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Based on: [URL="https://community.cbr.com/showthread.php?121077-DC-Africana-Appreciation"]https://community.cbr.com/showthread.php?121077-DC-Africana-Appreciation[/URL]
Static and Stewart came close thanks to the cartoon series but it’s been a long time. The most popular black character is still probably Kaldur given he’s stepped up and taken the Aquaman title in Young Justice. But it will take years of good stories to establish any of those characters anywhere near Trinity status. Vixen is one I’ve always felt could do it. She’s not a legacy, has a unique power set, and the JL could use more women. It’s always cringey when Diana is the sole woman on the team imo.
I don't really see any particularly likely anytime soon.
I don't think any of them are even on the same level as Flash or Aquaman in regards to status. Even some supporting characters like Catwoman, Robin and Lois Lane are probably more famous than most of them.
I think for a Black Character to reach Trinity Status it would need to be an original hero and not a legacy or sidekick. I think Cyborg is the best bet. If you kept him elevated in the Justice League for long enough and eventually game him a movie that was really good, he could perhaps end up on the same level as Flash or Aquaman.
Vixen, all day every day.
I voted for Cyborg because he's probably the most popular black character DC has right now, but the real answer is that it's a toss-up between him, Vixen, Black Lightning, and Bumblebee because of outside media.
I'd go with John Stewart as GL because he's got the GL franchise behind him, which is one of DC's biggest brands. A whole generation grew up watching John as GL in the JLU cartoon, which is why he's the GL featured in Snyder's JL run, and there's a 90% chance that the next GL movie will feature him. If the CW-verse actually goes ahead with having David Ramsey play John Stewart, then there's even more exposure for the character.
Subjectively, Cyborg and/or John Stewart, Objectively Black Lightning. A character who is not a legacy mantle that would always have him compete with others, and whose design is not unappealing. His origin is not based on tragedy, he's a dedicated family man who also wants to use his powers to do some good in the world. It's relatable, so he gets my vote.
Black Lightning or Vixen.
As it stands nowadays
Black Lightning
John Stewart
Vixen
in that order
Black Lightning is currently the best candidate to reach Trinity status of all of DC's black heroes. His brand has been on the rise since his show launched, which has been a near-perfect blueprint on how to make the Black Lightning brand work as a standalone IP by establishing his own city and fleshing out his supporting characters for a modern audience. The show sets him up pretty nicely and it's about to finally crossover with the rest of the CWverse in Crisis on Infinite Earths, so he'll be getting even more eyeballs on him and we'll get to see how they treat him in relation to a wider pantheon of heroes. Plus, He's leading the Outsiders in Batman & the Outsiders and he's chairman of the Justice League on Young Justice: Outsider. If DC could take all the elements that they've incorporated into BL in wider media and consolidate it in-canon, with a solid creative team that's passionate about him, Black Lightning could be DC's first real standalone IP on par with the Trinity as soon as yesterday.
John Stewart probably has the most recognizability of any of DC's black characters, full stop, but DC's mindboggling ability to do little with him traps him in a state where there just isn't enough to build a brand around him the same way the trinity have. For him to take off as someone on the level of one of the Trinity, DC would need to first take a Hickman-esque approach to recontextualizing the Green Lantern mythos in a way that best utilizes all of the ensemble of Earth lanterns heroes and lets them shine equally; not one at a time and not as "Hal and the other ones". Then they'd have to get to work building John's catalog of stories in that new framework to boost him up to Trinity status, it's possible but I don't know if DC has the talent and/or even the thought to do it.
Vixen is the only black female character close to as fleshed out and distinct as Black Lightning but she has a shockingly weak catalog. I always thought Vixen had stacks on stacks of solo material and material fleshing her out until I actually dug into her. Vixen has a ton of potential but the only thing holding her back is DC's inability to promote and push for characters of color AND their weak track record with high-level female characters; which puts her in a double bind. While she hasn't had the brand uptick like Black Lightning, like BL if DC just took the existing elements that are there and had a creative team that actually knows what they're doing and want for the character, Vixen could be Trinity level already.
Cyborg could reach Trinity status in the sense that, like, Green Arrow could; it's possible but it's pretty unlikely. DC doesn't know what to do with my boy Vic and while I think he has a good shot at growing into a more notable hero in the landscape, I don't think he's any closer to Trinity status than any other black character
I don't think tragedy in origin is an obstacle, given Batman, especially (Clark is usually too young to remember his Krypton, so it doesn't ring the tragedy bells to me.) I gotta go with either Black Lightning or Vixen.
I like Cyborg best, but he started as a team player, and I really think for Trinity status you need solo roots. Wolverine has been huge as a money maker at time, but doesn't have the wide-scale recognition of him or his enemies or powers or whatnot among the general population.
Static had some potential, but haven't seen it exploited, and Milestone's collapse is a real barrier there.
John is a legacy, and I think when people say "recontextualizing the Green Lantern mythos in a way that best utilizes all of the ensemble of Earth lanterns heroes and lets them shine equally" they often mean "rewrite Hal's origin so he isn't as special/significant as he was when he got the ring, originally" which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They do cycle and only do one at time - but whenever I see a proposal/story that others love for other Lanterns, it usually involves machinations about how [i]their[/i] Lantern should have gotten the ring instead of Hal and Hal really wasn't the most deserving, but the best one didn't get it for some reason. No one can seem to come up with a way of promoting the others without demoting Hal, and I think that's the nature with any "first" (as Hal was in-story before the merge of COIE) when others are peers instead of younger. Plus, fanbase in-fighting in the GL fandom, and a lack of Stewart having a good rogue's gallery of his own - though those could be developed.
Really, though, I don't know if any character can reach Trinity heights, anymore. The way I think of them, I mean. I mean it in the sense of non-fans and general recognizability. Any casual person on the street in the US - you say "X-Ray vision" they are going to think of Superman. Batmobile - they know what it is. Mention Lex Luthor or the Joker in a sitcom and the audience will get the joke. Kryptonite in a country song. Obama makes a joke about his real father as Jor-El and being from Kypton and a lot of people will get it. Wonder Woman less so, but still a lot. Age and longevity is one part of that. We don't have the same shared entertainment sources anymore. The same three channels. I think that markets are much more segmented now. And also, I don't know that Trinity status will necessarily remain. Might. Might not, as not only demographics change, but as fanbases get smaller in general. When you have people who didn't grow up with Superman being big, but neither did their parents. OTOH, maybe they'll end up like Zorro, with everyone knowing the hero-name and costume, but not necessarily much else. Probably most likely for WW, since she has the least stable history and supporting cast.
Right this second, I'd say, Black Lightning, thanks to the TV show.
But I *want* it to be Vixen.
Only 4 really stand out. It really depends on if DC js willing to push the character like Marvel did Captain (Carol) Marvel.
Black Lightning
John Stewart
Vixen
Cyborg
As much as I dislike the current Captain Marvel, I gotta admit, Marvel has giving her numerous chance to shine.
I voted for Black Lightning, but really I don't think anyone is truly capable of reaching Trinity status. No one. The Trinity isn't just a few popular characters, they're the godparents of this entire genre, the source of everything that's followed, who have been around longer than anyone, been in constant publication for almost a century, and who became globally recognized, household names long before any of us were born.
No one equals the Trinity, in terms of raw iconic presence, and it doesn't matter if the character is white, black, gay, straight, debuted in the 40's or last year. The Trinity represent 3 of the 5 truly iconic superheroes on earth (those three, Robin, and Spider-Man).
Now, if you want to know who has the potential to sell as well as the Trinity, or who can potentially move as much merchandise, the answer is almost anybody, if things go right for them. For a while GL was outselling everyone and had more books than Batman. Right now Harley Quinn sells more merchandise (and gets more movies). But those are (so far) flash in the pan successes, and no one's come close to the kind of longevity the Trinity have already displayed.
But of the characters listed, Lightning arguably has the most potential. Him, Vixen, and Cyborg. All are original characters with their own mythos, all have powersets that aren't duplicating what the Trinity does, all have decades of history under their belts. But Cyborg's origin puts him at a disadvantage since he's a handicapped black guy being compared to a bunch of perfect white people. And Vixen has been around for a while but lacks consistent panel time, so she's got a lot less development than others who're around the same age (publication-wise). And both have usually only been used as team players and haven't had their solo elements built up as much. So Black Lightning wins; he's a good looking black man, he's not missing body parts, he's got semi-consistent history, established villains and supporting casts, and has been built as a solo IP. Vic has tons and tons more larger media appearances of course, so he's probably #2, but you're always going to run into problems with him because of his Titans history (no one wants to let him grow up it seems), and DC hasn't exactly been successful pushing him, which has left a lot of people angry at DC's incompetence.
Characters like John Stewart, Steel, and Michael Holt are all among my personal favorites, and any of them could become a major name too, but all of them are legacies tied to other characters. Even Holt, who basically owns the Mr. Terrific name 100% is still a legacy who wouldn't exist without another character. I feel like they all get ruled out on this alone.
But come back after Naomi season 2, and let's see how that girl is doing. She's just wonderful, the best new thing DC has done in forever, and given a little time just might have the juice to become a major player. I certainly hope so anyway.
Black Lightning or Cyborg
Cyborg realistically. It just needs management to give a ****