As superhero comics continued to build momentum in the 1980s, companies introduced more African-American heroes that better represented a readership that was more diverse than ever.
You’re listening to Remarkable Receptions—a podcast about popular and critical responses to African American novels and more.
James Rhodes was a war hero who debuted in the pages of Iron Man in 1979. Rhodes took employment with Tony Stark as a pilot, but his most crucial role came when he took over the Iron Man armor while Stark battled alcoholism.
Rhodes represented the character in Marvel’s first major crossover, the multimedia franchise Secret Wars in 1984, and was a founding member of the West Coast Avengers. Eventually, Stark regained his armor and alter-ego, but Rhodes used his military combat skills to become the weaponized armored hero: War Machine. With numerous solo titles and appearances in Marvel film and animation, War Machine has become an iconic Black superhero.
DC Comics was also introducing more diverse characters during this era. In 1980, they developed new Teen Titans. The character of Cyborg brought diversity to this team that had historically been Caucasian sidekicks. Victor Stone was a bright student-athlete until he was ripped apart by an interdimensional incident in his parent’s laboratory. Victor’s father saved his son’s life by rebuilding his body with technology, turning him into Cyborg. Over the years, Cyborg has become the technological authority in the DC Universe. In other mediums, Cyborg is a beloved character in cartoons like Teen Titans Go!, and was brought into Justice League comics and films, giving the team much needed African American representation.
While the name Captain Marvel has been used by Marvel for decades, not everyone realizes that an African-American woman held the title through the 80s. Monica Rambeau debuted as a new version that could transform her body into light and energy in 1982. Rambeau eventually became the first Black woman to join the Avengers and made history by becoming team leader. She eventually abandoned the Captain moniker and fought crime under the name Spectrum, better representing her power set. Monica Rambeau’s contributions to the Captain Marvel mythos were recognized in 2019, when she appeared in the Captain Marvel film and will receive more screen time in the 2023 sequel, the Marvels.
The African-American comic heroes of the 80s achieved groundbreaking feats and set the stage for even more remarkable receptions in the 21st century.
*********************************
This episode was written by Stephyn Phillips. The episode was edited by Elizabeth Cali and Howard Rambsy.
*********************************
This podcast, Remarkable Receptions, is part of the Black Literature Network, a joint project from African American literary studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas. The project was made possible by the generous support of the Mellon Foundation. For more information, visit blacklitnetwork.org.