# Which super hero is most likely to be racist when he's off the clock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014 "2012-02-16T05:38:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/61 "2012-02-18T21:00:41Z")
> [@](#): > > For that matter, Sherlock Holmes is surprisingly racist with his evaluation of passionate, tropical races and suchlike. My impression is actually that he was surprisingly _non_-racist. OK, _The Sign of the Four_ had a rather despicable African villain, but beyond that, he’s much more tolerant. He’s humbled by his error in “The Yellow Face”, and there’s another story where he goes head-to-head against the KKK. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/62 "2012-02-18T21:40:28Z")
Chronos: In _The Sign of Four_, Toby comes from the Andaman Islands, not Africa. Johnathan Small is the main villian and Toby acts at his behest. I also don’t recall Holmes making any disparaging remarks about Toby, although it has been a while since I’ve read the book. Also, Holmes and the police inspector (Athelney Jones?) clearly don’t like Small, who does say something to the effect “you don’t know what it’s like to be in a prison where all the black men are intent on taking it out of you.” In “The Adventure of Three Students,” it’s Watson who’s suspicious of an Indian student who doesn’t want to spend much time with the detectives and was pacing the floor back and forth because, in Watson’s eyes, he might be guilty. Holmes points out that it’s quite reasonable that a student studying for an important exam doesn’t want to waste time with strangers and many students often pace when memorizing material. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/63 "2012-02-18T21:44:04Z")
I know it was a different era, but old school Wonder Woman comics are some of the most racist stuff I’ve ever seen. If the entire world is that racist, she is going to be racist - off the clock or not. ["E-EEK! A gallopin’ ghost! "](http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/sullypython/government/ww_racist-1-1.jpg) is a good example. Then there’s [this one](http://www.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/14.Etta-Candy-3.jpg), which I think is my favorite. It manages to be racist, sexist, and offensive to fat people all at the same time! You just can’t find high quality prejudice like that any more. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/64 "2012-02-18T23:38:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > My impression is actually that he was surprisingly _non_-racist. OK, _The Sign of the Four_ had a rather despicable African villain, but beyond that, he’s much more tolerant. He’s humbled by his error in “The Yellow Face”, and there’s another story where he goes head-to-head against the KKK. Not african – he was an Andaman Islander. The Andamans are off of India. Interestingly, some tribes there are still free of contact. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/65 "2012-02-19T02:09:47Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Captain America, Wolverine, any other supe with limited or total immortality. > > Unless they have made concerted efforts to question everything they have ever learned and even their basic personality it is pretty much a given that they have outdated and to modern sensibilities offensive opinions… 1. There’s a fallacy of one-directional progress here. 2. Those who’ve been around a long time have probably had their horizons broadened with age, whereas it is the young and relatively inexperienced who fall back on stereotypes. 3. Some of the older comic-_book_ superheroes were pretty much developed by Jewish guys when Jews were a despised & in some places quite persecuted minority, and are consciously anti-racist. > [@planetcory](#): > > I stand by blindingly vanilla midwesterner Barry Allen (until someone who reads more than I do proves otherwise). Barry is believable, but that’s sorta like the people who think that Clark Kent as a white rural guy would be prejudiced. > [@Gagundathar](#): > > Yeah, my first guess here was Hank Pym. > He was so cool back in the 1960s and then gradually became a total bad guy. > He beat up his wife! > Gaaah. Worst. Superhero. Ever. Technically, it was Ultimate Hank who was the massive wife-beater. Mainline Hank struck Jan once that we know of, he was going through some massive stuff at the time, he was embarrassed by it, and he and Jan eventually (after years) reconciled. But yeah, Hank and Barry both suffer from that “1960’s whitebread blond second-stringer” stereotype, so are great candidates for this sort of thing, unfortunately. > [@Lochdale](#): > > Luke Cage seems mighty anti-white at times. His wife and his business partner would seem to argue against that. > [@Tengu](#): > > Guy (white)'s best friends include Kyle Rayner (Latino, Jewish\*)… > > - Not particularly religious, but he has been shown attending Jewish religious services. Kyle’s Jewish now? I heard he was retconned from Gaelic-Irish to Mexican, sorta, but when has he been Jewish? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/66 "2012-02-19T02:27:20Z")
I couldn’t tell you when it was first established, but whenever I’ve seen him do the religion thing, it’s been Jewish services. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/67 "2012-02-19T03:54:51Z")
Hawkeye. When Henry Gyrich fired him and replaced him with the Falcon–this was around 1978, and was referencing the [Bakke “reverse discrimination” case](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regents_of_the_University_of_California_v._Bakke)–Hawkeye took his frustrations out on Falcon, not Gyrich. ---
**Author:** ![Honu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/838e76/32.png) [@Honu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honu)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/68 "2012-02-19T04:00:38Z")
Inspector Gadget. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/69 "2012-02-19T04:07:43Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Howabout, Captain Metropolis? Agreed, he seems to consider ‘[black unrest](http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/someonehasto3.jpg)’ as an issue requiring superhero intervention. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/70 "2012-02-19T04:34:56Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > 1. There’s a fallacy of one-directional progress here. Not really because even those who were not racist in the past would express it in a way that modern people would find offensive most likely. That doesn’t mean they were racists in context, just that they aren’t familiar with modern sensibilities. Hell this happens right now in the modern world, [http://www.japanprobe.com/2011/08/08/brazilian-soccer-team-uses-slanty-eyes-photo-to-advertise-japan-match/](http://www.japanprobe.com/2011/08/08/brazilian-soccer-team-uses-slanty-eyes-photo-to-advertise-japan-match/) each culture has its own sensitivities and blind spots. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/71 "2012-02-19T04:52:18Z")
Rom, Spaceknight. At least if you’re a Dire Wraith. I’m guessing Hercules isn’t a big fan of [del]Persians[/del] Iranians. Then, of course, there’s the High Evolutionary, maybe even got to Adam Warlock… ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/72 "2012-02-19T04:53:27Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > …Technically, it was Ultimate Hank who was the massive wife-beater. Mainline Hank struck Jan once that we know of, he was going through some massive stuff at the time, he was embarrassed by it, and he and Jan eventually (after years) reconciled. > > But yeah, Hank and Barry both suffer from that “1960’s whitebread blond second-stringer” stereotype, so are great candidates for this sort of thing, unfortunately.His wife and his business partner would seem to argue against that.Kyle’s Jewish now? I heard he was retconned from Gaelic-Irish to Mexican, sorta, but when has he been Jewish? Thank you for the correction. I still think Hank Pym is … not a great superhero. And I was always in love with the Wasp. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/73 "2012-02-19T06:32:38Z")
Some of the recent Black Panther I’ve read has seemed kind of anti-white. It may just have been those few issues. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/74 "2012-02-19T06:47:27Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Of the universally-known ones, I’m thinking Superman - he’s the only one AFAIK who was raised outside a big city (or the surprisingly racially-diverse [Themyscira](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Themyscira.jpg)) - whereas Supes was raised in the rural Midwest, not exactly a hotbed of racial diversity. Plus all the Kryptonians I ever recall seeing are White. Is this your argument? https://www.youtube.com/embed/4mElrONH0uM?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque I’ve never really seen Superman say or do anything particularly racist, though. Superman likes everybody. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/75 "2012-02-19T06:55:01Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Is this your argument? I found it pretty…bigoted an argument myself. Although from my limited exposure I thought Krypton was a civilization of superior “racist”(specicist?) imperial oppressive assholes. I mean Jor El chose Earth so his son would have some inferior subjects to lord over as a god king, while still having potential concubines close enough to Krypton as to not be gross on a visual level. From Smallville mostly: Jor El seems like an asshole, Kara expressed some…insensitive comments about her new home’s residents and from Clark’s discussions with the Phantom Zone prisoners when he was inside it seemed like Krypton was an authoritarian hellhole. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/76 "2012-02-19T07:04:00Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Then there’s [this one](http://www.popcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/14.Etta-Candy-3.jpg), which I think is my favorite. It manages to be racist, sexist, and offensive to fat people all at the same time! You just can’t find high quality prejudice like that any more. Wow… that is a heapin’ helpin’. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/77 "2012-02-19T07:55:40Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > [White Hatin’ Coon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv7beQ9wHiM) [Jew hatin’ Coon.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coon) ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/78 "2012-02-19T10:37:18Z")
> [@Beastly\_Rotter](#): > > Judge Dredd. He’d kick your mutie ass over the Wall and back into the Cursed Earth before you could say snut. Dredd is actually probably the most pro-mutie Judge in Mega-City One, responsible for laws letting them in. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2012, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/79 "2012-02-19T10:49:02Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Is this your argument? > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mElrONH0uM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mElrONH0uM) Not exactly, but that was hilarious. “Green Martians are like the White people of Mars!” > [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I’ve never really seen Superman say or do anything particularly racist, though. Superman likes everybody. Except Japs… ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014/80 "2012-02-19T11:06:14Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Technically, it was Ultimate Hank who was the massive wife-beater. Mainline Hank struck Jan once that we know of, he was going through some massive stuff at the time, he was embarrassed by it, and he and Jan eventually (after years) reconciled. > > But yeah, Hank and Barry both suffer from that “1960’s whitebread blond second-stringer” stereotype, so are great candidates for this sort of thing, unfortunately. Except that, if we judge by Hank’s portrayal in the comics (and what else do we have?) racism is about the only character defect he _doesn’t_ have. The only time I can recall the matter being addressed is in _Avengers_ #32–33 (1966), where, when his lab assistant and friend Bill Foster (who later went on to become Goliath himself) was attacked and beaten by the racist organisation, the Sons of the Serpent, Pym was the Avenger who seemed to be most violently opposed to their “insidious poison”. > [@Gagundathar](#): > > Thank you for the correction. > I still think Hank Pym is … not a great superhero. Well, no he isn’t, and he knows that himself. And that’s what makes him a great comic book character. His feeling of inadequacy in comparison to other Avengers, and his need to prove himself, are what have driven him for nearly fifty years. I’ve said before that I think Pym isn’t really a superhero at all: he’s a stereotypical mad scientist, who just happens to have decided to fight crime rather than, you know, blowing up the world, or something. I think there’s a good chance the other Avengers know he’s a bit crap as a hero, but they encourage him in it for fear of what he might do if he went the other way. > [@](#): > > And I was always in love with the Wasp. What’s not to love? Except maybe that bit where her boyfriend suffered a psychotic break and developed a dissociative identity disorder, and instead of getting him professional help, she used it as an opportunity to trap him into marriage, almost certainly contributing to his later psychological problems which resulted in disgrace, divorce and imprisonment. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-super-hero-is-most-likely-to-be-racist-when-hes-off-the-clock/613014.md?page=5)