Bishop's racial identity- Black American or American of Aboriginal AU descent?

[KurtW95]

How do you think Bishop should be handled going forward with regard to his racial identity? Because Whilce Portacio's intention was to make him Filipino like himself, but editorial suggested making him black American because the X-Man had more black American fans. So he was a black American character. And that was pretty clear to everyone. But he was later retconned to be of Aboriginal Australian descent. Which only makes sense if you lump Aboriginal Australians in with Subsaharan Africans because of their skin color. Though they look very different and are closer genetically to dark skinned Asian minorities than Sub-Saharan Africans. And Bishop always looked like he was of Sub-Saharan African descent in the way he was drawn. Which is unlike Gateway and Manifold. Who look very much like they are Aboriginal Australian, which they were always portrayed.

So, what do you think Marvel should do? Keep going and have him look like he always has but say he's of Aboriginal Australian descent? Retconning him back to being black American? Or drawing him to look Aboriginal Australian suddenly? I would choose the second option. And if Marvel wants to create new Aboriginal Australian characters or highlight the two that they have, it would make more sense. And maybe create a new badass Filipino character to honor Portacio. Thoughts?

[Outburstz]

Mixed /thread

[Icefanatic]

I'm reminded of a scene from a Green Arrow comic from decades ago staring Connor Hawke, son of the original Green Arrow Oliver Queen.

Quoting from memory as best I can:
"My dad is white, my mom is half-black and half-Korean. There isn't even a word for what I am."

There are plenty of people who have ancestors from a difference race/ethnicity than what they identify as or even know about. I see Bishop as a Black American of predominately African ancestry but with a great-grandfather who is Aboriginal Australian.

Doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

[Master of Sound]

Where were his parents and their born?

He feels like a good cocktail; a mixture of multiple tastes combined into something tasty.

[KurtW95]

A solo comic series he has the late 00s said they were both from Australia and moved to the US prior to his and his sister's births. His dad in the comic looked Aboriginal. His mother looked like your guess is as good as mine. But some of these retcons really make no sense. I mean, Blink was born in the Bahamas but was clearly white. Most likely had rich parents that lived there like Sean Connery. And that tracks with the fact that she had British ancestors who were part of Clan Akkaba. But Saladin Ahmed ignores that and suddenly implies she was always black because she was from the Bahamas and he doesn't do any research on the characters he writes. Likewise, Bishop was black and there was no reason to make him Aboriginal Australian. If you want to make it partial ancestry, I guess. But I don't see any reason why you have to. I get if you want Aboriginal Australian representation and all that. But he still looks black of Sub-Saharan descent and it was a random change in the first place.

[marhawkman]

and then you have how one story tried to say Storm was one of Bishop's ancestors? Yeah, portrayals of his background don't really make sense. but the original idea seems to be.... black guy with a gun. Literally every attempt at trying to do his back story is a retcon, so..... well, let's look at Shard.

Other than dark colored skin, Shard Bishop doesn't look like Lucas Bishop much. which kinda goes with the "mixed" idea. Also, his hair has usually been drawn like that. curly locks, not dreads. then we have how Shard is a blonde with straight hair.... Yeah, feels like "melting pot USA" and not anywhere as specific as "Australian Aborigine"

[yogaflame]

To be fair, many Aboriginal Australians consider themselves "Black", so this is a false dichotomy. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed X-Treme X-Men overall, making Bishop some sort of descendant of Gateway wasn't Claremont's best work. It was fleshed out further in that Bishop mini series, but I'm pretty sure it was originated with Claremont. It didn't add much to him as a character(most other writers have never even touched it beyond these two books), and only [further] complicated the main "Black" male X-Man in the cast. That said, because the Aboriginal Australians are in fact part of the African Diaspora(just like, waaaayy OG, from 60,000 years ago), and have faced systemic racism by colonists, it doesn't have to be an either or situation. He's Black. It remains true either way.

[nx01a]

The Aboriginal ancestry accounts for all that lustrous hair he rocked in the 90s.
As for Shard... There are some dark-skinned blonde Pacific islanders. Or the hair's just a mutation or future permanent hair colouring.

[Username taken]

To be fair, many Aboriginal Australians consider themselves "Black", so this is a false dichotomy. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed X-Treme X-Men overall, making Bishop some sort of descendant of Gateway wasn't Claremont's best work. It was fleshed out further in that Bishop mini series, but I'm pretty sure it was originated with Claremont. It didn't add much to him as a character(most other writers have never even touched it beyond these two books), and only [further] complicated the main "Black" male X-Man in the cast. That said, because the Aboriginal Australians are in fact part of the African Diaspora(just like, waaaayy OG, from 60,000 years ago), and have faced systemic racism by colonists, it doesn't have to be an either or situation. He's Black. It remains true either way.

This basically.

Bishop is black but he's not of African descent.

[davetvs]

I would just split the difference and make one parent African-American, the other Aboriginal Australian. He would still look the same.

[kazdam]

I believe in the unification as most others have come to the conclusion on. Give him a parent from africa and one indigenous australian one. I'm of nigerian (another country that face britsh rule and destruction) decent but 3rd generation british, I have cousins in Australia, America, Germany, France. Nigerians and black africans are everywhere so its not a stretch.

Bishop as a character has used the image of a black man to boost his popularity and profile for decades. Even in the more recent titles they have drawn him as with more bantu/west african features. Even in his era where that turned him into a genocider that did that thing comics do where they didnt want to draw african hair so made him bald thing. Bishop was always the brother with 80s jerl curl power hair for me growing up.

This is Claremont doing his usual attempt at trying to spice things up by using other cultures as seasoning like Psylocke being asian/japanese/ninja but white "really". Bishop is black but actually australian his parents just went to another school you would'nt know about it. Wolverine is canadian but also japanese, rinse and repeat.

Gateway and Eden Fesi (Manifold) are amazing representation that i love to read time and again, S.W.O.R.D was waaayyy too short.

[Kitty&Piotr<3]

I would just split the difference and make one parent African-American, the other Aboriginal Australian. He would still look the same.

I believe in the unification as most others have come to the conclusion on. Give him a parent from africa and one indigenous australian one. I'm of nigerian (another country that face britsh rule and destruction) decent but 3rd generation british, I have cousins in Australia, America, Germany, France. Nigerians and black africans are everywhere so its not a stretch.

Bishop as a character has used the image of a black man to boost his popularity and profile for decades. Even in the more recent titles they have drawn him as with more bantu/west african features. Even in his era where that turned him into a genocider that did that thing comics do where they didnt want to draw african hair so made him bald thing. Bishop was always the brother with 80s jerl curl power hair for me growing up.

This is Claremont doing his usual attempt at trying to spice things up by using other cultures as seasoning like Psylocke being asian/japanese/ninja but white "really". Bishop is black but actually australian his parents just went to another school you would'nt know about it. Wolverine is canadian but also japanese, rinse and repeat.

Gateway and Eden Fesi (Manifold) are amazing representation that i love to read time and again, S.W.O.R.D was waaayyy too short.

Thirded. 10char

[marhawkman]

This is Claremont doing his usual attempt at trying to spice things up by using other cultures as seasoning like Psylocke being asian/japanese/ninja but white "really". Bishop is black but actually australian his parents just went to another school you would'nt know about it. Wolverine is canadian but also japanese, rinse and repeat.

I love that approach, it makes the characters feel more... alive. they're people with histories, not just 2-d cartoons.

[Steroid]

I would just split the difference and make one parent African-American, the other Aboriginal Australian. He would still look the same.

This is what I would just go with.

[From The Shadows]

As much as I love Claremont but I rolled my eyes at what he "added" to Bishop and it doesn't fit my head canon. Now with Shard I just assumed she dyed her hair.

Him being part both would be fine but he still would be related to Gateway.