'Magic: The Gathering' debuted a Black Aragorn on Twitter, and it sparked a bitter on-line debate concerning the fictional character's race

• “Magic: The Gathering” on Monday tweeted a picture of Aragorn as a Black man in its official design.
• It is sparked on-line debate about Aragorn’s race and J.R.R. Tolkien’s intention for the character.
• The brand new design options in a brand new “The Lord of the Rings” set for the fantasy card recreation.

“Magic: The Gathering” artwork for a Black Aragorn has Twitter customers embroiled in a bitter debate over the fantasy character’s race.

The character design, a part of the cardboard recreation’s new “The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Center-Earth” set, was tweeted by the model on Monday.

—Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 28, 2023

The tweet has since been seen over 8.5 million occasions on the platform, with 1000’s of individuals retweeting the art work with their scorching takes on what Aragorn ought to seem like.

The controversy ranges from arguments over how J.R.R. Tolkien described the character as having a “pale, stern face” to the author’s European inspiration for “The Lord of the Rings” to his comments on racism and apartheid.

Many are upset that the character does not seem like actor Viggo Mortensen, who performed Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy, whereas others stated Aragorn’s pores and skin shade makes no difference in his lore or identity.

“Thanks for reminding me why I give up this recreation,” one Twitter user commented.

“Thanks for leaving,” one other wrote in response with a thumbs-up emoji.

The “Magic: The Gathering” Twitter account has hidden dozens of replies, a lot of which contained racist memes or jokes.

Then again, some followers simply stated they enjoyed the quality of the art.

“That sword seems to be superb,” one person wrote.

Wizards of the Coast, the corporate that publishes “Magic: The Gathering,” wrote in a Monday submit that its new Tolkien set was “pushed by two guiding rules” — variety and originality.

“The Lord of the Rings is concerning the completely different peoples of Center-earth coming collectively to struggle Sauron, discovering power of their variety,” the agency wrote. “Followers of all backgrounds have been having fun with these tales, characters, and areas for many years, and we wished this set to replicate on that broad inclusion.”

The brand new Aragorn design options on at least one card within the new set.

Wizards of the Coast’s “The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Center-Earth” is slated for a full launch on June 23.

Hasbro, which owns Wizards of the Coast, and Center-Earth Enterprises, which owns the licensing rights to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit,” didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s requests for remark despatched outdoors common enterprise hours.