To celebrate Black History Month here’s a look at ten of the most influential black characters who helped make comics continuity more inclusive and inspire future creators and readers. Fictional characters are not as important as civil rights leaders, athletes, artists or scientists but it’s important to see diversity in the pages and panels.
The first black superhero is bigger than ever. Let’s begin with the King and his expanding empire:
Black Panther
Black Panther was the first black superhero in mainstream comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four, T’Challa was the Prince of a fictional African nation known as Wakanda. Black Panther is a genius inventor, excellent military and political strategist with a mastery of martial arts, fighting skills and with a uniform enhanced with vibranium.
T’Challa has been an Avenger, Fantastic Four member, was married to Storm of the X-Men and member of The Illuminai – a secret team of Marvel’s biggest heroes. T’Challa’s always been committed to his homeland. His duty to protect Wakanda cost him his relationship with Storm and created big rivalries with other Marvel monarchs.
Black Panther made his cinematic debut in Captain America: Civil War. Chadwick Boseman will reprise his role as T’Challa in a solo film coming in 2018. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze launched a new Black Panther comic book for Marvel last year. Coates, Roxane Gay and Yona Harvey launched World of Wakanda starring women who were part of the Panther’s guard, The Dora Milaje. Coates and Harvey will team up again for Black Panther: The Crew featuring T’Challa, Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Manifold set in Harlem.
Vixen
Vixen/Mari Jiwe McCabe is a member of Batman’s new Justice League of America debuting this month. Vixen headlines her own animated series on the CW Seed set in The CW Arrow/The Flash universe and is now is part of the cast of Legends of Tomorrow.
McCabe grew up in remote village in the fictional African country of Zambesi. Mari’s family were holders of a mystical totem but her uncle killed her parents and stolen the totem. Mari moved to America, became an international supermodel, built a fortune and traveled to her homeland to take back her family’s totem and became known as Vixen. With the totem Mari can mimic the abilities of any animal on Earth.
Misty Knight
Mercedes “Misty” Knight is co-starring in Captain America: Sam Wilson and upcoming Black Panther: The Crew comics. Simone Messick plays Misty on Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix.
Knight was a NYPD officer seriously injured in a terrorist attack. Tony Stark gave her a bionic arm giving her super strength. Misty and Colleen Wing, formed their own private detective agency. The duo became recurring characters in the X-Men and Power Man and Iron Fist comics. Misty has been a member of the Daughters of the Dragon (she’s a skilled martial artist) and led a Heroes for Hire team.
Sam Wilson, Captain America & Falcon
Anthony Mackie plays Wilson aka Falcon in the Captain America films and will appear in Avengers: Infinity War. In comics Wilson is now Captain America and leader of the Avengers.
Wilson is the first African-American hero and first to not have the world “Black” in his code-name. Stan Lee and Gene Colan co-created Wilson as a partner for Steve Rogers but Falcon became a fan-favorite Avenger, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a disabled Rogers asked his former partner to take his famous mantle.
Luke Cage
Sweet Christmas, Luke played by Mike Colter is the star of his own Netflix series and will be part of Marvel’s Defenders series.
The modern day multi-media sensation started out as in comics as Power Man (his real name is Carl Lucas) in the 1970’s blaxploitation era. Sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit then an accident gave him impervious skin and super strength. Power Man and Iron Fist were the heroes for hire in their own series. Brian Michael Bendis made Luke the romantic leading man of action for private eye Jessica Jones in Alias. Captain America recruited Luke for the New Avengers. During Bendis’s eight year run he made Luke and Jessica my favorite Marvel super couple. Bendis will launch a new Defenders book starring Luke, Jessica, Daredevil and Iron Fist, based on the upcoming Netflix series.
Cyborg
Victor Stone headlines his own comic book book and is a Justice League member. Ray Fisher plays the cybernetic hero in this year’s Justice League film and is set for a spinoff solo movie.
After X-Men my favorite childhood comic book heroes were Teen Titans with Cyborg as the coolest looking hero. Stone’s parents turned their son into a half-machine man in order to save his life after a horrible accident. Victor was uneasy with his bionic disfigurements but joined fellow teen outsiders and found kindred spirits in the Titans. In the DC Comics New 52 relaunch Victor became a founding member of the new Justice League.
Spider-Man/Miles Morales
In the Ultimate Universe, this teenager of African-American and Hispanic descent became Spider-Man. Miles quickly became a fan-favorite and survived the end of the Ultimate Universe and swung into the main Marvel Universe. Miles headlines his own solo series, was a member of the All-New, All-Different Avengers before joining other teen legacy heroes in the Champions.
Monica Rambeau/Spectrum
A police officer exposed to alien energy, Rambeau became a superhero with the ability to convert her body into various forms of energy. Rambeau was actually the first woman to go by the code-name Captain Marvel and became leader of the Avengers by Roger Stern. Monica later changed her code-name of Photon in Nextwave and now Spectrum in the Ultimates
John Stewart/Green Lantern
This U.S. Marine veteran was chosen by the Guardians to become protector of the Earth sector when Hal Jordan quit. Stewart starred in his own series and became a member of the Justice League.
Storm
Mutant. X-Man. Avenger. Queen. Goddess. She was the first female comic book hero I ever saw and I fell in love with Ororo Munroe. Uncanny X-Men #116 was my very first book and I was immediately enchanted by the beautiful powerful windrider who could control weather.
Ororo was the daughter of African-Americans but through a series of tragedies ended up on the plains of Kenya when Professor X recruited her for his school. Sometimes I don’t think we realize how significant it was in the 1980’s when an African-American woman was leader of the most popular, top-sellling group of super heroes. In the 21st century Ororo was reunited with her lost love, T’Challa. Storm and the Black Panther became THE ultimate Marvel power but went separate ways after the events of Avengers vs. X-Men.
Storm is team leader of the X-Men in their war with the Inhumans and will be a member of X-Men: Gold in April, 2017. Halle Berry played Storm in four X-Men films. Alexandra Shipp played a younger Ororo in the most recent film set in the past and could reprise the role again.
We decided to go with ten but there are so many other amazing characters. If you don’t see yours share in the comments.
By Editor