For decades, comic books have been in color, but now they truly reflect all the hues of society.
The new Captain America is black. A Superman who is suspiciously similar to President Barack Obama headlined a comic book. Thor is a woman, Spider-Man is part-Puerto Rican and Ms. Marvel is Muslim.
Mainstream comic book superheroes have been redrawn from the stereotypical brown-haired, blue-eyed white male into a world of multicolored, multireligious and multigendered crusaders to reflect diversity in their audience.
Society has changed, so superheroes have to as well, said Axel Alonso, editor in chief at Marvel Comics, who in November debuted Captain America No. 1 with Samuel Wilson, the first African American superhero taking over Captain America’s red, white and blue shield.
“Roles in society aren’t what they used to be. There’s far more diversity,” said Alonso, who has also shepherded a gay wedding in the X-Men.
The new diverse comic characters are far from the first: Marvel introduced the world to Samuel Wilson as the Falcon, the comic’s first African-American superhero, in 1969 as a sidekick to Captain America.
And Marvel isn’t the only company looking at diversity. An alternative Superman, one who is president of the United States, is part of a team in DC Comics’ “The Multiversity.” DC also brags of having more comic books featuring female leads than any other company, including Batgirl, Catwoman, Batwoman and Wonder Woman, the longest-running comic book with a female hero.
“Our goal is to tell the best stories while making sure our characters are relatable and reflect DC Comics’ diverse readership and fanbase,” DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson said.
Not everyone is happy with the changes: A contingent of fans are protesting a reboot of Marvel’s Fantastic Four movies, which makes Johnny Storm black.
Movies based on superheroes, such as Marvel’s “The Avengers,” and DC’s “Man of Steel,” are driving a new audience to comic books. That surge has comic book companies looking to have characters that fans can relate to, said Cheryl Lynn Eaton, head of the Ormes Society, which promotes black female comic creators and the inclusion of black women in the comics industry.
“The stories of Superman, the story of Batman, we’re going to be telling them 40 years from now, and we’ve already been telling them for decades,” Eaton said. “They are telling us … how to live life and how we relate in this world, so I think it’s important for everyone … to have a say.”
