Why are DC's minority character's lagging behind Marvel's?

[Agent Z]

DC has given us Aquaman, the first superhero film to star a Polynesian actor as the eponymous lead. Suicide Squad was far more racially diverse than any movie in the MCU which didn't even have a speaking role for a black woman until their 13th movie.

[Aahz]

that won't stop them from making all of the most obscure white guy superhero movies.

Which movies staring obscure white male superhero got movies by DC or have movies in the making?

The only ones I can find a Jonah Hex, Constantine and Swamp Thing (and that was back in the 80s). And those are only Super Hero movies in the widest sense.

[PennyDreadful]

There’s also the fact that Black Panther, unlike Steel, Blade, & Spawn, was with a predominately black cast.

Right now, DC has a TV series, Black Lightning, with a predominantly black cast.

And meanwhile, there is only one comic where Black Lightning appears (The Outsiders), which is notable for being delayed.
No merchandise. No BL characters appearing in other books. Thunder and Lightning are MIA in the comics. Don't tell me Jen and Anissa couldn't carry a YA graphic novel, for instance.

[Will Evans]

I did like that DC cartoon short that featured both of them.

But yeah, DC is wasting money, by not highlighting the Black Lightning family cross-media.

[El_Gato]

I think they’re lagging because DC doesn’t know how to build up a new character or keep their momentum going. This goes for all new characters introduced, not just the non White ones. A new character will appear, make a splash, get a book that gets cancelled between issues 12-24, then they disappear into limbo. What should be done is a character should appear on a team book and have a solo at the same time, so if the solo fails, then the character still has the team book to fall back on, therefore they don’t lose momentum and actually gain some fans along the way. Then you can try a solo again after more fans were gained...

[Will Evans]

Yeah.

I surprised because of the success of the first film, there’s no Wonder Woman cartoon.

But I guess DC superhero girls covers that.

[Aahz]

I think they’re lagging because DC doesn’t know how to build up a new character or keep their momentum going. This goes for all new characters introduced, not just the non White ones. A new character will appear, make a splash, get a book that gets cancelled between issues 12-24, then they disappear into limbo. What should be done is a character should appear on a team book and have a solo at the same time, so if the solo fails, then the character still has the team book to fall back on, therefore they don’t lose momentum and actually gain some fans along the way. Then you can try a solo again after more fans were gained...

I think there are two problems with that:
1. They often create a whole batch of new characters at the same time, and they just don't have that many team books.
2. They have been really bad when it come to consistency between different books, you probably would have to have a one writer do both books to avoid that.

[MoneySpider]

Yeah.

I surprised because of the success of the first film, there’s no Wonder Woman cartoon.

But I guess DC superhero girls covers that.

Funny how Harley Quinn can get her own animated series, but Wonder Woman can't.

[Vordan]

Funny how Harley Quinn can get her own animated series, but Wonder Woman can't.

Harley is a Batman character.

[Sutekh]

Funny how Harley Quinn can get her own animated series, but Wonder Woman can't.

Harley's got cartoon DNA, having come from there.

But yeah, I agree that it's perplexing that a cartoon about Wonder Woman/Themiscryra/the Amazons didn't show up ~6 months after Wonder Woman ate up the box office.

For that matter, a Black Panther cartoon set in Wakanda showing up within a year of that movie's debut would have made sense, as well, to keep that hype alive.

[El_Gato]

I think there are two problems with that:
1. They often create a whole batch of new characters at the same time, and they just don't have that many team books.
2. They have been really bad when it come to consistency between different books, you probably would have to have a one writer do both books to avoid that.

They originally did that for Blue Beetle and it worked. He had Teen Titans and a solo at the same time, then joined the JLI when he didn’t have a book, before he got another one during New52. Though they dropped the ball on his second series. His outside media helped him a lot too and he’s a character who has actually stuck.

I see they’re don’t that with Sideways currently. He doesn’t have a solo anymore but he’s a part of Young Justice.

[skyvolt2000]

Yeah.

I surprised because of the success of the first film, there’s no Wonder Woman cartoon.

But I guess DC superhero girls covers that.

They have tried many times. She almost had a cartoon show with her, Ice, Fire and Cheetah. They even had toys (from the She-ra 80s body molds).

Then you got the animated movies.

I think there are two problems with that:
1. They often create a whole batch of new characters at the same time, and they just don't have that many team books.
2. They have been really bad when it come to consistency between different books, you probably would have to have a one writer do both books to avoid that.

I would add most of those new folks don't appear in other books. Especially if they are a POC on a team book.

Take Synch. He had ONE solo story and it was a guest spot in Spider-man.

Take baby Doomsday-I have yet to see him appear in a book NOT by his creator Scott Lodbell. He's been in his own book-Doomed and then Teen Titans (looking like the love child of Turok, Spock and Splinter) and now Red Hood (where he looked black). I can't tell what race he is and I own his solo series. I think he's mixed with something.

Don't tell me Jen and Anissa couldn't carry a YA graphic novel, for instance.

Nic Stone who is doing Shuri's YA book (not the one announced for 2021). Would have a FIELD day with those two.

If not her Ngozi Ukazu could. She's the writer of Check Please!-A kickstarter book that has done very well.

Vita could do something although I don't know if they do novels.

Hope Larson could too. I am basing that on her Goldie Vance run not Batgirl run-since I didn't read it.

[Gaius]

Funny how Harley Quinn can get her own animated series, but Wonder Woman can't.

To be fair, it's remarkably hard to shove Batman characters into a Wonder Woman show

[skyvolt2000]

Harley's got cartoon DNA, having come from there.

But yeah, I agree that it's perplexing that a cartoon about Wonder Woman/Themiscryra/the Amazons didn't show up ~6 months after Wonder Woman ate up the box office.

For that matter, a Black Panther cartoon set in Wakanda showing up within a year of that movie's debut would have made sense, as well, to keep that hype alive.

Actually Black Panther had a cartoon show. It did not air here in the US because the network BET didn't feel comforatble showing it. Which is odd seeing the guy behind it was Reginald Hudlin. Who had just finished his BP run.

It's on DVD if you can FIND it.



Well I've decided to try a project and if I can get it done and scanned-I'll post it here.

It's on something I mentioned earlier. I discovered it's hard than I thought to do verbatim-so I had to improvise.

[Ra-El]

I think there are two problems with that:
1. They often create a whole batch of new characters at the same time, and they just don't have that many team books.
2. They have been really bad when it come to consistency between different books, you probably would have to have a one writer do both books to avoid that.

They could rotate the character on the League, like JLU did. When they wanted to prop a character they would just have to do more stories with him on the JL.