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| Black Lightning, Source: IGN |
When it comes to black superheroes, electricity goes a long way. Quite a few of them have electrical powers. Possibly it’s because of one of the major black heroes, Black Lightning. It’s also a good generic power, like super-strength and flight. Here’s a rundown of eleven superheroes of color who send sparks flying.
1. Black Lightning
Black Lightning is one of the first major African American superheroes to appear in DC Comics. He also set the trend of black electrical heroes. He had the power to generate electricity and shoot lightning bolts. His powers originally came from a belt, but this was later retconned to make him a metahuman.
2. Black Vulcan
Black Vulcan first appeared on the Super Friends TV show instead of the comics. He was created to replace Black Lightning, because of a rights dispute with BL’s creator, Tony Isabella. Vulcan’s powers differed from Lightning in that he could wrap people up with his lightning bolts instead of electrocute them. He also could turn himself into pure energy.
3. Static
Static was created for the DC imprint, Milestone, and later became part of the DC comics universe. After being doused with a radioactive chemical by police, Static gained the power to create electric shocks and move metal objects. With his witty comments and science background, he was the black Spiderman. At least, he was until the actual black Spiderman.
4. Soul Power
When Static got an animated series called Static Shock, it also introduced this new electrically charged hero. Soul Power was a funky seventies hero whose powers worked much like Static’s. But Soul Power is unique because of his groovy victory dance.
5. Juice
In Justice League Unlimited, the League encountered a group of genetically engineered superheroes called the Ultimen. The Ultimen had analogues of all the original characters created for the Super Friends, including Black Vulcan. So if you’re keeping score, Black Lightning led to Black Vulcan, who led to Juice. Everybody got that?
6. Lightning
When Black Lightning has two daughters, the kids inherit superpowers. After graduation from school, the daughters become Thunder and Lightning. Lightning has similar powers as her father, using electricity. The circle continues…
7. Storm
Storm is a mutant member of the X-Men with the power to control the weather. One of her favorite uses of her power is to summon bolts of lightning. Electricity, always the electricity.
8. Ultimate Spider-Man
When Miles Morales took on the mantle of Ultimate Spiderman after the death of Peter Parker, he also gained new abilities. One ability is what he calls his “venom strike,” an electric shock that can stun or incapacitate his enemies. It goes well with his spider-sense, both powers real spiders don’t have.
9. Volt
Boom Comics’ series Irredeemable had a superhero who could throw electricity. In one comic, Volt complained about being the stereotypical “black man with electric powers.” In some ways, that made him a parody of Black Lightning and Static, but also his own.
10. Shango The Thunderer
Marvel has Thor, the god of thunder. DC has Shango. The ancient African people worshiped a group of beings as gods, and their god of thunder was Shango. Firestorm has tangled with him a number of times, and Shango always breaks out the lightning.
11. Thunder Fall
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of super-powered beings called the Kingdom led a revolution before disappearing. One of them was known as Thunder Fall. He could fire electrical blasts from his hands. That, and even teaming up with Batwing, wasn’t enough to save him.
Which is your favorite? What other superheroes use electricity?
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="36094 ">8 Comments
They are super charged!
Nice representation of DC characters as well.
Comic book creators are so unoriginal.
That's more than I thought!
I never realized that there were so many black electric heros!
Except that like 4 of the characters are the same character. Black Vulcan was a substitute Black Lightning created specifically because the writers of the Super Friends were not allowed to use Black Lightning, as was Soul Power in the Static series.
Were as Juice along with the entire Ultimen were substitutes for the Super Friends characters who were not the classic JLA characters. So you've got a substitute character of a substitute character, based on an original character.
Especially given that 4 of those characters are the same character.
Black Vulcan was a substitute Black Lightning when they were told they couldn't use Black Lightning in the Super Friends cartoon & Juice (along with the rest of the Ultimen) are substitutes for the Super-Friends characters: Same with Soul Power
So Soul Power, Juice & Black Vulcan are all just different versions of Black Lightning.
there are many more black super-heroes with electrical abilities I think… and villains.
its practicalyl becomea cliche.
What a really awesome post this is. Truly, one of the best posts I've ever witnessed to see in my whole life. Wow, just keep it up.