The emergence of Black superheroes is here
(News4usonline) — Growing up as a child one of the main things you remember is your favorite superheroes. If you grew up like me, I kept my favorite superhero posters all over my bedroom walls and always had multiple action figures in my room.
As a kid, it was easy to fall in love with what your favorite superhero can do as in their powers and what they stand for. The storylines are a big deal to do with this as well, as you know there are always two sides to their life, and it makes it even more interesting.
A couple of different DC Universe and Marvel characters I want to talk about are Kid Flash, Storm, Black Lighting, etc. Growing up watching these characters and seeing them grow in their role you sometimes don’t realize that a certain character is of a specific ethnicity.
That’s because when you’re young you like the characters for who they are and for what they can do, not because of the color of their skin. A lot of these different African American characters play a huge role in their different shows or on their teams.
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
Storm is an older original character from X-Men and she is one of the most crucial characters to the team and she also was a professor for the younger kids on the team.
Another crucial DC Universe character is Kid Flash (aka Wally West; aka Wallace West), the nephew of the original Flash, Barry Allen. Growing up watching Flash as a kid it was really cool to learn that he marries a lady of color (Iris).
The genetic pool and to see how Kid Flash got his powers and to see him be a mixture of two different ethnic backgrounds is pretty awesome. The fact that the producers of the Flash TV show made sure that Iris West and Kid Flash were still Black is good to see.
Another character a lot of people loved to see growing up was Cyborg. I learned about Cyborg and his interesting background from the “Teen Titans” animated TV show.
Cyborg starred in that show and was a major part of the Titans and helped them beat the bad guys and put them away. He has one of the most unique stories in his own right in how he developed his powers.
The fact that his parents were willing to do anything to keep their son alive, even possibly making him a monster in some people’s eyes was okay because he had a second chance at life.
Black Lightning was probably one of the most needed Black DC Universe characters for people of color because of the importance of his character. Black Lightning was a lot of things, but he was also was a family man. What Black Lightning did was portray or give an example of a strong positive role model. He was a great father and a Black man in general.
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
The demand to showcase more superheroes of color in comics has increased over the years. With the long-awaited arrival of Black Panther to the new Black Captain America (Falcon) to Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz in The Batman), more and more Black superheroes are emerging.
With that in mind, during Black History Month, the DC Universe put an emphasis on Black superheroes by sharing stories about Black men and women well-intertwined in the comics that many probably have never heard of or have very little connection with.
An article posted on the DC Universe website, shared the importance for the company to celebrate and bring to life these overlooked superheroes and characters.
“It’s this latter type of character that we thought we might celebrate here — the “people behind the heroes. These are the everyday people who don’t put on capes or star in their own comics. They work ordinary jobs and support our main characters with their friendship and by adding a flavor of reality to their stories. Their presence grounds our heroes, and their subplots engage us. Here are five Black supporting players who help make the DC Universe feel more like a real place.”
The objectivity of the Joshua Lapin-Bertone story appears to concentrate on characters that were more in the background as opposed to being a major figure.
Shondra Kinsolving is one of those characters. Kinsolving was one of the five African American supporting characters the DC Universe highlighted during Black History Month. And so, just who is Shondra Kinsolving?
Photo courtesy of DC Comics
For Batman, she was more than a doctor serving up house calls. Believe it or not, Kinsolving got into a romantic relationship with the Bat, well Bruce Wayne. According to Lapin-Bertone’s well-researched story, Kinsolving was the one responsible for putting Batman back together again after he broke his back. Because of this, Kinsolving became the most famous physiotherapist in Gotham City.
Another character of note in the DC Universe is Trevor Barnes. Barnes’ gain to fame was dating Wonder Woman. How did this little-known hookup come about? Well, with Barnes doing international globetrotting work as field director for a United Nations program, somehow, some way, the rural development guru and Wonder Woman made a love connection. Now that’s interesting.
Another surprise is what’s happening in Metropolis. And this has nothing to do directly with Superman, the superhero disguised as reporter Clark Kent, who keeps tabs on the bad guys at the Daily Planet. The Daily Planet is also a place where Black reporter Ron Troupe earns his pay as a high-profile journalist.
Troupe is noted for his romantic relationship with Lois Lane’s sister, Lucy. This is yet another interracial inclusivity storyline taking place in the DC Universe. The fact that the DC Universe would be willing to touch this subject is just amazing.
It gave me a more realistic outlook on interracial families and people having their problems with it. Another major Black character we have to mention is no other than Tawny Young. Young is a TV reporter who famously busted John Stewart’s identity. The Green Lantern Corps. still might not be in the mood to have anything to do with Young after that disclosure.
Lastly, the article talked about Dale Gunn, a member of the Justice League of America. This article showed a different outlook of Black characters in the DC Universe who have made a huge impact on the world of superhero comics.
Featured appears courtesy of DC Comics