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Anonymous writes...

I always admired YJ for its diversity and was very excited to see a character like Halo, someone who's close to my ethnic background, represented.

But I have been utterly disappointed. More than that, I'm disgusted.

The way you guys have graphically killed her several times on screen is appalling. Yes, I realize she comes back, but to see a WOC go through such violent trauma again and again is damaging to audiences - particularly those who are like her. It is a common trope to violently traumatize and kill women and POC in comics and I thought YJ would be above that. Apparently not.

And then to find out that the actual Arab girl has really been dead since episode 1 and she's nothing but an empty husk for the motherbox...so she's not actual representation at all. She's not a real person.

I was one of the fans who rallied for YJ to return for years and now I will never support this show again. This honestly broke my heart a little.

Glad you got to feel progressive for using a woman in a hijab. I'm sure you're patting yourself on the back for it and won't actually care how people of that background feel.

Greg responds...

I'm truly sorry that the character doesn't work for you.

I wish you'd continue to give us a chance throughout the end of Season Three and into Season Four. By July 24th, 2019, Halo's story was far from over. We probably did overdo it on the violent deaths. But the long-term plan was to show a girl (of color) who went from being a victim to a hero. I think we ultimately succeeded in that, but if it didn't/doesn't work for you, I understand.

As for Gabrielle being dead... well, that was built into the character Halo that we adapted.

But again, her story isn't over. And her hijab wasn't an arbitrary or cynical choice. In fact, the only thing in your post that seems unfair to me is your presumption that we were patting ourselves on the back in some cynical manner. We do care. We may fail. But that doesn't mean we're not trying. We've been working with the Muslim Public Affairs Council on Halo's character and others. They seem pretty happy with where we're taking the character long term. Maybe we didn't get there fast enough for you. But, again, I'd love for you to give us and Halo a second chance.

Response recorded on July 28, 2021