Happy Thorsday Friends,
In exactly one week from today I shall be in Atlanta at DragonCon. It will be my first time attending this convention. And let me tell you, I am as giddy as Cinderella in the 1997 remake of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. This remake was notable for its unapologetically diverse cast and themes about female agency and empowerment. Plus, it starred 90s Pop and R&B star (and gorgeous black woman) Brandy in the eponymous role. How's that for #Blackgirlmagic? Today, I am here to talk to you about the increasing trend of Marvel Comics reimagining long established superheroes such as Spider-man, The Incredible Hulk, Ms. Marvel and more recently, Iron Man as people of color. At first I was excited. Heck yes (I promise not to swear in this post, Mom) ! Superhero mantles can taken up by anyone. Why can't Ms. Marvel be a smart, geeky, Muslim young woman from Jersey? Why can't Spiderman be an Afro-Latino teenage boy who, like Peter before him, has dealt with loss early on in life? And then, I started to wonder something. Aside from Black Panther and Luke Cage getting their long overdue time in the MCU/Netflix spotlight, what about the existing POC superheroes? Does anyone care about them? Does anyone know about them? Does anyone how many there are? (A quick search tells me the number for Marvel is 114 that includes characters who may not even possess superhuman ability. There so many more POC superheroes in the Marvel and DC universes than Static Shock, Storm, Blue Marvel, Vixen, and Bumblebee. The sad, generalizable fact is POC characters are not celebrated with the same fervor as white superheroes. To break it down even further, female superheroes are not celebrated with the same fervor as white male superheroes. And female POC superheroes...? *crickets chirping*. And friends, this grinds my gears because tthe comicbook fandom is not exclusively comprised of middle class straight white guys. In fact, every year when I attend Free Comic Book Day (My favorite Saturday of the whole year), I see more little girls and or more kids of color attending the event. *gets on top of soapbox* I believe that superheroes are so important for kids. Superheroes teach kids about kindness, about integrity, and believing in themselves during the worst times of adversity. Some superheroes teach children about celebrating differences, building friendships and teamwork (e.g.:Xmen, The Justice League, Avengers, Defenders...etc). We need to get those already established POC superheroes into the spotlight. I won't be satisfied until they are as ubiquitous as Superman and Wonder-Woman. We need to do it for the little ones coming behind us. When I was a little black girl, I had a very negative self image of myself. And sure, I had low self-esteem and a crippling inferiority complex, but I think the other part of that was not believing there were positive Black role-models to look up to. Other than maybe Oprah. In actuality, they were always there, both real and fictionalized figures. The problem was, they were not as easy to find. Other than Storm, The Black Power Ranger, and Static Shock, I didn't see black superheroes in cartoons and on television. Heck, most of the YA I read did not feature the a black protagonist. At best, they were the wise-cracking/sassy sidekick. At worst, they were a background character with one line in one chapter never to seen again (Looking at you, writers of Once Upon A Time..) Well, as the cosplay subculture has grown into a mainstream marketable industry, everyone and their mother can put on crazy tights and a mask. As a result, you have more people of color embracing cosplay even if only for a chance to pretend to take over the mantle of the superheroes they have known and loved since they were children. Some of the heroes they have chosen to cosplay look like them but most of them do not. Again, I think it is an issue of visibility. But most importantly, POC cosplayers are slaying the game. I suspect their increased presence may driving be the comic-film industry to continue "remixing" originally white characters as POC. The most recent case being the multi-ethnic but black-identified actress Zendaya Coleman possibly being cast as Spidey's main squeeze Mary Jane Watson in next year's Spiderman Homecoming film. And of course, controversy and butthurt ensued. Some white fanboys contend that casting an actress of color to portray Mary Jane is the same as casting a white man to portray The Blank Panther... Some people of color scoff at white people's indignation while shaking their heads saying "She's ambiguous and they will dye her hair. Only light skin black women get cast in these films. Talk to me when she's medium brown or darker in pigment". So, who is right? The answer is no one. People of color exist across a color spectrum and it is not up to white people or fellow people of color to tell a black woman how she should classify herself. Unlike Black Panther whose African heritage is the key to his mantle and his experience, there is nothing about Mary Jane Watson that makes her original whiteness integral to her character. Let's review, she's a pretty, popular girl from a dysfunctional family who lives in a poor Queens suburb who dreams of being a model and an actress. She also does not put up with her man's BS....In my estimation, Mary Jane can be played by any young actress. Dye her hair red, add some attitude and presto: "Go get em, Tiger"! However, it is unfortunate that light skinned black actresses get the most screen time and have the best chance at portray the hero's girl (after the white actresses of course..) . It would be swell if black actresses on the darker side of the spectrum get to be the "princess" for a change. Imagine what that could mean to little brown skin girls and dark skinned girls self-esteem? Alternatively, Marvel Studios could have created a whole new original awesome character for Zendaya to play. Sadly, I don't think the world is ready for that. After all, most of us don't know about and don't celebrate the people of color characters that already exist. So, there's that. No, I think remixing an originally beloved and white character as a POC does two things: 1) The new version of the character can rest on the long established popularity and adoration given to the original white character. 2) Comic book writers can claim they are celebrating diversity and giving their character nuance while not having to worry that a character of color will automatically flop in their comic sales. It is marketing genius, if you ask me. And remember, as the saying goes: "Progress is Slow" *winks*. Have a Great Weekend. From Your Friendly Neighborhood Weird White Friendly Black Girl
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