D&D General D&D Red Box: Who Is The Warrior?

The Dungeons & Dragons Red Box, famously illustrated by Larry Elmore in 1983, featured cover art of a warrior fighting a red dragon. The piece is an iconic part of D&D's history.

WizKids is creating a 50th Anniversary D&D miniatures set for the D&D Icons of the Realms line which includes models based on classic art from the game, such as the AD&D Player's Handbook's famous 'A Paladin In Hell' piece by David Sutherland in 1978, along with various monsters and other iconic images. The set will be available in July 2024.

Amongst the collection is Elmore's dragon-fighting warrior. This character has only ever been seen from behind, and has never been named or identified. However, WizKids’ miniature gives us our first look at them from the front. The warrior is a woman; the view from behind is identical to the original art, while the view from the front--the first time the character's face has ever been seen--is, as WizKids told ComicBook.com, "purposefully and clearly" a woman. This will be one of 10 secret rare miniatures included in the D&D Icons of the Realms: 50th Anniversary booster boxes.

The original artist, Larry Elmore, says otherwise. (Update—the linked post has since been edited).

It's a man!

Gary didn't know what he wanted, all he wanted was something simple that would jump out at you. He wanted a male warrior. If it was a woman, you would know it for I'm pretty famous for painting women.

There was never a question in all these years about the male warrior.

No one thought it was a female warrior. "Whoever thought it was a female warrior is quite crazy and do not know what they are talking about."

This is stupid. I painted it, I should know.

- Larry Elmore​

Whether or not Elmore's intent was for the character to be a man, it seems that officially she's a woman. Either way, it's an awesome miniature. And for those who love the art, you can buy a print from Larry Elmore's official website.

 

[Lakesidefantasy]

So, you’re saying the problem isn’t that they released a female figure? It’s that they released a figure at all? So, if they had released a male figure, and their sculptor decided on what the warrior’s face looked like, you would be equally scuttled? Posting messages about how you can no longer imagine yourself because he has (or doesn’t have) a beard?

You are getting opposition because an unfortunate amount of people from our generation seem dead set on preventing anyone who doesn’t look like us from having any air space. And to my mind, that always deserves to be pushed back on. Our generation has enough to be sorry for as it is, without perpetuating that.

If that isn’t what you are saying, I apologize for misinterpreting you. However, if it isn’t a gender thing, and you are just generally upset someone riffed on a 40 year old piece of art, well…let’s just say I wish all my problems were that minor. The original art still exists. No one has even suggested replacing it. Your memories are safe, no matter what a random miniature sculptor thought!

Reef, you're building up my point into more than it needs to be (yes, this is a very minor thing) and as a result your creating a straw man. This is not about gender per se, its about the unnecessary, and hurtful jabs that just keep piling up.

 

[Dire Bare]

It takes away the anonymity. I don't see why people can't just acknowledge that point and then move on to opposing me.

How? How does it take away "anonymity"?

I mean, with the mini, we see ONE INTERPRETATION of the warrior's front, their face. But it's still an anonymous warrior, albeit female. The gender of the warrior was swapped from male to female, but remains anonymous. But this remains ONE INTERPRETATION. It adds a new interpretation, it takes away nothing.

 

[Reef]

Reef, you're building up my point into more than it needs to be (yes, this is a very minor thing) and as a result your creating a straw man. This is not about gender per se, its about the unnecessary, and hurtful jabs that just keep piling up.

You keep saying it’s not about gender, but then complain about Starbuck’s casting as being hurtful barbs. I’m not trying to build a straw man, and I don’t know anything about you. But your posts sound an awful lot like a stereotypical old man upset that representation of women has inched ever so slightly closer to parity (but still nowhere close to equal).

I’m an old Cis Het male myself. And I’m glad we are finally (grudgingly) making some room. Having more female representation is a good thing. And is not a personal attack on me. Even if characters get gender-swapped during a new interpretation. If I prefer an old interpretation, it’s still there. I just can’t fathom taking an artistic decision like this as any sort of assault on us poor, put-upon males.

 

[Dire Bare]

Thanks Sacrosanct, I sincerely appreciate your consideration of my feelings. And, I appreciate the efforts to make our hobby a more inclusive one. I support it. But the growing pile of tiny barbs is unnecessary and is counterproductive. This "reveal" moment of the Red Box Warrior did not need to happen. The "controversy" did not exist until Wizkids-->Wizards of the Coast-->Hasbro-->$$$ decided to capitalize on it.

We don't have to tear each other down to make progress. For instance, they didn't have to recast Starbuck as a woman, instead the could have elevated a woman from the show into a more prominent role like McGuire did with Elphaba.

Who's tearing anyone down?

Changing the gender of Starbuck in the new (well, newer) Battlestar Galactica upset some fans because it was a significant change to an established character. But it also upset some of those same folks because they had trouble with a female in a such a strong role.

Changing the gender of the warrior . . . as you stated above, the warrior was an anonymous character, with nothing existing outside of the painting and our imaginations.

New, female Starbuck does not erase classic, male Starbuck from the original show. It's a new interpretation that takes away nothing.

New, anonymous female warrior mini does not take away the original, anonymous, male warrior from the Red Box painting. It's a new interpretation.

Neither change tears anyone down. I struggle to see how this is even remotely a thing anyone can state seriously.

It's true that there was no controversy regarding this classic Elmore painting before WizKids dropped pics of the new mini. But there certainly has been existing controversy regarding the depiction of folks other than those white and male in the game. So . . . Hasbro/WotC and WizKids are "capitalizing" on a manufactured controversy?!?! How much money do you think they expect to take in because this mini set includes this particular mini? These are two corporations who are certainly all about making money, but this is also an honest attempt at increasing inclusivity in the game and hobby.

 

[Dire Bare]

You keep saying it’s not about gender, but then complain about Starbuck’s casting as being hurtful barbs. I’m not trying to build a straw man, and I don’t know anything about you. But your posts sound an awful lot like a stereotypical old man upset that representation of women has inched ever so slightly closer to parity (but still nowhere close to equal).

I’m an old Cis Het male myself. And I’m glad we are finally (grudgingly) making some room. Having more female representation is a good thing. And is not a personal attack on me. Even if characters get gender-swapped during a new interpretation. If I prefer an old interpretation, it’s still there. I just can’t fathom taking an artistic decision like this as any sort of assault on us poor, put-upon males.

Personally, as another old, cis, het, white dude . . . I loved the gender swap for Starbuck in the newer Battlestar. In large part because Katee Sackhoff is such a strong actor, and I loved the new dynamic between Starbuck and Apollo.

However, I didn't care for the character of Boomer in the newer show. Not because of the gender swap, I just didn't find the character as compelling as the original.

It's okay not to like changes, of any sort, when classic stories get reimagined for a new audience. But it's not always okay as to the "why" such changes are disliked . . .

If Ronald Moore had given us a new Battlestar "faithful" to the original show, essentially just continuing the existing story . . . that would have been okay, but I would have been a lot less interested, and I suspect the show would not have done nearly as well with the broader audience. Despite the complaints of some old, white, dude fans who were really upset with all of the gender and ethnic swapped characters.

 

[Gradine]

There's a lot to criticize nuBSG for; some of it I agree with, some of it I don't. But if there's one thing from the series that is above reproach it's Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck.

 

[Reef]

Yeah, I was just thinking that, actually. That the gender swapping of certain characters was a much smaller change than other alterations they made. I don't remember seeing anyone feeling personally attacked because their favorite character turned out to be a Cylon, for example

And Katie Sackoff's Starbuck was great!

 

[dave2008]

This is not about gender per se, its about the unnecessary, and hurtful jabs that just keep piling up.

How is this hurtful? Like I really can't understand how this could hurt anyone.

 

[Gradine]

Oh man, I also almost completely forgot about Col. Tigh. Not that Tigh himself is above reproach; the man has many faults. But Michael Hogan plays the absolutely hell out of that role

 

[Sacrosanct]

There's a lot to criticize nuBSG for; some of it I agree with, some of it I don't. But if there's one thing from the series that is above reproach it's Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck.

Yeah, I was just thinking that, actually. That the gender swapping of certain characters was a much smaller change than other alterations they made. I don't remember seeing anyone feeling personally attacked because their favorite character turned out to be a Cylon, for example

And Katie Sackoff's Starbuck was great!

Katie Sackoff went to a neighboring school a couple miles away and is a fellow Portlander, so I was already biased in her favor