Batwoman Earns its Wings

When the CW announced Javicia Leslie as the newest Batwoman the network knew it was entertaining an uncharted territory with a list of firsts. Leslie’s casting makes her the first-ever African American woman to lead a comic-based series, play Batwoman, and for extra merit, as a proud member of the LGBT community, she is the first lesbian woman of color to lead a series also. 

The season 2 premiere doesn't waste any time jumping into the action and fixing the series Kate Kane problem. It’s not long before Leslie’s character Ryan is introduced and we see that season 2 is going to be a very different show. Season 1 of Batwoman dragged primarily due to Rose’s character being outshined by virtually all of her costars and the fact that she was never relatable as a hero, so the new season wastes no time making the audience connect with the character of Ryan. Writers thankfully have avoided using any type of stereotypical tropes that usually befall Black characters in urban settings, especially in a crime-filled city like Gotham. Instead, writers have opted for presenting Ryan as a once optimistic resident of Gotham whose life is drastically changed after suffering a great tragedy. And yet the tragedy doesn’t turn her into an angry one-dimensional character. She has the much-needed personality that was missing in season one to match the energy of costars Campus Johnson and Nicole Kang, as well as the commanding presence needed to wear the Batsuit and terrify criminals throughout the city. Not to mention the relationship she has with her plant is the cherry on top.

Already I'm loving the direction season two is taking. In regards to the dynamic between the hero and villain, I'm already more invested in the relationship between Ryan and Alice as compared to the first season with Kate. Acknowledging the writers were trying to parallel the Batman and Joker dynamic, the reason people tuned into season one was to see what made Batwoman unique, not for the female version of Batman. 

With Luke Cage canceled on Netflix, and Black Lightning airing its final season, Leslie's Batwoman couldn't have come at a better time to fill the growing void of Black superheroes on television. Here’s hoping the series is here to stay. 

Hawkman Goes Black Finally

DC Comics Black Adam film is adding a new member from the Justice League and bringing another powerful Black superhero to the big screen. While the film stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular hero, legacy character Hawkman is finally heading to the big screen and will be played by actor Aldris Hodge. 

Hodge is no stranger to comic-inspired series, most recently appearing in season 2 of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. Touchingly it was Johnson who personally delivered the news to Hughs the casting decision. An account he shared in an Instagram post.

A member of the Justice League, Hawkman is an Egyptian man who, aside from flight, has the power of reincarnation. While not as well known as the big 7 of DC comics, the character is actually a key figure in the comics and has appeared in animated series such as Justice League and Young Justice,  and made a live-action yet ill-fated appearance in the CW Arrowverse. 

As with all recent comic casting involving persons of color, there is of course some backlash. Despite the character's initial background being written as biracial, the character was predominantly drawn to be a white man. Similarly, all of the previous live-action depictions leaned into whitewashing the character. Even when the character's history was taken into account and made a focal point of the storyline the casting still bypassed an actual person of color so if it’s the authenticity that anyone wants to complain about it should begin there. Between the casting of Hodge and Johnson, all signs are pointing to a storyline that’s conscious of the importance of the history of its characters. DC has proven that they can make good movies and surely Black Adam won’t disappoint. 

Building the Lightningverse

Black Lightning, the CW's latest superhero feature and first featuring an African American as the lead, has impressed fans and critics alike since its premiere and will officially return for a second season October 9th on the CW. While it was previously stated that Black Lightning isn't set in the primary Arrowverse, thanks to its filming in Atlanta instead of Vancouver like the other shows, however with the name dropping of heroes like Supergirl and Vixen, fans were teased early on and at least given an idea of at least what Earth the series takes place on. Now thanks to the upcoming crossover event we can expect the Black Lightning cast to finally be integrated into the full Arrowverse, along with the introduction of Batwoman.

While the Arrowverse has done a great job of blending its many heroes in episodes and crossover events they don't primarily deal with the issues Black Lightning has touched thus far. That being said, maybe it's time for a new universe of heroes with Black Lightning as its anchor and here are just a few heroes who will fit perfectly into the series.

1. Static (Virgil Hawkins) 
Probably the most expected, and anticipated, addition fans want to see and who can effectively expand the universe is Static. When news of a new CW potential first emerged many hoped it would be Static as the titular hero, however, there's no reason the two can't share the screen together. Hosting the same powers of Black Lightning, it would be interesting to see the two team up, with Static as a potential protege. 

2. Bumblebee (Karen Beecher) 
After successfully navigating Thunder's origin and highlighting her growth as a hero, season two has the potential to add more female heroes to an over much-lagging roster. Bumblebee would be a perfect addition to the series, as she would not only easily fits in the same age group as Lightning's daughters but also would be a brilliant creative addition thanks to her shrinking capabilities and scientific intelligence. While a perfect fit for the series, between the upcoming live-action Teen Titans and the Hasbro lawsuit, chances of seeing the heroine on screen, remains minimal.
3. Aqualad (Kaldur'ahm) 
Even if Aquaman is off limits for television hopefully referencing Atlantis, even if only in name, is a great way for the series to set up an Aqualad appearance. Like Bumblebee and Static he fits the age group for rising heroes appropriate for the show, but like Bumblebee Aqualad too may be under restriction for use in Teen Titans.

4. Batwing (Luke Fox)
A member of the Bat-family who has yet to receive any mainstream attention, it's because of this that Batwing can be a great addition to extend the Black Lightning universe. Even if Batman remains off limits, given the time frame of the universe using Luke also fits the age group for the series exploring young heroes.

5. Batman (Bruce Wayne) 
Two longtime comic collaborators, while none of the Arrowverse series have yet to be able to feature the dark knight, the surprising Supergirl name drop in Black Lightning opened it to the realm of possibilities. Due to Arrow writers blurring the lines between the show and Batman, featuring the hero on another earth is the easiest and safest route for sake of continuity. Batman would easily fit into the more grounded reality of Black Lightning as compared to shows like Flash and Supergirl. 

6. Black Vulcan
While the history involving both Black Lightning and Vulcan is slightly convoluted, as the latter essentially would not exist without the former. Thanks to a dispute between Black Lightning's creator and DC, the character was not authorized to be used for the DC comic inspired animated series The All New Superfriends. Because of this, and the need for a Black character led to the "creation" of Vulcan exclusively for the series. While I see this being played on a more comedic note, and is a biggest long shot of them all, seeing the two onscreen together would be priceless. 

Although Black Lightning has only begun to test the waters of delving into its own mythos adding in a few more dynamic characters won't hurt, and with the big crossover event coming this fall, there's no telling what the writes may have in store for viewers. Hopefully, as the series continues fans will get to see the Black Lightning universe expand to begin introducing new heroes to share the screen with. Whether it's for short-term story arcs or laying the groundwork for future series or appearances, introducing heroes like Black Canary, Firestorm, Vixen, and even the Flash have only helped to increase viewership and benefit the Arrowverse as a whole, and the same can be done for Black Lightning.

Year of the Black Superhero

2018 is shaping up to be another monumental year for readers of comics and fans of its televised and cinematic counterparts. This is especially true in the instance of Black characters. After 10 years ( 17 marvel films, 5 DC films) African American comic characters and superheroes are finally being brought to the forefront and leading their own films and series. Thanks to the critical success of the Netflix series Luke Cage, the Marvel execs may have finally realized that they can draw in Black viewers without the act of race bending characters in an effort to reflect "diversity" (i.e. raise ticket sales) and as a result 2018 will be the biggest year for African American superheroes to date.

Marvel is pushing fufther into its 'diversity' frontier preparing for the company's first feature starring an African American male as the lead with 2018's Black Panther. Completely stealing the show in Captain America: Civil war, Chadwick Bossman' s Black Panther is one of the most recognized and beloved Avergers surpassing Stark's technology, Banner's intellect, Thor's honor, and Roger's leadership. Premiering in February, the movie will follow his return to Wakanda, as he deals with the aftermath of the death of his father and his own ascension to the throne.

While it's no surprise that Luke Cage will return to Netflix with a second season next year, it isn't the only streaming service getting in on comic adaptations with Hulu also throwing its hat into the ring this November. The adaptation of the Marvel comic The Runaways will feature African American team leader Alex Wilder, a genius who learns that his parents are actually super villains.

And on the small screen things are growing even bigger for the CW as the network prepares for the premier of its new series Black lightning, based on the DC character, which will feature television's first primetime black superhero family. (http://unorthodoxwisdom.blogspot.com/2017/10/blacklightning-and-first-black.html?m=1)

Although there continues to be a lack of Black female super characters on television and film, this list will also grow with the inclusion of Black Lightning's daughters Thunder and Lightning, while The Legends of Tomorrow continues to brilliantly highlight the DC character Vixen, and Luke Cage will transition Misty Knight towards her heroic calling.

With each of these shows 2018 will be the year with the most black superheroes in movies and television, and if this is any indication of what's to come in the future then we are in for a spectacular ride. (Honorable mention to Arrow's John Diggle and Mr. Terrific, Guardian from Supergirl and the Flash's Wally West).

Black Lightning and the First Black Superhero Family

DC comics latest live-action series, Black-lightning, is set to debut next year and will finally deliver audiences an African American super hero family.

The hero debuted in his own issue in 1977, running 12 issues, before being canceled. Despite this, his popularity persisted leading to a number of team mashups, affiliations, and reincarnation series in the years to follow. Now the hero is headlining his own television series. Real name Jefferson Pierce, Black Lightning's power of spontaneously producing electricity from his body allows him to manipulate it to grant him flight and create force fields. 

Of course, what makes Jefferson so special isn't his powers but his family. Eventually, Jefferson decides to give up crime fighting to raise his two super-powered daughters Anissa and Jennifer who would grow up to become the heroes Thunder and  Lightning. Lightning takes after her father in having the ability to control lightning, but she also has the power to transform into lightning itself. Thunders' power allows her to alter her density at will, and she can send shockwaves through the ground by stomping. It should be noted that in the comics the girls don't become active heroes until after graduating college, so expect the television series to deal with their ages differently.

While it doesn't seem like a milestone even in this age of comic-inspired movies and television seeing a family of superheroes is a rarity. The former includes the Incredibles and Sky High, both featuring Caucasian families, and products of Disney. The only other preexisting African American superfamily is from the Disney channel original movie Up, Up, and Away (2000). A previous attempt at a tv series following a family with powers aired on ABC for 1 season in 2010, but that family too was not of color.

While hopes were, and still are, high for a series crossover between Black Lightning and the major Arrow-verse series chances remain slim as unlike the others Black Lightning is being filmed in Atlanta, therefore now it remains separate from the established shared universe. However, Supergirl also went through its premier season without being a part of a the Arrowverse, so there's still hoping if the pilot and season do well.

Black Lightning premiers 2018 on the CW.

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.