The Historical Feat of The Old Guard and Batwoman

African American women are finally breaking into the comic-inspired movie and television genres and taking their long-awaited places at the forefront. In 2020 we finally have a comic adapted movie to be directed by a Black woman as well as the first-ever casting of a Black woman as the lead in a series based on a comic.

Netflix set another record with the release of its action-filled The Old Guard. Starring Charlize Theron, the movie is based on the comic of the same name and follows a group of immortal warriors as they initiate the newest member among them, while also trying to conceal their thousand-year hidden identities. The movie has been widely celebrated for its action sequences and was propelled to #1 on the streaming service, but still very few realize the Black girl magic involved behind the scenes and how director Gina Prince Bythewood added her signature touch. She's directed films such as Love and Basketball and Biker Boys, proving her ability to balance multiple characters while conveying strong emotions. As the first African American woman to direct a comic adapted film, this is somewhat more special as the Old Guard isn't necessarily a "black film" bypassing the common prejudicial practice of using a director of color for only "urban" projects (i.e. Black Panther).  

 

On the television front, fans of black superheroes are rejoicing as the CW has officially cast Javicia Leslie as its newest Batwoman. Following the departure of Ruby Rose, Leslie is picking up the mantle making history as the first African American Batwoman and as the lead, the first-ever comic adapted series featuring an African American woman. Leslie has previous experience from the series God Friended Me, which aired on CBS,  the same station to debut Supergirl, and will be playing the role of Ryan Wilder. Ryan is described as “likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and also could kill you with her bare hands.” And for anyone worried about authenticity in relation to the Batwoman mythology, Leslie is a proud bisexual woman, which she expressed stating, “"I am extremely proud to be the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television, and as a bisexual woman, I am honored to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community,” Leslie said in a statement." Her casting makes her the first-ever Black woman to lead a series based on a comic. 

The Old Guard ended with plenty of room for a sequel, and if that's the case hopefully Bythewood will be brought back on board and lighting will strike twice. As far as Batgirl What I find most exciting is the possibility of a crossover with the Arrowverse shows, especially Black Lightning, a show that has already name-dropped Gotham city. Naturally, there is no premiere date for the return of the series but it is definitely worth the wait. Both Bythewood and Leslie and pushing the boundaries previously set for Black women behind in front of the camera adding to the narrative that there's no limit to what anyone can do.

Where' the MCU Black Super-heroine?

On October 7th many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe actors and actresses met at an undislocuded location for a top secret photo shoot. Not so secret, of course, that a few of the stars couldn't uploaded some candid pictures to their personal social media accounts. One picture in particular that

caused a commotion was shared by Samuel L. Jackson, featuring fellow Marvel Black leading men Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Chadwick Boseman, and newcomer to the franchise Laurence Fishburne. Besides simply being a picture of black excellence, the photo also is a refreshing sight of diversity after years of the cinematic universe being speared by white men.

It's no secret that Marvel has worked hard to address its diversity issue, from color bending characters for points in inclusiveness (sorry Idris Elba, and Tessa Thompson) to adding more Avengers into the fold, but for every leap there are still stumbles. Elba, along with the aforementioned five gentlemen, represent diversity well, in their respective roles, and yes the arrival of Marvels first female led movie is long over due, but one has to wonder why marvel has yet to deliver a canonical female African American hero? While looking forward to Thompson's portrayal as Valkryie, being that in the comics the character is a blonde hair, blue eyed Asgaurdian so the hero doesn't exactly fit the criteria. Similarly, Simone Missick's amazing portrayal of Misty Knight from the Netflix series Luke Cage is also disqualified in that the MCU remains separate from its televised siblings.

There is no logical argument as to why after 16 films we have yet to see a woman of color in the Avengers line-up. It's not as if there's a shortage of Black female Avengers. Notably there's Moondragon, and the new Iron man RiRi Williams, but given the direction of the Marvel movies the most logical is a woman they're already naming a film after. Unless you're a comic fan, the name Monica Rambeau is fairly unfamiliar. However this African American super-heroine has been a mainstay in the Avengers since her debut in the 80s, and is in fact the first female to wear the mantle of Captain Marvel.

After being exposed to extra-dimensional energy, she gains the ability to absorb, generate, manipulate and transform into energy; she joins the Avengers in hopes of learning to master her newfound abilities and over time proves herself as a valuable member, eventually becoming a field leader for the team. Despite beginning her superhero run

as Captain Marvel, over the years the hero has repeatedly changed her code name, allowing Carol Danvers to claim the title of Captain Marvel for herself while Monica most recently goes by Photon. With details about the Captain Marvel movie and the cast remaining top secret, one can only wonder, and hope, that the movie will give us our first glimpse of an African American hero who naturally fits into THE MCU. While the likelihood of receiving a film about Monica Rambeau is highly unlikely, there is ample opportunity to introduce her character into the fold without the necessity of a backstory as done with Hawkeye, Black Widow, War Machine, and Falcon. In contrast, we also don't want a rushed addition just for the sake of adding "more" (as done with the inclusion of Vision).

Understandably, the handling of such a monumental character has to be approached with caution however if marvel truly wishes to expand and represent true inclusion then Black America is going to have to see a Black female as a hero sooner than later.

Hasbro vs DC The Fight of the Bumblebee

Hasbro is suing DC over the use of the name Bumblebee, leaving comic fans and the rest of the world puzzled and collectively scratching their heads. The toy company Hasbro has filed a lawsuit to block the sales of toys featuring the DC super hero Bumblebee who is currently a prominently featured character on DC's Superhero Girls animated series. On the surface it seems as if the case revolved solely around money but there may be other factors driving the lawsuit. The Transformers franchise has soared thanks a successful movie line prominently featuring Optimus Prime as the central character. However, as DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures prepare for the release of a spin-off series featuring Bumblebee as the protagonist conflict arises over usage of the moniker.

Aside from the name being most commonly being associated with an animal/insect, the lawsuit is highly peculiar being that the DC universe version debuted in 1976, as DC's first female African American hero.

 In contrast to Hasbro's Bumblebee which first appeared in 1986 being published by none other than Marvel Comics. In the DC universe Bumblebee is a character who has severed as a notable member of the Teen Titans. She has the ability of flight thanks to a solar powered suit, and can shrink to a microscopic size. The character was brought to life onscreen in the animated version of Teen Titans, eventually becoming leader of a second branch of the team. Currently the character can be seen in the animated Super hero girls (which success has branched into various spinoffs).

Maybe the lawsuit is all about money instead of trying to eliminate competition. After all, aside from the Bumblebee spin-off Marvel will also soon release Ant-Man and Wasp the sequel to 2015s Ant-Man featuring the shrinking, flying female version of Ant-Man ( sorry Wasp, but basically). Surely Marvel isn't thinking ahead and wants to their Wasp to be the lone size altering female. It's not like there is a live action Teen Titans being developed with chances of Bumblebee appearing on the small screen (oh wait there is).

While on the surface the lawsuit reflects the greed many companies exhibit when it comes to sales and profits, there is a bigger price at stake, and that is the erasure of one of the few prominent African American comic heroes that exists. While comic inspired movies and live action television shows continue to rise in number little of the characters are African American let alone women of color. Here's hoping that Hasbro drops the lawsuit, before losing on the grounds that either they can't patent the name Bumblebee, their character is younger, or for simply being a silly case. Until we know the verdict, fingers crossed that Bumblebee makes her live action debut sooner than later and that this  unreasonable lawsuit vanishes never to be heard of again.