10 Suggestions of Black Superheroes For Hollywood
Superhero films have gotten a little bit more diverse in recent years, particularly thanks to Marvel’s introduction of a few major black superheroes. Black Panther will debut in 2018 as the first modern film to feature a black superhero (Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa) as its core character, and this fall Netflix will release Luke Cage, a show whose titular character (Mike Colter) is also black.
That’s some good progress, but if you’re wondering what it could all lead to, here are 10 more black characters who could make their way into superhero cinema.
Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Ryan Reynolds already starred as Green Lantern in a DC film, but many people see this as one of the best opportunities for a black headliner superhero to be introduced. That’s because numerous men have become Green Lantern over the years in the comics and one of them, John Stewart, is African-American. Tyrese Gibson has lobbied for the role pretty publicly, and Cinemablend revealed that a 2020 Green Lantern Corps movie could have as many as three versions of the character. This seems like a pretty safe bet.
Steel
John Henry Irons is a DC character who’s saved from an accident by Superman just before Superman is defeated by Doomsday. He then becomes a sort of vigilante against Doomsday, adopting an Iron Man-esque suit to battle the villain. He might be a great inclusion for a DC film universe struggling with a bland Superman.
Spider-Man (Miles Morales)
Miles Morales is essentially a black Spider-Man who’s taken the place of Peter Parker in some comics. And because Marvel has only just regained the rights to Spider-Man and introduced a new Parker, it seems unlikely we’ll be seeing this character on the big screen anytime soon. Then again, he was added to Netmarble’s “future fight” app not too long ago, so perhaps Marvel is keeping him in mind.
Misty Knight
Functionally, Misty Knight is a little bit like a female Winter Soldier, in that she’s a trained professional who ends up with a bionic arm and associating with superheroes. But in the context of black characters in this genre, she’s be a major step forward, because her creation in the ’70s as a black female hero was a pretty big deal.
Nightmask
“New Adam,” or Nightmask, is an unlikely inclusion in the Marvel films given that he’s kind of associated with the end of Earth. But as a character born on Mars who’s known for deep and expansive knowledge, he’d be an interesting addition late in the MCU.
Blade
Blade has already appeared in a full trilogy, and lingers in entertainment years after those films were released. Gala’s online jackpots still include an homage to the character in the form of one of many slot games with superhero inspiration. It’s built as a slot reel in the image of the old films with symbols and bonus features related to Wesley Snipes and the character’s weaponry. Clearly, the character remains highly regarded by some fans, and there has been talk of a revival or reboot.
Vixen
Vixen ought to get a film just because she’s so unique. She’s a DC character who has the ability to control and work with animals, which is unlike any power for a modern superhero.
Doctor Midnight
Ranker’s list of black superheroes who replaced white ones pointed to this bizarre DC character as an utterly forgotten minority hero. Beth Chapel was a walking cliché of southern Baptist faith, as the article makes clear, but she still got to wear a cool suit and occupy an awesome (if somewhat ridiculous) name. She’s not the most powerful character, but in some ways she could be a blank slate for a film studio to come up with a cool black superhero.
Lobo
Lobo is awesome. He was created by Dell Comics back in 1965 and was the first African-American character to headline a comic book. He was pretty much a badass, Old West-style gunslinger, and that’s enough to get your wheels turning about an interesting film.
Shadowman
Shadowman, aka Jack Boniface, is a pretty awesome hero who also exists outside of the Marvel and DC universes. The character is a benevolent wraith who protects present-day New Orleans from the horrors of an alternate reality. If you happen to be into Stranger Things on Netflix, he’s kind of the opposite of the Upside Down beast.
