It’s been over a decade since Marvel has given its Black female fans a superhero of their own to idolize. With the exception of Storm, who was originally written as a white woman, all of the female heroes in Marvel are White. Movies like Iron Man and Spider-Man seem to stick strictly to this demographic with the exception of Black actors portraying background characters. Fans have long been requesting for a Black female character, but will Marvel ever come up with one?
Marvel has never had a black female superhero in their movies. In recent years, they have come out with TV shows like “Luke Cage” and “Cloak and Dagger” but that has not brought us any closer to having one in the movies.
Does Marvel Have Any Black Female Superheroes?
The reality is, there has not been a black female superhero in Marvel comics. It is also interesting to note that Spider-Man and Captain America have never appeared in the comic books with a non-white cast.
It’s clear that Marvel has a long way to go when it comes to addressing this issue. If the movies are the model for how they create Black characters, then it seems they would jump on the opportunity to create one.
It has been a long time since Marvel has had any black female superheroes. In 1993, the comic had a pilot for a show called “Sharon Ventura: Super Woman” which was canceled before it aired. There is only one show featuring black superheroines in existence on Marvel’s lineup-Ms. Marvel. She is currently a Muslim teenager with the powers of Carol Danvers. Kamala Khan first appeared in “The Avengers” vol. 3 #4, in which she saves Captain America from
being killed by a fan. She was created by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona and debuted in “Ms. Marvel” vol. 2 #1.
Despite her popularity, Marvel’s latest endeavor to create more black female superheroes is questionable.
When talking about Kamala Khan, Wilson said “the fact that Ms. Marvel is an American Muslim teenager is one of the great things about her. It’s a very specific and timely story with international reach.” However, this doesn’t seem to be the case for all black women in comics.
Marvel’s Black Female Superheroes
What Black female superheroes would you like to see in Marvel? There have been three Black female superheroes who have been known as the first, second and third black superhero ever.
All three were separate characters: Black Panther, Storm and She-Hulk. They are all different in their powers and skills, but I think all three have the potential to be the first Black female superhero of Marvel.
Possible Future Female Marvel Characters
Some say the future is female. In the Marvel universe, that doesn’t seem to be the case. All of the Marvel movies and TV shows are populated by mainly white males. Black Widow is the only female superhero who is actually able to fight alongside the male superheroes on the big screen, and so far she has been relegated to an assistant role, with minimal dialogue in any of her appearances.
Storm is usually seen in the role of a minor sidekick to the X-Men, and she hasn’t even had a solo comic book for over 20 years.
It’s hard to imagine a Black female superhero being placed in that role again.
There is, however, one character who fits this role perfectly. Her name is She-Hulk.
Lack of Women in Comic Book Media
The lack of women in comic book media has been the topic of heated debates. Female superheroes are rare in comics, with only a few dominating the titles that have been released recently. Some argue that it’s part of a larger problem with Marvel and its portrayal of women, and that the lack of representation has a negative impact on the lives of many female readers.
But what about female characters? Why are there so few? What role does representation play in fostering female readership?
At the end of last year, writer Brian Bendis posted an “open letter” to critics who have been complaining about the lack of women and non-white characters in comic books.
In it, he offered several of his personal theories about why there aren’t more non-white, non-male characters in comic books, pointing out that the industry does not see diversity as a necessary ingredient for selling comics.
