing as an integral part of the series. Per Shinkoda, they only found out about the premiere when they came across the livestream, noting that an unspecified “they” apologized for what was essentially deemed an oversight.
Shinkoda’s allegations complement the long-standing criticism that Netflix’s now-defunct Marvel TV Universe rightfully garnered for pretty egregious Asian stereotypes. Loeb’s judgment was also called into question after Finn Jones was chosen to lead Iron Fist, a property that was know for its dated white savior tropes and Asian fetishism. Ray Fisher, who has also been speaking out about his own experience with Josh Whedon on the set of Justice League, voiced his emphatic support for Shinkoda on social media.
As of now, neither Leob nor Marvel have commented on Shinkoda’s claims. All panels from #SaveDaredevilCon are available online.