It was recently revealed that comic book legend Superman was bisexual. This change to the icon and similar changes in recent years have given new life to the ongoing argument regarding diversity in comic books. That being whether diversity is hurting comic book stories and characters.
While many are supportive of the decision to diversify comics, there are lots of people who feel these changes are causing comics to decline in quality. People against the diversity often cite how the seemingly new trend replaces classic characters like Peter Parker and Tony Stark with new LGBTQ+ counterparts. However, replacing characters with updated versions is not a new trend in comics. Neither is diversity.
A perfect example of re-inventing a comic book character would be when Spiderman was replaced with a clone of himself named Ben Reilly, who went by the title The Scarlet Spider and wore an edgier costume. Despite the fact that Spiderman’s race, gender, and sexuality didn’t change, the new character wasn’t didn’t stick, being replaced by the original Peter Parker. The new wave of comic book diversity is an extension of this trend of reinventing these characters that helps to represent groups that aren't well represented in any form of media.
Diversity isn't a new invention either. The X-Men have traditionally been champions of diversity, and characters like the Black Panther and Miles Morales have been extremely popular, recently even obtaining their own movies. The illusion that these are new concepts likely comes from how strongly they are being implemented in recent times.
The controversy of this situation has had celebrities giving their opinion on the topic. Before his tragic passing, Stan Lee was a large supporter of diversity in his comics. In “A Message From Stan Lee,'' he makes clear that “...the one thing that will never change is the way we tell our stories of heroism. Those stories have room for everyone regardless of their race, gender, religion or color of their skin,” and that “the only things we don't have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.” Not everyone is so supportive of this diversity though.
Dean Cain who originally played the Man of Steel in Lois & Clark and the Supergirl TV series, expressed that he doesn't think the change to Superman's sexuality is nearly as important as people may think, implying that because society has generally become more progressive in recent years, the positive representation the change created is irrelevant.
Even if you don’t like the new characters, the old ones coexist with the new ones. A teacher at Harding pointed out that these reimagined characters aren't necessarily replacing the older ones but are adding to their legacy. Bruce Wayne will always be Batman, and Clark Kent will always be Superman, but these new versions can help these characters reach a wider audience than before.
As Stan Lee pointed out “We're all part of one big family, the human family, and we all come together in the body of Marvel, and you your part of that family you’re part of the Marvel universe that moves ever upward and onward to greater glory.”
below is a picture of the new female Iron man "Iron Heart"
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