The Stereotype game

[edpower]

I'm a big fan of diversity. My family is very diverse so I like to see that represented in different media.

That said, as a long time comics fan, I've noticed non-white, non-males characters often get certain characteristics written to them. For instance, white Wally West was a fun, playful, flirty character but black Wally West is a troubled teen who spray paints graffiti on buildings.

That said, below is listed some of stereotypes I've noticed recur in superhero comics.

Now don't get me wrong, sure there are flamboyant gay men (my brother is one), and there are Native Americans with very tribal sounding names, but I'm just saying, why can't we have Native American hero with, say, Plastic Man like powers, and a codename like Stretch? Or a female Asian hero who is the team comedian? Or an Egyptian hero with magnetic powers? Why the hell isn't Steel as rich as Tony Stark?

That said, here's my game...name characters from the groups below who do not meet ANY of the characteristics listed below them. I know they are out there. I can even list examples, but I want to see how many we can name:

Women heroes who:

* Have never had costumes that included high heels, or shown their bare midriff, thighs, of had a 'boob hole' in the outfit.
* Aren't spin-offs of male heroes
* Have never been humiliated or raped by a male character

Black heroes who:

* Don't come from a ghetto.
* Don't have electrical powers
* Don't have armor/mechanical based powers
* Don't have gangs or drug dealers in their origin
* Have never been arrested
* Don't have a personality that can be described as 'gruff'
* Isn't a 'spin-off' of a white superhero

Latino heroes who:

* Don't come from a ghetto
* Don't have gangs in their background story
* Don't have Spanish language names
* Whose personality isn't 'fiery' (i.e. playful/flirty but with a hair trigger temper)
* No fire/solar powers/motifs

Asian heroes who:

* Aren't martial artist
* Aren't solar or fire powered
* Don't have armored or mechanical power.
* Don't have the Yakuza, Japanese mafia, or ninja/samurai clans as part of their origins
* Have never had a 'rising sun' motif costume.

Native American heroes who:

* Don't have a 'tribal name' superhero codename
* Haven't had a costume that is leather and/or covered in fringe
* Have powers other then strength or powers derived from animals or nature
* Don't have a personality that can be described as 'gruff but wise' (for males) or 'wise and mysterious' (for females)

Gay male heroes who:

* Don't have magenta, purple or pink in their costumes
* Aren't flamboyant
* Haven't had a scene where they say goodbye to their boyfriend in a wishy-washy way

Lesbian heroes who:

* Aren't dating another hero on the team
* Are butch

Indian heroes who:

* Are male
* Aren't dressed in costumes that look like 'traditional Indian garb'
* Don't have mystical abilities
* Don't have a personality that can be described as 'naive' and/or 'mysterious'

Arab heroes who:

* Are male
* Aren't dressed in costumes that look like 'traditional Arab garb'
* Don't have mystical abilities
* Don't have a personality that can be described as 'naive' and/or 'mysterious'
* Aren't sword wielders

Egyptian heroes who:

* Aren't tied to the Egyptian gods

Jewish heroes who aren't

* That comic universe's hero from Israel
* Aren't from the X-men

[ed2962]

Ok the first one is a little easier. First person I thought of was Monica Rambeau. Then 70's revamp of Black Widow. Sue Richards for a long time...she didn't get sexed up until the 90's. Then Greer Nelson, but some folks would probably argue that she's sexed up cuz her costume is literally a bikini, but I'm thinking of the 70's version.Then Hellcat. Then Spiderwoman ( she isn't really related to Peter Parker in any meaningful way). Squirrel Girl. Sif spin-off from Thor comics...Gamorra, but they pushed her comic back...

Next...Black Panther. Bill Foster. I'd say Falcon, but the criminal background was retconned into his origin. Storm, but her original suit had heels...again Monica...the Michael Collins Deathlok. Sunspot. Bishop. Misty Knight (but it depends on who's writing her).

Latino heroes...I'm sure there's someone that I'm not thinking off the top of my head...I can think of non-stereotypes, but they might not fit your format...Miss America Chavez?

Lesbians...Miss America Chavez? She's mean and likes punching things but I don't think of her as butch in a stereotypical way. I'm not sure that's what we should be striving for at this point anyway...

Asian heroes... I can think of lots of characters but they're not actually superheroes...

Native Heroes...I can think of characters that started out as stereotypes that have been corrected like Red Wolf and American Eagle.

Arab and Egyptian heroes that fit your list...I'm drawing a blank

Jewish heroes...The Thing. Moon Knight. There's gotta be someone else I'm not thinking off...

[dragonmp93]

Does Teen Jean count ?.

[LOSTie-chan]

Woman hero: Ms.Marvel
Black Hero: Black Panther. I think he's more stoic than gruff.
Latino hero: The first one I can think of off the top of my head is Honey Lemon from Big Hero Six. Not a lot of people knew she was Hispanic.
Asian Hero: I don't think Surge from the X-Men has any of those stereotypes.
Naive American: Dani Moonstar and Forge, I guess? Dani is a valkyrie and Forge builds stuff. Not very mystical or animal themed.
Lesbian Hero: Like someone said before Chavez. Karolina of the Runaways.

I'mma come up with more later.

[tahhat]

Miguel Santos aka Living Lightning from the Avengers. He has lightning powers and is gay. I have not read many stories with him in them so I am uncertain if his personality is stereotypical.

[ed2962]

Miguel Santos aka Living Lightning from the Avengers. He has lightning powers and is gay. I have not read many stories with him in them so I am uncertain if his personality is stereotypical.

LIVING LIGHTNING! I don't know why I didn't think of him. There's also the most recent Spider Girl.

[SJNeal]

Miguel Santos aka Living Lightning from the Avengers. He has lightning powers and is gay. I have not read many stories with him in them so I am uncertain if his personality is stereotypical.

According to the rules of this game, doesn't his Spanish language name disqualify him...?

[edpower]

According to the rules of this game, doesn't his Spanish language name disqualify him...?

Sorry. I meant Spanish language super hero code-name.

[edpower]

Ok, here's my opinions, but feel free to argue with me:

Pass:

Black Widow (Sometimes her neck zipper is a little too low, but that's the artist)
Hellcat
Squirrel Girl
Black Panther
Bill Foster
Sunspot
Bishop
The Thing
Moon Knight
Ms.Marvel
Honey Lemon
Surge
Forge
Living Lightning

Questionable:

Monica Rambeau (technically she was the second Captain Marvel, but then again didn't have a direct connection to Mar-Vell)
Spiderwoman (again, not a direct spin off, but questionable)
Storm (she out for the woman thing because her original outfit was a bathing suit, but possibly not for the black superhero thing...she does shoot lightning, but I wouldn't call her an 'electrically powered' character)
Karolina Dean and Julie Power dated in Avengers Academy, so to me that rules out them both.

Nope:

Sue Richards (the '4' shaped boob window alone throws it)
Greer Nelson (bikini outfit, raped by a Skrull, humiliated by the Hood)
Gamora (see original fishnet body suit with cleavage to her belly button costume)
Falcon (again, the retcon)
Michael Collins Deathlok (cyborg = mechanically powered)
Misty Knight (cyborg = mechanically powered)
Miss America Chavez (goes from playful to quick tempered, why is she Miss America Chavez instead of Miss America?)
Red Wolf (tribal name, outfit with fringes, animal based powers)
American Eagle (tribal name, leather outfit)
Dani Moonstar (costume with fringes)

Thoughts?

[edpower]

Oh, and btw: feel free to throw in characters from DC or other companies.

[Lucena Soares]

All of what i was going to say is alredy listed, so no point.
But MAC name includes the "Chavez" part because that's her REAL name and not a monicker.

Edit: You can add Fredzilla to the Asian part although he breaths fire. Also the new Giant-Man (Raz) is both Indian and Gay but we have only seem enouth of him yet.

[Star_Jammer]

Couldn't Bishop count as a no? Wasn't he raised in a mutant concentration camp?

[LOSTie-chan]

Woman hero: Silk, Spider-Gwen, Hazmat, Batgirl, Batwoman.
Black Hero: Prodigy.
Asian Hero: The aforementioned Silk and Hazmat. Also Nico Minoru.

If we're doing characters from other companies do cartoon heroes count as well?

[Shawn Hopkins]

Grace Choi has you covered on the butch lesbian front.



But not the not dating a team member thing. That'd be tough to find on any team book, though. Relationships are usually within the team because nobody wants Terry Long hanging around.

[ed2962]

Ok, here's my opinions, but feel free to argue with me:

Pass:

Black Widow (Sometimes her neck zipper is a little too low, but that's the artist)
Hellcat
Squirrel Girl
Black Panther
Bill Foster
Sunspot
Bishop
The Thing
Moon Knight
Ms.Marvel
Honey Lemon
Surge
Forge
Living Lightning

Questionable:

Monica Rambeau (technically she was the second Captain Marvel, but then again didn't have a direct connection to Mar-Vell)
Spiderwoman (again, not a direct spin off, but questionable)
Storm (she out for the woman thing because her original outfit was a bathing suit, but possibly not for the black superhero thing...she does shoot lightning, but I wouldn't call her an 'electrically powered' character)
Karolina Dean and Julie Power dated in Avengers Academy, so to me that rules out them both.

Nope:

Sue Richards (the '4' shaped boob window alone throws it)
Greer Nelson (bikini outfit, raped by a Skrull, humiliated by the Hood)
Gamora (see original fishnet body suit with cleavage to her belly button costume)
Falcon (again, the retcon)
Michael Collins Deathlok (cyborg = mechanically powered)
Misty Knight (cyborg = mechanically powered)
Miss America Chavez (goes from playful to quick tempered, why is she Miss America Chavez instead of Miss America?)
Red Wolf (tribal name, outfit with fringes, animal based powers)
American Eagle (tribal name, leather outfit)
Dani Moonstar (costume with fringes)

Thoughts?

with sue the thing is it was obviously a marketing thing that lasted for like five minutes...no one thinks of it as a defining trait of her character

the mechanical/armor thing...no one thinks of that as a ethnic/racial trait.

Sam's retcon...it could go either way...

MAC...Latina people in real life are named America

Dani I think was completely non-stereotype. Wolf and Eagle might be up to debate, but I think Marvel moved them away from being cliches