How Should Marvel Depict Diversity? | Teen Ink

How Should Marvel Depict Diversity?

December 3, 2017
By jcawolfson BRONZE, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
jcawolfson BRONZE, Bridgeville, Pennsylvania
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"No matter how much money you have, what your skin color and gender is, or who everyone around is - you're still a person" - Joseph Charles Abraham Wolfson


Marvel Comics has incorrectly depicted diversity. They are shoving it down the reader's throat. Now, I know that many of you will think I'm racist or sexist; but, I'm not any of those things. In fact, the way Marvel Comics handles diversity is racist and sexist, and I'm going to explain why that is and how they should use diversity.

In Marvel comics, we recently had an African American Captain America, an African American college girl become Ironman, a female Thor, a Muslim Ms. Marvel, a female Wolverine, a Korean-American Hulk, and an African American Spider-man. It's great that Marvel Comics is trying to use diversity. However, notice how I used the term, "trying." Marvel Comics is giving the mantles of white characters to minorities; this is not good.

Marvel Comics is pretty much saying that the only way that minorities will become close to A-list superheroes if they use the white A-list superhero mantles. That's not their goal, but they don't realize that they're doing it. The idea of minorities having to be popular by force is also not true. Black Panther, Luke Cage, War Machine, Falcon, Black Widow, Jessica Jones, Sunfire, Storm, Scarlet Witch, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), X-23, Iceman (he's gay now), and Jean Grey are major examples of minority characters that are super popular.

However, those superheroes will never be as popular as other heroes because they came after Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, and Spiderman. People look at who wins first place more than they look at second place. This is the major problem that Marvel tries to fix by making those specific characters diverse.

The title of this article is "How Should Marvel Depict Diversity?" and I'm going to explain that now. Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, and X-23 are good examples of minority superheroes taking the mantle. This is because there's no politics involved in it - it's for the sake of the story. The best way to depict diversity is to say that it's just there. However, there are more problems that can have solutions.

Another big problem that I have is that Marvel needs to use the minority superheroes that they already have. The best example of a superhero that is already there is Black Panther. In Captain America: Civil War, they make Black Panther able to carry himself without the need of a white person's mantle - in fact, he's getting his own solo movie. The amazing thing about that is the fact that they didn't have to make a white character black or make a male character a woman. The best way for Marvel to make C-list heroes more well-known is to make them look like the bad asses that they are in the comics when they are in the movies.

So, in conclusion, the best way for how Marvel should depict diversity is to only make new characters have the mantle if it's for the sake of the story and that the heroes who had the mantle originally are presented as mentors in some way or use the old minority superheroes in new and creative ways in movies and comics. In addition, Marvel needs the comics and the movies to look the same or similar for them to read and watch what they do with their superheroes. This advice goes the same for the villains by the way.


The author's comments:

The inspiration for me to write this piece is the state of comic books and diversity. I hope people will get from my article that Marvel shouldn't approach diversity by using the mantles of white superheroes.


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