# Why Aren't There More Black Superheroes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2009, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682 "2009-07-20T22:08:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/81 "2009-07-22T23:06:31Z")
Couple of missed black superheroes: Nighthawk and The Whizzer of the recent Squadron Supreme reboot. How about black supervillains? Talk about an underrepresented group… ---
**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:** [July 22, 2009, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/82 "2009-07-22T23:09:30Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > How about black supervillains? Talk about an underrepresented group… Idunno, Black Manta is pretty well known. lemme see Black Crow Moses Magnum Ebon ETA IIRC Manta killed Aquaman’s son. Those are pretty serious supervillain credentials. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/83 "2009-07-23T00:10:23Z")
Harley a shiska? With THAT accent? Nuh-uh. Frenzy, from the Marauders is black. As is Chemistro… lot of Power Man villains, most of which you don’t really want to remember, like Black Mariah or Mr. Fish. Nightshade was pretty cool, though, and she came back. There’s Man Ape from Black Panther, but… eeeh. Ignoring ‘villians from comics about black people’… hm. Black Mass… ooh, and Thunderball. Thunderball is pretty awesome. Member of the Wrecking Crew, nuclear physicist. Got to be a few more X-villains I’m not thinking about. Nobody major comes to mind, though. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/84 "2009-07-23T00:11:24Z")
There’s some nice Tengu action in the first series of Batman and the Outsiders, Doc. Part of Katana’s story arc. but I dare you to find a Tanuki in comics today! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/85 "2009-07-23T00:49:55Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > How about black supervillains? Talk about an underrepresented group… Does Amanda Waller count? ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/86 "2009-07-23T03:01:25Z")
Tombstone from Spider-Man comics is black. Uh, sort of. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/87 "2009-07-23T03:09:26Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Tombstone from Spider-Man comics is black. Uh, sort of. So is Killer Croc ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/88 "2009-07-23T03:31:28Z")
> [@The New and Improved Superman](#): > > Here’s a shortlist of black superheroes, just off the top of my head: > \ > Black Vulcan (of “Challenge of the Super Friends”) > \ That’s [SuperVolt!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZxDhKo39cs) ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/89 "2009-07-23T03:33:37Z")
Oh, Sweet Christmas. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/90 "2009-07-25T17:36:48Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Damn you, **foolsguinea**! I was going to list The Brown Hornet. 😉 Due to my super powers, I have escaped your wrath…unharmed. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/91 "2009-07-25T19:35:50Z")
At least in the recent movie version, Kingpin was black. Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman, too (no comment on any other black ladies who may or may not have played Catwoman). ---
**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:** [July 25, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/92 "2009-07-25T20:31:31Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Well, it is not like there are hundreds of Gay superheroes, not exactly dozens of Hispanic superheroes, nor are there many superheroes that are NOT Caucasian boys/men. [Living Lightning](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_Lightning)! I can cross off two boxes! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/93 "2009-07-25T20:56:23Z")
> [@Nation](#): > > there are plenty: Tupak Shakur, Biggie, Snoop Dogg… Why aren’t there more white rappers? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/94 "2009-07-25T23:19:02Z")
3rd Bass? Beasties? There’s some who have respect. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/95 "2009-07-25T23:55:59Z")
Sure, there’s also Eminem. But surely we can agree that most rappers are not white. And most superheroes are not black. The NBA is mostly black and the NHL and PGA are mostly white. And of course there are plenty of exceptions to the rule. But why do we need everything to be racially mixed to perfection? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/96 "2009-07-26T01:09:23Z")
3rd Bass is a joke. I know they get a little bit of respect in retrospect but it’s some kind of inexplicable retcon. Have you ever _heard_ them? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/97 "2009-07-26T03:02:55Z")
> [@SmashTheState](#): > > The fanboys who read comic books are the same white, angry, overprivileged, undersocialized, suburban neckbeards who populate Internet message boards, and they don’t want to see black people in their comic books. So, which comic books do you read, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/98 "2009-07-28T20:55:23Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > …and there was Wonder Woman, who seemed to get tied up and/or spanked a lot. What kind of Wonder Woman comics were you reading, exactly? :eek: ---
**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:** [July 28, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682/99 "2009-07-28T21:09:12Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What kind of Wonder Woman comics were you reading, exactly? :eek: The Golden Age ones, apparently. The Marstons had…fairly unique views of the nature of men and women, which were worked into the comics. [Here’s some random panels, featuring bondage and spanking (not always of Wondie herself).](http://againwiththecomics.blogspot.com/2008/01/ask-golden-age-wonder-woman.html) It did carry over into the Silver Age, but not with the same joyful overuse as the Golden Age. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-there-more-black-superheroes/503682.md?page=4)