- 4 days ago
Celebrate superheroes who have broken barriers and inspired people of color worldwide. From tech geniuses to legendary warriors, these characters have left an indelible mark in comics, TV, and film. Whether wielding power rings, controlling weather, or embracing iconic mantles, these heroes represent strength, diversity, and courage in the superhero universe.
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00:00Who are you? Who are you?
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:06And today, we're looking at superheroes who have made people of color around the world feel seen.
00:11We'll be taking into account characters who have left a big impression on comics, TV shows, and films.
00:1810. Riri Williams, Ironheart
00:29Don't tell me that you built this in two months.
00:32I spent years on this. On and off.
00:35Nice. Have you flown it yet?
00:37That thing can fly.
00:39There's an entire YouTube channel dedicated to sightings of me.
00:43Tony Stark is considered one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe for creating his Iron Man suits as an adult.
00:49So can you imagine how clever you'd have to be to make one as a 15-year-old?
00:53Well, enter Riri Williams.
00:55I'm here by the vibranium detector that you built for the CIA.
01:00I ain't built no detector for no CIA. I made that for my metallurgy class.
01:04A school project?
01:06Yeah.
01:07A professor said I'd never be able to do it.
01:10To be ungifted and black though, right?
01:12Debuting in the comics in 2016, her tech know-how and her ambitions to be a hero convinced Tony to take her under his wing.
01:20Even when he dies, his AI helps Riri become one of the newest and most popular heroes in Marvel as the de facto armor wearer Ironheart.
01:29Riri made her MCU debut in Black Panther Wakanda Forever, paving the way for her own TV show, Ironheart.
01:35I'm an engineer. What I'm building is...
01:38Important?
01:39Iconic.
01:40Number 9. Jaime Reyes, Blue Beetle.
01:44Ask.
01:45Shhh.
01:46Ask.
01:47Right already, I'll ask.
01:49Ask what?
01:50Oh, any piece of this mission you feel like letting me in on?
01:53Following the death of Ted Kord, aka Blue Beetle, Jaime stepped into the spotlight in DC Comics in 2006.
02:00Soon bonding with the Scarab artifact that granted him incredible powers, he'd go on to be the third iteration to take up the mantle, which had been around since 1939.
02:10That's where you came in.
02:13Guess I wasn't exactly what Delight or Reach had in mind.
02:16Moving away from Kord's rich, white background, Jaime is a Latino teenager with more humble beginnings, making him instantly relatable to readers as he becomes a member of the Teen Titans.
02:27His popularity led to him getting a well-received film in 2023, which, thanks to Jaime, was the first live-action superhero movie with a Latino lead.
02:36I'm out.
02:37I'm out.
02:38You ready, Kaji?
02:39Come on.
02:40You ready?
02:41Come on.
02:42You ready?
02:43You ready?
02:44Number 8.
02:45Eric Brooks, Blade.
02:47Officer Craig, you gonna be a little bloodhound, huh?
02:51Tell us what your master's been up to.
02:53Oh, great.
02:54Now you're robbing me.
02:55You gonna rob me too?
02:56How do you think that we fund this organization, huh?
02:59We're not exactly the March of Dimes.
03:02With the MCU raking in billions at the box office, if we trace the franchise's success, arguably it all began with 1998's Blade.
03:11The opening scene alone was enough to put it in superhero film Legend.
03:14The movie, which was aimed at adults, was so successful that it spawned a trilogy, increasing the popularity of the superhero genre.
03:22Stepping back into the leathers and fangs, Wesley Snipes reprised the role in 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine.
03:28There's only been one Blade.
03:30There's only ever gonna be one Blade.
03:33As a character, Blade has been around a lot longer, first debuting in the comics in 1973.
03:40As half-vampire, half-human Dampere, Blade is best known for being Marvel's principal vampire hunter and Dracula's most hated foe.
03:48Do you think they could ever grasp what it means to be immortal?
03:51You're not immortal.
03:53I must have heard hundreds of you rodents make the same claim.
03:57Each one of them have tasted the end of my sword.
04:01Number 7.
04:02Danielle Moonstar
04:03Wait, you mean you're a mutant?
04:05But I've never seen you around here.
04:07I live over there in Dark Hollow with my grandfather.
04:10While dabbling with the codename Psyche, Mirage, and her own last name, Dani first arrived in Marvel Comics in 1982.
04:19She was thrown in at the deep end by being introduced as the next generation of X-Men in The New Mutants.
04:24Allow me to introduce Danielle Moonstar, who has agreed to enroll here at the Xavier Institute.
04:30Hey, come on, you can share my room.
04:33As well as leading the team, at one point, she even became a Valkyrie.
04:38Dani is Native American, specifically from the Cheyenne people.
04:42She's been credited with helping to destroy stereotypes of Native Americans in the media.
04:47While the 2020 film The New Mutants wasn't well received, Dani wasn't the reason for that.
04:52Her heritage helped with representation, as did her mental health struggles and the love story between her and Rain Sinclair.
04:59I've never done this before.
05:03And with a girl?
05:05With anyone.
05:07Number 6. Sam Wilson, The Falcon and Captain America.
05:25Don't say it! Don't you say it!
05:27On your left!
05:28Come on!
05:29With the simple words, on your left, Sam was catapulted into MCU history in 2014's Captain America The Winter Soldier.
05:37Originally going by Falcon, Sam would eventually take over the mantle of Captain America after Steve Rogers retired following Avengers Endgame,
05:45turning him into one of the franchise's leading characters.
05:48The change also brought in the discussion of race and the current political climate, as detailed in the TV show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
05:55They erased me. My history. But they've been doing that for 500 years.
06:03Pledge allegiance to that, my brother.
06:10Sam has been around in the comics for a long time, first appearing in 1969 as Falcon, becoming one of Marvel's first black superheroes.
06:19In 2014, similarly to the MCU, he broke down barriers by taking over as Captain America in the comics.
06:26Okay. You want me? Come and get me!
06:36Number 5. Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel.
06:40Kamal means Marvel.
06:43I share the same name as Carol freakin' Danvers.
06:47I don't know who that is, but you sure are, and always have been, our own little Miss Marvel.
07:00In 2014, after making background appearances the year before, Kamala was officially introduced, changing the landscape across Marvel.
07:09After all, when she was put in her own comic, this became the first time a Muslim character had headlined a book at the company.
07:16As a die-hard Ms. Marvel fan, the Pakistani-American took on the mantle when Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel.
07:23And I hope that's okay, like, copyright-wise, because honestly, I never thought I'd ever get to meet you, but now that it's happening, we're, like, touching each other.
07:29I've realized I should have asked permission.
07:31So...
07:33Twinsies.
07:36Kamala's stratospheric popularity provided her a live-action MCU TV show in 2022, and a role in the 2023 film The Marvels.
07:45Speaking of that film, there was another non-white character with a rich history in comics, Monica Rambeau.
07:51Debuting in 1982, she was the second iteration of Captain Marvel, leading to her becoming the first black female member of the Avengers.
07:59I, Kamala Khan of Jersey City, am on a team with Captain Marvel and Captain Monica Rambeau, who from this point onwards will now be known as...
08:09Professor Marvel.
08:11Oh, Professor Marvel.
08:13No.
08:14No.
08:15No, no.
08:16She will not.
08:18To Marvels.
08:19Number 4.
08:20Jon Stewart, Green Lantern.
08:21For many kids who grew up in the 2000s, Jon is the main Green Lantern.
08:26After all, he had a starring role in the beloved cartoon Justice League, giving many fans their first taste of the DC Universe.
08:33We chose wisely when we offered you the ring.
08:36Thank you, Jon Stewart.
08:40The architect turned space cop first arrived in the comics in the early 70s.
08:45Jon was one of the company's first black superheroes, as well as the first African American Green Lantern.
08:51On the brightest day, in the blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.
09:00Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light.
09:10With his design history, he used his Green Lantern powers to revolutionize the types of constructs that were created.
09:17Jon isn't going to be stuck on the funny pages, becoming one of the leads in the live action TV show, Lanterns.
09:23This character has always radiated class, he's always radiated charisma, strength, identity, so I'm very happy to be bringing him to life in a live action context.
09:35Number 3.
09:36Aurora Monroe, Storm.
09:38It's about to get very cold in here.
09:41I'm not going anywhere.
09:44When it comes to Marvel's X-Men, mutants have their own power grading, with Omega level being the strongest.
09:50Well, if you know anything about Storm, you won't be surprised she's one.
09:54Ancient sands, heed my command and reclaim these relics of hatred.
10:01When a new roster of X-Men was introduced in 1975, Storm was one of the standout stars.
10:11The Weather Witch, with Kenyan heritage, was raised on the streets of Cairo, Egypt, as a thief, later being treated like a god thanks to her incredible abilities.
10:20Storm soon rose up the ranks of the X-Men, becoming its first black leader and later becoming an Asgardian goddess of thunder.
10:27The character gained further popularity thanks to the X-Men cartoons and the live action films with Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipps' portrayals.
10:35Being able to kind of embody that was really monumental for me.
10:39I was a big fan of the cartoons and the comics growing up and so it's cool to do that and then think like, oh wow, there's a young girl watching this who is inspired by me just being on screen, let alone me having these dope powers.
10:53When Marvel created Ultimate Spider-Man in a new universe, it quickly became the top series in the publishing line.
11:03In 2011, after Peter Parker's apparent death, Miles stepped in as the web-slinger, soon winning over other characters and readers.
11:11Miles became the first black character to be Spider-Man and the second Latino after Miguel O'Hara.
11:35The teenager's relatability resonated with many, leading to him being moved to the main comic universe in 2016, where he shares the responsibility of Spider-Man with Peter.
11:45This is unbelievable. This is the lobby.
11:48Welcome to Spider Society.
11:53Miles' popularity took off further when 2018's Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse dropped, winning an Oscar.
12:04He was also a playable character in Sony's video game franchise, Marvel's Spider-Man.
12:09You like my new color? Immune to your little zappy pops.
12:15Zappy pops? Come on, man.
12:18Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
12:22Adam Brashear, Blue Marvel.
12:25Discarded as a hero due to his race, Adam returned in the modern age as a powerhouse.
12:30Extreme super strength, super speed, flight, nearly invulnerable durability, longevity and massive energy projection round out some of Brashear's abilities as a living antimatter energy reactor.
12:43Jefferson Pierce, Black Lightning.
12:46Jefferson became the first Black DC superhero to headline a comic book title in 1977.
12:51Now you should at least give a brother a moment to say something heroically clever.
12:57Now you just pissed me off.
12:59Maya Lopez, Echo.
13:01As well as having Native American heritage, Echo was Marvel's first deaf superhero.
13:06Nice.
13:08Nice job, kid.
13:13Virgil Hawkins, Static.
13:16Debuting in 1993, Static, as a young Black hero, was representation desperately needed.
13:23The name's Static.
13:26I put a shock to your system.
13:29Good line.
13:30I see you still got some work to do.
13:34Fortunately, I'm what you call one of your all-purpose superheroes.
13:38Shang-Chi.
13:39The first Asian superhero to lead an MCU film, Shang-Chi has been around since 1973.
13:44Are you planning to stop me all by yourself?
13:51I'm not afraid of you.
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14:10Number 1. T'Challa. Black Panther.
14:14How are you feeling today, Mama?
14:16We're out.
14:18Your father and I will talk about this day all the time.
14:232018's film Black Panther changed the trajectory of superhero films for the better,
14:28as it became the first MCU production to win an Oscar for its majority black cast.
14:32T'Challa, the King of Wakanda debuted in the comics in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby,
14:38who wanted more representation.
14:40As a result, T'Challa became the first black superhero in mainstream comics,
14:44as he became a stalwart of the Marvel Universe.
14:47The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations.
14:53A mantle passed from warrior to warrior.
14:57Following T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman's death in 2020,
15:00the MCU mantle of Black Panther was passed onto his sister Shuri for the 2022 sequel.
15:05Previously described as the smartest person in the MCU,
15:08she wore the iconic suit well by living up to its storied legacy.
15:18What other POC superheroes deserve a spot on this list?
15:21Let us know below.
15:23What will you do, child? Slay me with the Fourth of July?
15:26Haven't heard that one before.
15:28Do you agree with our picks?
15:29Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
15:32And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
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