As we celebrate Black History Month we’re inspired to salute African-American superheroes and update fans on their status in their comic book universes.
With Anthony Mackie’s breakout performance as Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chadwick Boseman (42) cast as Black Panther and the return of Milestone Media with new and returning heroes – a lot has happened in a year.
Fictional superheroes are not as critical as real civil rights leaders, scientists, boundary breaking athletes and artists but it’s important to celebrate diversity in comic books. Most of these black characters were created by white males but we hope by recognizing these characters it might inspire new writers, artists and editors of all backgrounds to push for new voices and greater diversity in making comics and inside comics.
Before revealing our favorites we want to acknowledge great characters like James Rhodes aka War Machine and Iron Patriot, Steel aka John Henry Irons, Batwing, Spawn and Static (by the late Dwayne McDuffie) and not to mention non-superhero characters Michonne and Tyreese of The Walking Dead, and Suicide Squad boss Amanda Waller and the mysterious Mary of The Massive.
These are our favorites from youth and recent years that are making a huge impact on pop culture.
Patriot
Elijah Bradley of Young Avengers is the grandson of Isiah Bradley, the first Captain America. (Isiah was one of many African-American men who were test subjects before the Super Soldier Serum was given to Steve Rogers. Isiah secretly served his country and his story was told in the series Truth: Red, White & Black.)
Eli became a founding member of the Young Avengers. These teen heroes wanted to fight crime and carry on the legacy of the Avengers who had disbanded at the time. I don’t want to give away the secret of Eli’s powers (told in the Young Avengers series) but his is an inspiring story of a young man trying to do right and honor his past.
Eli felt tremendous guilt and quit his role as a costumed hero after the death of teammate Cassie Lang (aka Stature.) Cassie recently turned up alive in Avengers World is part of the new Ant-Man book. Let’s hope Patriot will turn up in a new version of the Young Avengers and I’d love to see Eli and his grandfather’s story told in a Captain America movie sequel. Eli is the most underused hero with incredible story potential.
Misty Knight
Mercedes “Misty” Knight was a NYPD officer seriously injured in a terrorist attack. Tony Stark gave her a bionic arm giving her super strength. Misty and her best friend, Colleen Wing, formed Knightwing Restorations private detective agency. The duo became recurring characters in the X-Men and Power Man and Iron Fist series.
Misty has been a member of the Daughters of the Dragon (she’s a skilled martial artist) and led a Heroes for Hire team. Misty has an on-again, off-again romance with Danny Rand aka Iron Fist. Misty and Valkyrie were co-starring in the short-lived but beloved series, Fearless Defenders.
Iron Fist and Luke Cage are two upcoming Marvel/Netflix series so it’s possible Misty and Colleen will appear in the series or Misty would make a spectacular guest star on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Vixen
One of my favorite but underused DC heroines is poised for a major comeback.
Mari Jiwe 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 stole 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.
Mari was member of the Justice League. In the DC Comics New 52 relaunch Vixen part of Justice League International. The big update is Vixen will star in her own animated web series set in the same universe as Arrow and The Flash.
Green Lantern
John Stewart is a major recurring hero in the DC Universe. 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. John was a lead character in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated series.
John is currently co-starring in the Green Lantern Corps series. With Warner Brothers building up to a Justice League I think producers should recruit John for the big screen version of the DC super team. Warner Brothers does have a Green Lantern movie planned in 2020 after Justice League. There’s no doubting the legacy of Jordan but for many Stewart is their Lantern and deserves to be the leading man or co-lead in a Green Lantern reboot.
Spectrum
Monica Rambeau was actually the first female Captain Marvel. Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr created this New Orleans harbor patrol captain turned hero in 1982. Monica stopped an alien weapon but was transformed into a powerhouse hero after being exposed to extra-dimensional energy. Monica can convert her body into any form of energy giving her super speed, flight and the power to absorb and blast energy.
Monica was the first African-American woman in the Avengers and eventually became team leader. Monica would later take the code-names Photon and Pulsar and lead Nextwave. Monica took the code-name Spectrum and became field leader of Luke Cage’s Mighty Avengers team.
Marvel revealed the upcoming Captain Marvel film will star Carol Danvers but there has to be a role for Rambeau since Ant-Man features two men who held the code-name plus Monica’s law enforcement experience makes her a great candidate for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Spider-Man
Miles Morales became a media sensation when Marvel revealed the new Ultimate Spider-Man was of African-American and Latino descent. Like Peter Parker, Miles is a science nerd bitten by a radioactive spider but his powers are slightly different. When the Peter Parker of his universe died a hero, Miles stepped up to become a new champion.
Miles met the Peter Parker of “our” Marvel Universe in the crossover smash, Spider-Men. Miles starred in two upcoming series: Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man and All-New Ultimates. and is currently guest starring in All-New X-Men.
The Ultimate Universe will end with Secret Wars this Summer but Miles is one of our 15 characters to watch in 2015 and our number one Ultimate hero we hope will survive and swing in the all-new Marvel Universe.
Blade
Before X-Men, Spider-Man and Iron Man…Blade relaunched the modern Marvel Comics movie empire.
Wesley Snipes played the badass, burdened vampire hunter on the big screen in three films.
Legendary Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan created Eric Brooks as a supporting character in Tomb of Dracula but the “daywalking” vampire hunter soon starred in the Nightstalkers and his own series.
In recent years Blade allied with the X-Men in a war with the heirs of Dracula then joined Luke Cage’s Mighty Avengers to fend off an alien invasion. Snipes would be hard to beat but here’s hoping the Blade movie franchise is resurrected.
Cyborg
After the X-Men my favorite childhood heroes were the Teen Titans. Victor Stone’s genius parents transformed him into a cybernetic man in order to save his life after a horrible accident. What I love about Victor was he had issues over his appearance but when he joined the group of outsiders in the Titans he found kindred spirits and learned to cope with his new cyber appearance.
In the DC Comics New 52 relaunch Victor became a founding member of the new Justice League. Victor’s cybernetic parts bonded with a sentient computer virus and formed the Grid and betrayed the League. Victor is redeeming his good name.
Falcon
A huge year for this fan-favorite Avenger in 2014. Anthony Mackie played Sam Wilson in Captain America: The Winter Soldier on the big screen and will return in Captain America: Civil War. In comics Wilson was asked by Steve Rogers to become the All-New Captain America. Wilson now stars in that solo series plus Avengers, Uncanny Avengers and Captain America and the Mighty Avengers. The new Captain will play a huge role in Marvel’s big event Secret Wars this May.
The breakthrough promotion to Captain America follows Sam Wilson’s boundary breaking role in comics. Wilson was one of the first African-American hero to not have the world “Black” in his code-name. Stan Lee and Gene Colan co-created Wilson as a partner for Captain America (Steve Rogers) but Falcon became a popular Avenger, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and now Steve’s successor. With an acclaimed actor like Mackie, could the cinematic Wilson become an official Avenger or even Captain America on the big screen.
Luke Cage
Power Man (his real name is Carl Lucas) was a creation of the 1970’s blaxploitation era but he’s about to hit the Netflix era of television.
Lucas went 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 the 70’s.
After several attempts at bring back Cage, Brian Michael Bendis made Luke the romantic leading man of action for private eye Jessica Jones in Alias. It was the start of a major comeback for the superhero.
Captain America recruited Luke to lead the New Avengers. During the Bendis Avengers run Luke and Jessica became our favorite Marvel super couple. Luke left the Avengers to devote more time to being a husband and dad but hinted as restarting Heroes for Hire. When the Avengers went into deep space during the Infinity event – Luke answered the call for help when Thanos invaded Earth. Luke is now leading a Mighty Avengers series and mentors the next generation of heroes including a new Power Man, White Tiger and Blue Marvel.
Luke and Jessica featured in two upcoming series being developed by Marvel and Netflix. Mike Colter will play Cage opposite Krysten Ritter in AKA Jessica Jones leading to a Luke Cage series followed by Defenders with Daredevil and Iron Fist.
Storm
Mutant. X-Man. Avenger. Queen. Goddess. My first comic book heroine and obsession.
Storm’s popularity is bigger than ever with a solo series by Greg Pak, leading her own team in X-Men and we’ll see a new cinematic Ororo coming up in X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016.
I fell in love with Ororo Munroe when I first fell in love with comic books. Uncanny X-Men #116 was my very first book and I was mesmerized by the beautiful, powerful windrider. 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 the X-Men.
We might forget how significant it was in the 1980’s to have an African-American woman leading the most popular group of super heroes on the planet. Even when Storm lost her powers she defeated Cyclops for leadership of the X-Men and never lost the love and respect of Wolverine.
In the 21st century Ororo was reunited with her lost love, T’Challa. Storm and the Black Panther became THE Marvel power couple even replacing Reed and Sue in the Fantastic Four. Storm was recruited to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Ororo and T’Challa have separated after the events of Avengers vs. X-Men.
Storm is now teaching at the Jean Grey School but revisited her wild side. The mohawk is back and Ororo starred Uncanny X-Force and now leads the all-female X-Men series.
Oscar winner Halle Berry reprised her role as Storm X-Men: Day of Future Past movie. Alexandra Shipp will play a young Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016.
Goddess or Mohawk Storm, every fan has a favorite look but this X-Woman is THE ultimate Marvel female hero no matter how she’s styled.
Black Panther
You can definitely say T’Challa is having a most deserved moment after Marvel’s plans for a movie and his epic role in New Avengers this year.
T’Challa was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics. Legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created T’Challa, Prince of Wakanda. An ally of the Fantastic Four, T’Challa became an Avenger and later King of his African homeland, Wakanda. He’s an expert fighter, scientific genius, and feared leader.
Black Panther has been a central character in Jonathan Hickman’s New Avengers series. T’Challa recruited Marvel’s biggest brains to fight a cosmic threat to the entire Marvel Universe. T’Challa executed plots within plots worthy of Game of Thrones in his bitter rivalry with Namor the Submariner and his sister Shuri, the current Queen after his abdication.
An Avengers led by Black Panther is one our of 15 geek wishes for 2015. We’ll see if that happens as this summer’s Secret Wars promises a new Marvel Universe and new writer for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Chadwick Boseman will play Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War before starring in his own big screen adventure. Watch for a possible cameo in Avengers: Age of Ultron this May.
Once again, let me say that fictional characters are not as important as real civil rights leaders, artists, scientists and leaders in other fields but I do think it’s important to highlight these characters. By spotlighting these breakthrough comic book heroes it might inspire future writers and artists.
Do you have a favorite African-America comic book character we left out? Share in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter.
By Editor