Everyone deserves to have their own superhero. Fortunately, the last two decades have seen this mantra become increasingly realized in the comic book industry. Global interest in superheros has led to a vastly diverse audience, which in turn has inspired comic book companies to lean into heroes who are not just white, straight, cisgender men. This diversification of superheroes hasn’t been easy; it’s been a slow but ultimately successful venture.
Superman in the ‘40s was an undocumented alien (literally, an alien) who went after grifting politicians and landlords. The X-Men are comics’ perennial allegories for the civil rights movement and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The 21st century has seen depictions of the first gay marriage in comics, non-white characters take on roles that have historically been played by white actors, and a new bisexual Superman on the mantle.
This approach by the industry is not incidental to their success but central to it. Over the last decade, Marvel’s Miles Morales, an alternate universe Spider-Man, exploded in popularity, becoming the main character in his own video game and critically-acclaimed animated movie. He’s even enjoyed a few crowd-pleasing references in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel’s new Ms. Marvel, a Pakistani American and Muslim take on the legacy of Captain Marvel, enjoyed a similar rise to prominence, becoming the main character in the Avengers video game and Disney+’s highest-rated Marvel TV Show.
Comic book publishers are aware of the success of BIPOC superheroes. In 2020, DC Comics announced it would be relaunching the Black heroes Static Shock, Icon, Rocket, and Hardware as part of their Milestone imprint. The relaunch of those heroes is one of the most beautiful signs of progress there is: massive corporations finally recognizing that the benefits of embracing a diverse marketplace outweigh the costs.
That’s not to say that there haven’t been missteps. Early representation attempts were at best cringy (as in the case of the DC’s first stereotypical Latino character, Vibe) and at worst, downright bigoted (as in the case of early gay men threatening to sexually assault Marvel’s Bruce Banner in a shelter).
Comic books have a long way to go before they can guarantee authentic representation. Behind the scenes, there still needs to be more diverse creators. The return of DC’s Milestone universe prompted this reflection from the Washington Post: “Diversity has improved in mainstream superhero comics, but is still a concern, especially behind the scenes.” And it’s beyond the writer and illustrator alone. The characters and storylines that emerge from a diverse staff could blow away audiences ready to see inclusive superheroes that properly represent their communities, on-page and on-screen.
Comic books have managed to stay a success because of growth in characters that don’t fit the traditional superhero model. To generate stories that are authentic to a growing population of diverse readers, our largest comic book producers need to double down on the value of effective representation, both on and off page.
