Creator Hamish Steele shares why Courtney's pronouns have changed from the original comic in the Dead End: Paranormal Park animated series. Based on Steele’s DeadEndia comic, this cartoon adaptation was recently released on Netflix and has gained new traction on social media. Dead End tells the story of two teenagers, Barney Guttman (Spider-Man: Far From Home’s Zach Barack) and Norma Khan (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Kody Kavitha), as they undertake their new jobs at a haunted theme park. As they work to uncover the secrets of the park, the pair are joined by the demonic Courtney, voiced by Hannah Montana's Emily Osment, and Barney’s partially possessed dog Pugsley (Alex Brightman, known for Beetlejuice on Broadway).
The Netflix animation does make some notable changes from Steele’s original graphic novel. In the comic, Norma and Barney befriend each other while working as janitors at Phoenix Park, whereas the Netflix series has them as security guards (who aren’t very good at their jobs). Other changes saw the 912-year-old demon Courtney shift from using they/them to she/her pronouns for the show.
Now, Steele reveals on his Twitter what decisions went into making this change to Dead End: Paranormal Park. Netflix is aware of the non-human non-binary trope, and producers encouraged gender-blind casting for Courtney, with a plan for Courtney to use the same pronouns as the actor cast. While Steele assured fans that Osment was the best fit for the role, he is also understanding that the change may have been disappointing to those hoping to see themselves represented.
While non-binary characters have started to see more inclusion in on-screen media, these roles are still far and few between. When looking at non-binary representation in television, a plethora of these characters fall into the ‘non-human’ category, with many justifying their identity with the idea that these characters just don’t understand human concepts of gender. This way of interpreting non-binary characters can be detrimental, but it doesn’t inherently make the representation bad, with characters like Good Omens' Aziraphale and Crowley being widely adored. Although, it certainly becomes tiresome if this is the only way non-binary people see themselves represented on screen.
Dead End has a diverse cast, creating characters with different backgrounds, identities, and body types. It focuses on Barney, a trans man who finds home in the haunted theme park when he doesn’t feel at home with his parents anymore. Dead End puts a large focus on LGBTQ+ identities, while also exploring disability and neurodivergence with autistic characters like Norma. While fans might, understandably, still be saddened by Courtney’s change of pronouns, the team behind Dead End: Paranormal Park chose to consider the overall impact that their creative decisions would have to avoid further use of an often upsetting trope.
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