Those of us who were using Twitter widely 15 years ago probably remember this. In 2011, a post suggesting that Detroit build a statue to RoboCop went viral, with the then-mayor of the city even chiming in. Peter Weller, the star of RoboCop, even released a video about it. Like many moments on the internet, though, for most of us, that was it. But in Detroit, the fight continued, and this week, after almost 15 years, the RoboCop statue is finally on display.
You can see the statue in all its glory below, courtesy of the Detroit Metro Times, which broke the story.
Clearly, this is awesome and something that is long overdue. Few cities are as synonymous with fictional heroes as Detroit is with RoboCop. Rocky Balboa has a statue in Philadelphia, of course. The Ghostbusters were New York guys. The Karate Kid is all about the San Fernando Valley. There are others too, but it’s not a long list.
It did, however, take a very long time for this to happen. The reasons for the delay are numerous, and again, the Detroit Metro Times has a fantastic piece about it from 2021. You should definitely head over there and read it, but basically it’s a whole other story of heroism, as artists and interested parties teamed up over the years to make it happen, battling cancer and red tape along the way. The statue was actually completed around that time, but it took four more years for it to find a permanent home. Which it finally has.
That permanent home is in the Eastern Market section of Detroit, Michigan, at 3434 Russell Street. I know if I ever find myself in Detroit, that’s going to be one of my first stops. What about you?
As for RoboCop, not only has he now been immortalized as a statue, but he may soon return to pop culture prominence. Amazon Studios has been working on bringing the character back as a TV show for a few years, and presumably, that’s still in the works.
Are there other fictional characters that are city-specific and deserve this kind of treatment? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Original Source: https://gizmodo.com/robocop-statue-detroit-location-2000695724
Original Source: https://gizmodo.com/robocop-statue-detroit-location-2000695724
Disclaimer: This article is a reblogged/syndicated piece from a third-party news source. Content is provided for informational purposes only. For the most up-to-date and complete information, please visit the original source. Digital Ground Media does not claim ownership of third-party content and is not responsible for its accuracy or completeness.
