Blink is one of the most popular mutants in the X-Men Universe, and makes her small screen debut in Fox’s upcoming series The Gifted.
Jamie Chung will portray the teleporting mutant, whose background has changed for the show.
In the comics, Blink’s real name is Clarice Ferguson. She was born in the Bahamas, but because her her mutation is also reflected in her physical appearance (glowing green eyes and a large pink birthmark on her face), her race is indeterminate.
In The Gifted, Blink is Clarice Fong (a surname that is more in line Chung’s Asian heritage; the actress is Korean American). As Chung explained to Fandom, Ferguson is an alias that Blink uses as she’s on the run as a mutant.
On the show, she still possesses the ability to create pink-hued rifts that can teleport objects or people.
“It’s nice that they were able to make her Asian … I think it’s an homage to Fan BingBing’s version of Blink. But I’m making it my own.”
Chinese actress Fan BingBing portrayed Blink in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, a casting decision largely believed to make the film appeal to Chinese audiences (Fan is a megastar in her native country).
This isn’t Chung’s first foray into the genre arena. She’s starred in Dragonball Evolution, Sucker Punch, The Man With the Iron Fists, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and voiced superhero GoGo Tomago in Big Hero 6.
Check out Blink’s powers in action in The Gifted trailer below and be sure to catch the series premiere on October 2.
