Entertainment
Michael B. Jordan is The Human Torch: Will He Inspire More Black Superheroes?
Many are celebrating the official casting of Michael B. Jordan as The Human Torch in the new Fantastic Four movie today. And for good reason: big budget films tend to shy away from casting black actors in lead superhero roles, even when they're historically black characters (see: the Green Lantern), so having Jordan cast as a character that's typically white is a huge step.
But Jordan's Human Torch is far from the first black superhero. Hell, he's not even the first superhero Jordan has played. There have been quite a few black superheroes in movies in the past, but it's never been quite enough to convince movie executives to give a black superhero their own franchise. Here's hoping that Jordan's new role convinces them to make that Luke Cage movie that everyone's been begging for.
'Chronicle'
This isn’t Michael B. Jordan’s first time with superpowers. In Chronicle, he plays Steve, who mysteriously gets telekinetic abilities along with his two friends. Chronicle is an interesting exploration of the morality of superpowers, but unfortunately, Jordan’s role isn’t quite as big as his two white co-stars.
'Spawn'
Spawn is an oft-forgotten movie about a soldier who dies, goes to hell, returns to Earth as Hellspawn, and is eventually redeemed and becomes a superhero. Michael Jai White plays the titular character, and the film ended up being a modest success at the box office. Unfortunately, it was completely panned by critics.
'Hancock'
A realistic movie about an alcoholic superhero is a fascinating concept. A movie that features a black superhero in the lead role is even more so. But somehow, it didn’t just quite work out in Hancock, with the film received mixed reviews. There’s been talk of a sequel, and Will Smith said he would reprise the titular role, but so far nothing has been confirmed.
'X-Men'
Ah, Storm. For many years, Halle Berry’s role as storm in the X-Men franchise was the only black superhero many audiences saw. Unfortunately, Storm’s role in the movies isn’t usually crucial to the plot, making her a Token Black Superhero of sorts.
'The Avengers'
Nick Fury may not have any actual superpowers, but he definitely saves some lives in The Avengers. He’s also made some appearances in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and there’s been talk of a Nick Fury movie, so hopefully this isn’t the last we’ll see of Samuel L. Jackson’s character.
'Blade'
Sure, the Blade series feel more like vampire movies. But Blade is in fact a superhero, and he started out with his own comic series in the Marvel Universe. So, if a successful franchise with a black superhero has been done before, who’s to say it can’t be done now?
'Thor'
The colorblind casting of Idris Elba as Heimdall in Thor was a genius move. He may have not had a huge part in the film, but he’s rumored to have a much bigger role in the sequel.
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'
The Thor sequel isn’t the only Marvel sequel to have a superhero of color. Captain America: The Winter Soldier will feature Anthony Mackie as Thor’s superhero BFF, the Falcon. We didn’t get to see much of him in the film’s trailer, but hopefully when the movie is released, it’ll be a role worthy of mainstream comic’s first black superhero.
