While The Avengers was awesome, it has taken criticism for the lack of female and minority superheroes in the movie. The sequel will be a good chance to elevate more minority superheroes to the public eye. Here are the seven best candidates:
7. Captain Marvel / Pulsar – Once taking on the mantle of Captain Marvel, then finally the name of Pulsar, Monica Rambeau could do double duty by adding women to the roster as well as ethnicity. Pulsar can turn her body into pure energy, allowing her to fly, take on properties of different radiation, as well as shoot energy beams. She’s also African-American. Little-known outside the comic world, she was a prominent member of the Avengers for a very long time. She even led the Avengers for a while.
6. Reptil – He’s also not a very well-known character, but Reptil got a boost in popularity by appearing on the Superhero Squad Show (sort of an “Avengers Lite” for kids). Reptil’s mutant power is that he can shapeshift parts of his body, and eventually his whole body, into any dinosaur. He’s also Latino, which is rare in comics, especially since his powers have nothing to do with his race. With today’s advances in CGI, it would be awesome to see a Pterodactyl or Apatosaurus alongside the Hulk.
5. Mantis – Another minority woman who should be added to the roster, Mantis is a powerful martial artist who once took down Thor. Mantis is also a telepath who can see the future, and can control plants. Mantis is also Asian, making her unique even among comic heroes. Her mysticism would parallel Thor’s, but take the Avengers in a new direction.
4. Luke Cage – Without a doubt, Luke Cage is one of the most popular black superheroes in the Marvel Universe. He started out as a bit of a stereotype of the strong, black man named Power Man, but he’s evolved into a great minority hero. With his enhanced strength and bullet-proof skin, Cage would be a great asset to battle. And he’s cool. Luke Cage has been in the Avengers before multiple times, and Isaiah Mustafa (“the man your man could smell like”) wants to play Cage enough that he shot a teaser trailer for it. I think we should let him…in Avengers 2.
3. War Machine – Jim Rhodes, the African-American Iron Man. The thing about War Machine is that he was already established in Iron Man 2. So where was War Machine in The Avengers? You’re telling me the world’s about to end, and Stark’s not going to say, “Rhodey, get over here!” I understand not wanting to complicate things by introducing a second Iron Man, but he needs to come back in the sequel. Even if War Machine only had a cameo, it would go a long way.
2. Spiderman – No, not Peter Parker. Miles Morales. In the Ultimate Spiderman universe, Peter Parker was killed and replaced by a mixed-race black/Latino teenager. This might be tricky from a licensing perspective, since Spiderman is tied up in his own movie series. However, Marvel could make the argument that Morales isn’t the same Spiderman, and therefore has no impact on Sony’s movie license. They could even give him a different costume. Besides, we all want Spiderman in the Avengers. Make it happen.
1. Black Panther – Black Panther has been a staple of the Avengers for decades, and is one of the most (if not the most) popular African-American superheroes in the Marvel Universe. He’s also been in the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes animated series, as well as his own series on BET. An African prince who takes on the mantle of a panther-like superhero, his enhanced senses, strength, speed, agility, martial arts skills, and weaponry would be a bigger asset to the team than Black Widow. I honestly can’t think of any reason not to put him in the sequel, other than Whedon is just not trying.
What do you think of the list? Which one would you want in Avengers? Any other minorities you would put in Avengers 2?
[Image Source: Wikipedia]
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="38959 ">5 Comments
Okay, some of these are silly and some are obvious. But there are certainly some better picks than Pulsar and Mantis…
We have Luke Cage, Black Panther, War Machine… but what about The Falcon (I know, hes going to be in Cap2, but you have War Machine mentioned…). If you want, you can do The Wasp, and have her asian like in the ultimates. Do Cloak. Do Goliath. Radioactive Man (after Thunderbolts). Reptil, I will give you, but if you're going to do Avengers Academy characters, you might as well do Hazmat.
I personally never cared for Black Falcon, er, Falcon. The Wasp is a good one.
I agree, the Wasp is a great one
Yeah, Pat, I do hope they don't begin and end with Fury. And the white Black Panther would be…interesting. White Panther?
He's my top choice, Alex