# Black characters and creators in sci-fi, fantasy and horror (1996-2006) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 10, 2006, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187 "2006-06-10T09:18:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/1 "2006-06-10T09:18:47Z")
From Flex Alexander and Daryl Bell as the eponymous (and notorious) \*Homeboys in Outer Space (\*1996) to the late great _Xenogenesis_ writer Octavia Butler who died earlier this year, there has been an increasing number of black creators, actors and characters involved science fiction, from literature to the big screen. I’m a pretty decent science fiction geek, and I’ve been impressed with the number of blacks (as well as Latina, Asian, Native American, gay, bi and others) popping up in various speculative fiction. It’s a great time to see myself reflected in a genre I’ve always loved. Hey, whatever you think of relative merits of the plot of _The Matrix: Rebooted_ and _Revolutions_, I’ll never forget the feeling the first time I sat in the theater and realized with an increasing thrill that this was the most black people I’d ever seen on screen in a science fiction movie – ever. I want to concentrate on blacks in sci-fi, horror and fantasy over the last ten years. We’ve come a loooOOooong way since “Homeboys in Outer Space” and I wanted to see if anyone else noticed. Which black characters and creators do you think deserve notice in this field, for good or bad or worse? Include any medium you can think of, and yes – superhero characters definitely count. How could I possibly omit Halle Berry as Catwoman AND Storm, not to mention an automaton in\* Robots\*, or the doc in _Gothika_? This isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive list. We’ll stick to those black creators and characters who’ve been active in the above mentioned genres ONLY in the last 10 years, please. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/2 "2006-06-10T09:37:18Z")
Captain Marion Alston, commander of the Coast Guard ship _Eagle_ in S.M. Stirling’s Nantucket trilogy. One of the most important characters in the whole series. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/3 "2006-06-10T11:12:54Z")
I like B5’s Dr Franklin and DS9’s Sisko, Gunn from Angel,Zoe & Book from Firefly and the Operative from Serenity, but i can’t say I’ve gone a long way with identifying with them based on race. Oh, and the contributions of Will Smith to the genre, no matter what you think of his actual talent, shouldn’t be underestimated. From the MiB franchise, to I, Robot, Will’s made it perfectly OK for a black man to be the lead in an SF film and make it a blockbuster. That’s a great thing. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/4 "2006-06-10T11:33:14Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > From the MiB franchise, to I, Robot, Will’s made it perfectly OK for a black man to be the lead in an SF film and make it a blockbuster. That’s a great thing. You’re forgetting **Independence Day** : “Welcome to Earth. \”. I’m sure more will spring to mind when I’m sober, but right now I’ve got Mickey, Rose’s boyfriend from Series One of the recent **Doctor Who** : slighted by a jealous Doctor {and wasn’t _that_ a lovely bit of sexual tension?}, but a dab hand at foiling alien invasions with a computer. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/5 "2006-06-10T11:46:31Z")
Two authors from the Carribean are **Nalo Hopkinson** , whose most recent book (I think) is the collection _Skin Folk_ and there’s also **Tobias Buckell** who had his first novel, _Crystal Rain_ out recently. It’s set on a world where many of the characters are descended from people from the Carribean. There’s also **Steven Barnes** and his alternate arab-discovered America, but I’m not so keen on him… ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/6 "2006-06-10T11:47:26Z")
> [@Case Sensitive](#): > > You’re forgetting **Independence Day** The from…to bit would be inclusive of other things like ID Another great black character - Mos Def’s Ford Prefect in the latest Hitchhiker’s movie. Not written as black in the original, yet completely unremarkeable that he should be black in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/7 "2006-06-10T12:04:28Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Another great black character - Mos Def’s Ford Prefect in the latest Hitchhiker’s movie. Not written as black in the original, yet completely unremarkeable that he should be black in the movie. And utterly wasted by the screenwriters, alas: I went from scepticism at casting a rapper _du jour_ as Ford to being totally sold by the pub scene - and then he had nothing to _do_ for the rest of the movie! I suppose Cat from **Red Dwarf** is a little late for **Askia** ’s time frame, but Danny John Jules made an excellent vampire ninja in **Blade II** : which leads, of course, to Wesley Snipes as Blade. Primo arsekicking with a big fuck-off sword. Then there’s Samuel L. Jackson’s Mister Glass in **Unbreakable** : a flawed ending, but an excellent character in a great movie, and Samuel L. always seems to lift Bruce Willis’ game. Hey, **Askia** - are we counting Jar Jar Binks? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/8 "2006-06-10T13:18:35Z")
I must be missing something: in most sci-fi I’ve read, the colour of the person isn’t relevant, and in much of it isn’t even mentioned. Quick quiz: without looking it up, was Hari Seldon’s colour mentioned in the first book? How about Menolly? I’ve just read one of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books and the only human skin colouring mentioned is the colouring of a person’s bruises. Heinlein’s Friday’s colour (white with a permatan from Amerindian genes) gets a mention as a ridicule to racists. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/9 "2006-06-10T13:25:30Z")
Crap. I can’t remember his name-- Grumby? He was Mantis- a black superhero with a white side kick. The first I know of. Maybe too early, but IMO too important to ignore. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/10 "2006-06-10T13:33:26Z")
Static Shock- A comic book adapted to a saturday morning cartoon. The hero of the title is black (though his best friend is white). Most of the villains are also black. Some of the best episodes feature appearances by villians and a hero from Africa. Ananse has the power of illusion (becuase of his namesake releasing the stories from the sky lord) and was so cool. JLA- The Green Lantern is Jon Stewart, who happens to be brown. In an episode where he meets his childhood heroes (he had the decoder ring and everything), Jon remarks on just how far society has come since then. The Green Guardian, meaning an honest compliment, calls Jon “a credit to your race”. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/11 "2006-06-10T13:33:34Z")
A couple of emphatically non-stereotype black people: The protagonist of Spider Robinson’s _Telempath_, Isham Latimer, is black, the son of a Columbia University professor and his wife. This only comes to light as a result of latent racism by his Indian (i.e., from India) prospective father-in-law. The lead character of Heinlein’s _The Cat Who Walks Through Walls_ is black, but there is absolutely no indication of this until near the end of the book, where he gets into an argument with a military commander-in-chief from a Black Supremacist alternate universe and makes the casual remark that he’s glad he has the same skin color as the CinC because otherwise the degree to which he despises him would be considered racist. Clarke’s _Imperial Earth_ features a protagonist who is a third-generation clone from the rather small-town-y civilization of Saturn’s moon Titan. He is mentioned to be black in passing at a point where he makes a state visit to Washington DC in behalf of Titan. Multiracial ancestry is common in many future societies, and pretty much neglected as an issue, merely taken for granted. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/12 "2006-06-10T14:38:42Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Crap. I can’t remember his name-- Grumby? > > He was Mantis- a black superhero with a white side kick. The first I know of. > > Maybe too early, but IMO too important to ignore. Carl Lumbly played the armored superhero M.A.N.T.I.S. in the show of the same name, and also provided the voice of Martian Manhunter in _Justice League_. Phil LaMarr of _MadTV_ fame was the voice of Green Lantern, by the way. For more black superheroes on film, what about Blade (with three decent-to-good movies and an upcoming TV show) and Steel (with a horrible movie)? Finally, on _Angel_, J. August Richards played the heroic Charles Gunn, who went from vampire-hunting gangsta to two-fisted heroic detective to brilliant supernatural lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/13 "2006-06-10T14:41:33Z")
Oh yeah, and Taye Diggs was pretty cool in the dystopian sci-fi movie _Equilibrium_, even though he is the bad guy. That movie is just awesome in every way. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/14 "2006-06-10T14:42:53Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Carl Lumbly played the armored superhero M.A.N.T.I.S. in the show of the same name, and also provided the voice of Martian Manhunter in _Justice League_. Thank you. I recognized his voice as J’onn J’onnz right away. But since the Martian Manhunter has green skin, I didn’t think it counted. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/15 "2006-06-10T15:00:51Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Thank you. I recognized his voice as J’onn J’onnz right away. But since the Martian Manhunter has green skin, I didn’t think it counted. I don’t know if it counts for the purposes of this thread, but I was just showing Carl Lumbly some love. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/16 "2006-06-10T15:04:45Z")
If you’re looking for black writers, there are now several anthologies available that will introduce you to some unfamiliar names. [Dark Matter : A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, by Sheree R. Thomas](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446525839/sr=8-1/qid=1149951364/ref=sr_1_1/104-6873108-6764731?%5Fencoding=UTF8) This was the first, and still is probably the best or most major anthology of writers. It goes back farther than a decade, obviously, but has much newer material in it as well. That one lead to [Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers, by Brandon Massey](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0758207530/ref=pd_sim_b_1/104-6873108-6764731?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155) and Nalo Hopkinson’s [So Long Been Dreaming : Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155152158X/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-6873108-6764731?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155), although that includes writers of other colors than black. You can also check out [The African American Science Fiction Character in Literature, Television, and Film by Ben Davis Jr.](http://www.sffworld.com/authors/d/davis_ben/articles/africansf1.html) I’d very surprised if you didn’t see black characters in the majority of print science fiction over the last decade, at least at novel-length, and in every last tv show or movie. I don’t see how any producer would dare not to include them. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/17 "2006-06-10T15:11:17Z")
Does Mace Windu count? Or his colleagues, Stass Alli and Adi Gallia? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/18 "2006-06-10T19:29:00Z")
**Carl Lumbly** is a perfect example of black Hollywood talent in the sci-fi and fantasy genre. Of course we’d include his voice work. Not necessarily for my oft-lamented \*M.A.N.T.I.S.(\*1994) since it’s a touch outside that arbitrary timeline, but for his genre contributions since then, in _Justice League_ as J’onn J’onzz and _Static Shock_ as J’onn and the one-time appearance as Anansi. He was also in _Batman Beyond_ as Stalker and the _Superman_ animated series as Alterus. Consider too, that Justice League co-contributer **Dwayne McDuffie** has been heavily involved in animation with the shows _JLU, Static Shock_ and _Teen Titans_ as a writer and producer since 2000. No word yet on what’s next for McDuffie, though. Other talent in animation includes **Phil LaMarr,** whom **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** already cited, as not only Green Lantern/John Stewart, but as the adult Static/Virgil Hawkins in the JLU episode _Once and Future Thing, part 2._ LaMarr was also Black Vulcan on _Harvey Birdman_, Hermes Conrad on _Futurama,_ Rockett Crockett on _Buzz Lightyear,_ and my favorite bit of color-blind casting, the lead in _Samurai Jack._ Just making the cut for its inclusion (it ran from 1994-1996) is the cast of _Gargoyles,_ with \*\*Salli Richardson \*\* giving memorable turns as officer Elisa Maza, along with genre legend **Keith David** as the maginificent Goliath. Appearing in guest spots were **Michael Dorn** as Coldstone, **CCH Pounder** as Coldfire/Desdemona and several others notable black actors. _Gargoyles_ is also fun for fans of S_tar Trek: The Next Generation_, as there’s lots of crossover talent between the two series. **MrDibble.** From\* Firefly\*, we of course had **Gina Torres \*\* as Zoe and Ron Glass \*\* as Shepherd Book and Richard Brooks as the one-time, series finale appearance as the memorable Boba Fett-esque bounty hunter Jubal Early… does that seem right to you? 😃 I’m just now getting hip to the whole Whedonverse of Firefly; I’m going to finish watching the movie _Serenity_ and hope to see more of Chiwetel Ejiofor** as “The Operative.” I watched first fifteen minutes or so last night and that is one bad mofo. Gina Torres is, of course, married to \*\*Laurence “Morpheus” Fishburne. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/19 "2006-06-10T19:33:57Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Crap. I can’t remember his name-- Grumby? > > He was Mantis- a black superhero with a white side kick. The first I know of. > > Maybe too early, but IMO too important to ignore. A bit early, but fondly remembered. It was preceded by the duo partnership of _Cloak and Dagger_ from Marvel Comics, which debuted in the 80s. Hot on the heels of\* M.A.N.T.I.S. \* came the comic book \*Quantum and Woody \* by \*\*Christopher Priest \*\* and **MD Bright** for Acclaim comics. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187/20 "2006-06-10T19:36:36Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > If you’re looking for black writers, there are now several anthologies available that will introduce you to some unfamiliar names. THANK you for including these! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-characters-and-creators-in-sci-fi-fantasy-and-horror-1996-2006/360187.md?page=2)