Marvel's Attempts at "Inclusion" are Actually a BAD Thing.

​John Davidson

Black Captain America. Female Thor. Asian Hulk. Female Wolverine. These have been pretty major talking points regarding some of Marvel's most iconic characters. On one side of the discussion there has been a vocal group supporting diversifying the heavily male/white cast of Marvel heavy-hitters. The other side of the discussion has become upset over seeing beloved characters side-lined in their own books.

Well, I'm here to set the record straight because the former are wrong and the latter are right. Unfortunately, the latter are also wrong and the former are also right. What's worse, both sides get heavily characterized and stereotyped by the other side. Side A are categorized as just wanting to push a "PC agenda" and Side B are categorized as "Sexist/Racist/Whatever-ist" because doing that is way easier than actually debating points or forming a coherent argument. As with most things, the truth of this situation lies in the middle because this action by Marvel is both good and bad. I contend, however, that it is ultimately damaging. Yes, yes...I'm a racist, sexist Tyrannosaurus Rex or whatever. Now that I've admitted that can we move on to me putting forth some points about "why" this is not a great thing? Cool? Cool.

Let's get a few things straight. I love Steve Rogers (the former Captain America) and love Sam Wilson (the former Falcon and Steve's replacement) as characters. I am indifferent towards both Thor (the original Thor...uh...duh) and Jane Foster (the current female Thor). I have never been a Bruce Banner (HULK!) fan but am a big fan of Amadeus Cho (the new Asian Hulk). I used to like Wolverine (who didn't?) but find him bland nowadays while believing that X-23 (the new female Wolverine) has a lot of potential. So there's my cards on the table and my horses in the race and my metaphors in the sentence.

Now, you might notice a trend where I actually tend to have equal (or greater) affinity for the replacement character as the original. So, you'd figure I'd be all-aboard with this shuffling around, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. I think it's stupid, short-sighted, insulting and a disservice to these characters, some of whom have quite a bit of history behind them. You see, the problem here is that all of these characters are having their identities subsumed by the identities of the bigger, better known icons. The talking point isn't "Sam Wilson" it's "Black Captain America". Sam Wilson is reduced down to his race and the identify he is taking on. His individual identity as Falcon becomes mostly irrelevant because of the headlines and arguments (fan furor is pretty much always a positive) it can generate.

If new readers do come on board it's to find out what the folderal is about or, in some cases, to reinforce to themselves how progressive they are in supporting a character of "insert defining gender or racial quality here". Were these people interested in Sam Wilson before? Hell no. They weren't scouring back-issues to find out about him. They weren't collecting trades featuring him. They weren't doing ANYTHING regarding the character until he was slapped into Captain America's costume and started wielding the shield. And so, in that persons mind the story remains fundamentally a Captain America story. Now, of course, when written well, some people will still become fans of Sam and, wish upon a star, might even start picking up back issues & trades featuring him or future books with him once he's back to being Falcon (an inevitability) but that is the vast VAST minority (ironic that...) of the people conned into thinking this is all a big deal somehow.

The identity issue also feeds into the fact that this is all pretty damn counter-productive as well. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier crushing it at the box-office and becoming a hit with critics and fans alike, Sam Wilson's star has considerable potential. He's prominently featured in movies now and he's played by the really cool, really likable, really talented Anthony Mackie. That is a lot of credit in the bank right there! So what do new fans of Sam Wilson's character get to see when they go to new comics looking for Falcon? They get to see Sam dressed in someone elses costume, going by someone elses name because, apparently, Falcon isn't bankable enough for Marvel unless he's wearing Captain America underoos.

And that's really the issues here. Instead of pushing these characters, what we're getting is a lack of faith by Marvel as they prop these characters up on the strength of the pre-existing heroes they're supposed to be replacing ("Permanently, we totally mean it!" - Marvel, stated shortly before resurrecting Jean Grey for the 412th time). To read about Sam Wilson his fans have to read about him in the shadow of another man, wearing his clothes and using his weapon. Oh sure they slapped wings onto the costume but that doesn't change the fact that he's called "Captain America" in a book titled "Captain America". Instead of being developed as her own character, Jane Foster has to take on the mantle, abilities and look of the man she was originally linked with. X-23 has to be regressed out of her own identity as a Wolverine-clone-finding-her-own-identity into literally taking on Wolverine's identity! And then 6 months later (give or take) everything goes back to the way it was, Marvel enjoys their temporary sales bump, most of the replacement characters are put back into limbo or they're shuffled off to a tertiary team book to slowly fade away from the spotlight and everyone moves on.

It's that temporary sales bump that drives all of it and feeding it just makes it worse. You see, if Marvel really believed in the viability of Sam Wilson as a character (and they should) they'd have a Falcon book with top talent on it and the name "The Falcon" splashed across the cover. But they don't because they don't. Worse yet, people buy into the notion that this is somehow progressive and new! Are you kidding me? Isaiah Bradley was a black Captain America over 10 years ago! Hell, James Rhodes was a black Iron Man a month before I was born in 1983!! This is not new stuff. It is just Marvel playing carnival barker trying to drive up their own sales with something they know is a stunt playing into the current cultural zeitgeist. Add to that a bunch of sites ostensibly "for comic book fans" that rely on Marvel for early promotional content access and info (no conflict of interest there!) shouting to the heavens that this is somehow radical & new and it adds up to why this is so bad. A solid (or even great), fleshed out character like Sam Wilson or Amadeus Cho or X-23 is boiled down to their race or gender so they can play dress-up and give Marvel a sales boost because "OMG progress!" thrown across some headlines. Nope. I reject that as being somehow a good thing.

Using race or gender as a publicity stunt is bad. Sam Wilson will not be Captain America in 5 years. Jane Foster will not be Thor in 10 years. Amadeus Cho might not even be in stories in 20 years. And I'll bet dollars to donuts not a single damn one of them will be the focus of an on-going with their name (or alter-ego) on the cover. It's all a stunt and a lot of people are falling for it because their hearts, which are in the right place, are having their strings plucked.

Now, of course, I'll probably be criticized for just trying to shut-down what is, at the very least, superficially a positive action (even though I've tried to show why it's actually a calculated, insincere action in this article) so I'll address a root problem-solution for this. I mean if new major stars are hard to make in comics, what choice does Marvel have other than to do things like this? Well, right there is your answer; something is wrong with how Marvel is doing things in general if they can't make new characters popular.

And here's a solution; copy the successful Japanese comic book market that copies the originally successful American comic book market. Release cheaper comics (perhaps black & white to save costs) featuring multiple stories in the style of Marvel Two-in-One or Marvel Comics Presents or Tales of Suspense or (or or or...noticing a pattern?) where an established, popular character would share book-space alongside newer characters. Fans of the established character would have the opportunity to gain exposure to the new characters and, if they're good characters in good stories, grow to like them. With proper response, those characters can then develop into powerful, recognizable brands if they are duly supported by Marvel. It worked for Iron Man and many many other Marvel characters and is the format Japan's Shonen Jump has used to create huge franchises like Bleach, Naruto and One Piece. Instead, Marvel releases a character into the wild in a book and expects them to do superstar numbers without superstar presence or history. That isn't fair to the characters or fans of the character and it can't work. It won't work. It hasn't been working.

As fans we deserve better and, as a character, Sam Wilson deserves better too.

Like what I'm saying? Think it makes sense? Want to harass me into a frothing rage or share recipes? Like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @johndavidson83

Until next time, he's the Falcon, dammit.


On Fri, Sep 25, 2015 at 8:59 PM, John Davidson <[email protected]> wrote:
Hey Kevin! It's been a while since I submitted since I was doing a long-term project alongside Willette but I put this together and thought it was good for the site! Let me know what you think!

Marvel's attempts at "inclusion" are actually a BAD thing.

Black Captain America. Female Thor. Asian Hulk. Female Wolverine. These have been pretty major talking points regarding some of Marvel's most iconic characters. On one side of the discussion there has been a vocal group supporting diversifying the heavily male/white cast of Marvel heavy-hitters. The other side of the discussion has become upset over seeing beloved characters side-lined in their own books.

Well, I'm here to set the record straight because the former are wrong and the latter are right. Unfortunately, the latter are also wrong and the former are also right. What's worse, both sides get heavily characterized and stereotyped by the other side. Side A are categorized as just wanting to push a "PC agenda" and Side B are categorized as "Sexist/Racist/Whatever-ist" because doing that is way easier than actually debating points or forming a coherent argument. As with most things, the truth of this situation lies in the middle because this action by Marvel is both good and bad. I contend, however, that it is ultimately damaging. Yes, yes...I'm a racist, sexist Tyrannosaurus Rex or whatever. Now that I've admitted that can we move on to me putting forth some points about "why" this is not a great thing? Cool? Cool.

Let's get a few things straight. I love Steve Rogers (the former Captain America) and love Sam Wilson (the former Falcon and Steve's replacement) as characters. I am indifferent towards Thor (the original Thor...uh...duh) James Foster (the current female Thor) and Thor in general.I have never been a Bruce Banner (HULK!) fan and am a big fan of Amadeus Cho (the new Asian Hulk). I used to like Wolverine (who didn't?) but find him bland nowadays while believing that X-23 (the new female Wolverine) has a lot of potential. So there's my cards on the table and my horses in the race and my metaphors in the sentence.

Now, you might notice a trend where I actually tend to have equal (or greater!) affinity for the replacement character than towards the original. So, you'd figure I'd be all-aboard with this shuffling around, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. I think it's stupid, short-sighted, insulting and a disservice to these characters, some of whom have quite a bit of history behind them. You see, the problem here is that all of these characters are having their identities subsumed by the identities of the bigger, better known icons. The talking point isn't "Sam Wilson" it's "Black Captain America". Sam Wilson is reduced down to his race and the identify he is taking on. His individual identity as Falcon becomes mostly irrelevant because of the headlines and arguments (fan furor is pretty much always a positive) it can generate.

If new readers do come on board it's to find out what the folderal is about or, in some cases, to reinforce to themselves how progressive they are in supporting a character of "insert defining gender or racial quality here". Were these people interested in Sam Wilson before? Hell no. They weren't scouring back-issues to find out about him. They weren't collecting trades featuring him. They weren't doing ANYTHING regarding the character until he was slapped into Captain America's costume and started wielding the shield. And so, in that persons mind the story remains fundamentally a Captain America story. Now, of course, when written well, some people will still become fans of Sam and, wish upon a star, might even start picking up back issues & trades featuring him or future books with him once he's back to being Falcon (an inevitability) but that is the vast VAST minority (ironic that...) of the people conned into thinking this is all a big deal somehow.

The identity issue also feeds into the fact that this is all pretty damn counter-productive as well. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier crushing it at the box-office and becoming a hit with critics and fans alike, Sam Wilson's star has considerable potential. He's prominently featured in movies now and he's played by the really cool, really likable, really talented Anthony Mackie. That is a lot of credit in the bank right there! So what do new fans of Sam Wilson's character get to see when they go to new comics looking for Falcon? They get to see Sam dressed in someone elses costume, going by someone elses name because, apparently, Falcon isn't bankable enough for Marvel unless he's wearing Captain America underoos.

And that's really the issues here. Instead of pushing these characters, what we're getting is a lack of faith by Marvel as they prop these characters up on the strength of the pre-existing heroes they're supposed to be replacing ("Permanently, we totally mean it!" - Marvel, stated before resurrecting Jean Grey for the 412th time). To read about Sam Wilson, his fans have to read about him in the shadow of another man, wearing his clothes and using his weapons. Oh sure they slapped wings onto the costume but that doesn't change the fact that he's called "Captain America" in a book titled "Captain America". Instead of being developed as her own character, Jane Foster has to take on the mantle, abilities and look of the man she was originally linked with. X-23 has to be regressed out of her own identity as a Wolverine-clone-finding-her-own-identity into literally taking on Wolverine's identity! And then 6 months later (give or take) everything goes back to the way it was. Marvel gets a temporary sales bump, most of the replacement characters are put back into limbo or they're shuffled off to a tertiary team book to slowly fade away from the spotlight.

It's that temporary sales bump that drives all of it and feeding it just makes it worse. You see, if Marvel really believed in the viability of Sam Wilson as a character (and they should) they'd have a Falcon book with top talent on it and the name "The Falcon" splashed across the cover. But they don't because they don't. Worse yet, people buy into the notion that this is somehow progressive and new! Are you kidding me? Isaiah Bradley was a black Captain America over 10 years ago! Hell, James Rhodes was a black Iron Man a month before I was born in 1983!! This is not new stuff. It is just Marvel playing carnival barker trying to drive up their own sales with something they know is a stunt playing into the current cultural zeitgeist. Add to that a bunch of sites ostensibly "for comic book fans" that rely on Marvel for early promotional content access and info shouting to the heavens that this is somehow radical and such and it adds up to why this is so bad. A solid (or even great), fleshed out character like Sam Wilson or Amadeus Cho or X-23 is boiled down to their race or gender so they can play dress-up and give Marvel a sales boost because "OMG progress!" thrown across some headlines. Nope. I reject that as being somehow a good thing.

Using race or gender as a publicity stunt is bad. Sam Wilson will not be Captain America in 5 years. Jane Foster will not be Thor in 10 years. Amadeus Cho might not even be in stories in 20 years. And I'll bet dollars to donuts not a single damn one of them will be the focus of an on-going with their name (or alter-ego) on the cover. It's all a stunt and a lot of people are falling for it because their hearts, which are in the right place, are having their strings plucked.

Now, of course, I'll probably be criticized for just trying to shut-down what is, at the very least, superficially a positive action (even though I've tried to show why it's actually a calculated, insincere action in this article) so I'll address a root problem-solution for this. After all, if new major stars are hard to make in comics, what choice does Marvel have other than to do things like this? Well, right there is your answer; something is wrong with how Marvel is doing things in general if they can't make new popular characters.

And here's a solution; copy the successful Japanese comic book market that copies the originally successful American comic book market. Release cheaper comics (perhaps black & white to save costs) featuring multiple stories in the style of Marvel Two-in-One or Marvel Comics Presents or Tales of Suspense or (or or or...noticing a pattern?) where an established, popular character would share book-space alongside newer characters. Fans of the established character would have the opportunity to gain exposure to the new characters and, if they're good characters in good stories, grow to like them. With proper response, those characters can then develop into powerful, recognizable brands if they are duly supported by Marvel. It worked for Iron Man and many many other Marvel characters and is the format Japan's Shonen Jump has used to create huge franchises like Bleach, Naruto and One Piece. Instead, Marvel releases a character into the wild in a book and expects them to do superstar numbers without superstar presence or history. That isn't fair to the characters or fans of the character and it can't work. It won't work. It hasn't been working.

As fans we deserve better and, as a character, Sam Wilson deserves better too.

Like what I'm saying? Think it makes sense? Want to harass me into a frothing rage or share recipes? Like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @johndavidson83

Until next time, he's the Falcon, dammit...