Today, that symbol represents something more. “Superman's symbol has always stood for hope, for truth, and justice. "I've always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes,” Son of Superman writer Tom Taylor said in a statement. With Superman, the company hopes the progressive message will allow for more diversity among the pantheon of heroes - and bring a new audience. In June, known globally as Pride Month for the LBGTQ community, the trickster Norse god Loki Laufeyson's bisexual identity and genderfluidity - aspects of that had been alluded to throughout the comics - became canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.įor their part, DC Comics has teamed up with Ally, a company that works to reshape cooperate culture, to create a program grooming the next generation of artists and creators of color.
theaters, the franchise's first film to be led by an Asian director with a predominantly Asian cast. In September, Marvel released "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" in U.S. 'I hardly ever see myself represented': New documentary spotlights Asian mothers, LGBTQ kids 'You do you': People share their emotional stories to help others on National Coming Out Day 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse", a collaboration between Sony and Marvel, included numerous iterations of Spider-Man, including characters such as Miles Morales, a teen of both African-American and Puerto Rican descent, and Peni Parker, a Japanese-American girl. This year, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" on Disney+ explored the concept of a Black Captain America when Sam Wilson, also known as the Falcon, picked up the iconic shield. Over the last 20 years, Hollywood has tapped into comic book stories like "Black Panther" - the king of the mythical African nation Wakanda - and "The Avengers" to generate more than $22 billion in box office receipts for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And with Hollywood increasingly mining comic books, the heroes who once inspired generations during the early 20th century have taken on a new role in modern American storytelling and with that comes a new focus on diversity. So it is important to have people - whether they be heroes or villains - that also identify as those things.”ĭean Cain, the actor who played Superman in the 90s television adaptation “Lois and Clark," called the decision "bandwagoning" on Fox & Friends. "Brave would be having him fighting for the rights of gay people in Iran where they'll throw you off a building for the offense of being gay," Cain continued, referencing real-life, state-sponsored executions of gay people in Iran.īut while the idea of a leading member of the Superman universe taking up a same-sex love interest may be new, the concept - whether through innuendo or direct references - has been a part of the superhero universe for decades, in comic books and on the big screen. “There is a little kid that has been told he is worthless and he’s awful because he’s gay, or she’s gay, or however they want to identify - they’ve been told that they are worthless because of how they identify. “Somewhere, there’s a little kid who doesn’t think he can be a superhero because he's gay,” she said. Her affection for Harley Quinn grew even more last year when the character once known as Joker's sidekick married Poison Ivy - another female antagonist - in 2020's dystopian "Injustice: Year Zero" series. It's a character Poole has enjoyed since she was a teen. Watch Video: 5 superheroes who brought diversity in 2021Īmelia Poole has lost count of how many comic book conventions she’s attended.ĭonning a handmade black-and-red jumpsuit and carrying a giant mallet stamped with the deceptively slapstick words "Your face here," the Orlando woman attends as Harley Quinn, a DC Comics character with a knack for bad jokes and satirical violence.