Do you consider Kyle and Kendra Latinos/Hispanic?

[Samm]

I’m curious what everyone thinks about this question. It seems to be split, though many seem to consider them POC (probably because it makes DC look even with Marvel in regard to diveristy).

[lemonpeace]

I've always considered Hawkgirl Latina since the Justice League cartoon because I recognized her voice actress as being hispanic, and I hoped they would roll that into the main DC universe; even tho that was a different Hawkgirl. I feel Kendra makes more sense as being latino than Kyle because for one, it gives the hawks a little more cultural texture instead of always happening to reincarnating as another pair of white people to follow and I feel she [Kendra] has been drawn somewhat racially ambiguous often times, as opposed to Kyle who was clearly meant to be a white guy before DC just said he was latino. in both cases their latino heritage is rarely even touched upon or informs their characters in significant way, so either case isn't a great case for Latinx diversity at DC.

[randomideaguy]

So that was BS, they never did an enchilada scene, that cliche was all you.


Eh, and I indicated decades into his creation, Miller made Murdock Catholic cause he read as Irish, that's also a cliche, and he wasn't subtle about it at all. It stuck.
What maters more is if later creators stick with it.
The "problem" as far as the topic, is the other way around , being Catholic does not identify him as Latino, so even if it was referenced by later writers, it does not make Kyle Latino.
Learning Spanish later in life doesn't make him Latino either, but it does show he's connecting with it, so if other writers (not likely) follow up on that, it would be great, but as indicated he did not grow up speaking Spanish.
Also writing it into scenes where he suddenly speaks or prays in Spanish tend to comes out forced, especially for a character who never has before.
So none of this helps.
If there's so little except fans saying so, or a footnote on wiki, it's meaningless as far as the ongoing character.
That is the "problem".

Again the easiest way IF DC genuinely wanted to Identify the character as Latino (nothing really indicates they do), would be if the character purposely added the last name Vazquez, it would show the character wants people to identify him through his Latino Father.
Everyone would recognize it.
And would spare later writers from having to write cliche scenes.

But they are not doing that, so putting him forward as some significant Latino representation seems disingenuous.

I would say this is the correct take. There are plenty of people with diverse heritage that have just become completely whitewashed by modern day. Americanization is a hell of a drug. Doesn’t mean they’re not “a proper Mexican”.

No opinions on Kendra. In Legends of Tomorrow she’s definitely not white.

Dick Grayson’s turn as Romani was AFAIK incredibly stereotypical and offensive go actual Romani people so I would be fine dumping that part of the history. FWIW I usually fancast Dick with Brandon Lee because I just feel like he’s got the right vibe.

[Adekis]

When I was in college I had a buddy let's call Mark. Mark is for all intents an purposes a white guy. He's partly Mexican on his birth-dad's side or something, but he's not culturally Mexican in any meaningful way as far as I know, and it rarely comes up. I think that's about where Kyle is. If asked during one of those white people "I'm French and Polish, what are you" discussions, he would acknowledge that he's part Mexican, but he still knows he's white and considers himself white.

[Mutant God]

I consider Kyle to be half Latino and Dick to be Romani just because its fun tidbits about their family

[Will Evans]

I also consider Catwoman Hispanic because her mother Maria is Cuban.

[Doctor Know]

Figured I’d should add Kyle Rayner’s New 52 version of his father.
Doesn’t resemble a Latino man, like his previous counterpart.




Kyle’s father has gone from being an unidentified Irish man, to being a Mexican CIA operative (Judd Winick 2002), to an ambiguous and undefined ethnicity for the New 52 (2013).

[Sodam Yat]

Figured I’d should add Kyle Rayner’s New 52 version of his father.
Doesn’t resemble a Latino man, like his previous counterpart

Kyle’s father has gone from being an unidentified Irish man, to being a Mexican CIA operative (Judd Winick 2002), to an ambiguous and undefined ethnicity for the New 52 (2013).

Exactly.

His father's name in the New 52 version is Aaron Rayner and not Gabriel Vasquez. Justin Jordan gave Kyle's father the original name that was intended from Kyle's creator, Ron Marz. So the story about his father being a Mexican CIA operative no longer existed. In fact, some instances in Judd Winick's run was done away with as well and not just that it seems.

[JSAgent]

Haven’t followed Kyle close enough to comment but Kendra - I would say, yes....

The first version of Kendra is mixed race. She grew up in TX and it was established in John’s run of Hawkman that her father, Michael Saunders, was white but her mother was a latina woman named Trina.

Rebirth era Kendra is Kendra Munoz-Saunders on Earth 2. She’s represented as afro-latinx.

Current version of Kendra.... unknown. They haven’t made any overt references to confirm one way or another. Her representation is more reflective of her previous mixed-race version though.

[The no face guy]

They've changed Kyle to look a lot more Latino in his physical appearance, so today I would say yes, perhaps more of a Spanish leaning Latino? (Hispanic/Latino seems to cover a broad spectrum) Back in the 90's before his history was changed he was pretty much of white European decent, Irish I think.

I wasn't aware that Kendra was actually in the comics, I only recalling seeing her in the Arrow show, apparently the actress is mixed race, Hispanic, Native American, so i'll just go with yes.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I don't think Kendra or Kyle's mixed Latinix ancestry has played any kind of role in their characterizations anymore than Bruce or Hal's Jewish heritage has been important to how they are portrayed. It's just another toy in the toybox that future stories can explore...or not.

[Robotman]

Kyle didn't find out he had Mexican heritage until he was well into his 20s. Though he wasn't raised with Hispanic family traditions, his ethnicity is still Hispanic and Irish.

I would say this is the correct take. There are plenty of people with diverse heritage that have just become completely whitewashed by modern day. Americanization is a hell of a drug. Doesn’t mean they’re not “a proper Mexican”.

No opinions on Kendra. In Legends of Tomorrow she’s definitely not white.

Dick Grayson’s turn as Romani was AFAIK incredibly stereotypical and offensive go actual Romani people so I would be fine dumping that part of the history. FWIW I usually fancast Dick with Brandon Lee because I just feel like he’s got the right vibe.

Please don't use the term "whitewashed" when describing a person. It's really freaking offensive. There should not be some set of guidelines for what makes someone identify as Latino. Let's not label individual POC because they don't fit a stereotypical or traditional model. You can maybe use it in an instance of a white actor playing a character in a movie that has traditionally been a POC, but that should be about it.

In Tom King's Omega Men (which is an amazing comics), Kyle actually prayed in Spanish. It was an interesting scene but it didn't really fit with Kyle not knowing about his Hispanic heritage for most of his life.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Haven’t followed Kyle close enough to comment but Kendra - I would say, yes....

During post-Crisis in Ron Marz' run it was revealed how Kyle's father was a Latino, and when he left it was never bought up again.

[Restingvoice]

I'm going with no for Kyle (and I accidentally voted wrong).

You can't just retcon somebody to have a Latina mother long after the character was created, change absolutely nothing else about how the character is presented and written, never mention said parent ever again, and expect people to roll with that.

Eh depends. If they do it in a reboot, then why not. They made Etta Candy and Julia Pennyworth black.

The Grayson writers did mention it in Secret Origins. But that was probably more done to please certain parts of the fandom than to do anything with it.

It's re-established in Rebirth and they make his mother full Romani with one of his archnemesis Raptor is also a Romani with backstory related to his mother. Raptor is still being used, so as of present, his half-Romani status remains.

[randomideaguy]

Please don't use the term "whitewashed" when describing a person. It's really freaking offensive. There should not be some set of guidelines for what makes someone identify as Latino. Let's not label individual POC because they don't fit a stereotypical or traditional model. You can maybe use it in an instance of a white actor playing a character in a movie that has traditionally been a POC, but that should be about it.

That’s really not what I meant. I’m talking about cultural genocide, for example Spanish priests hitting Native children speaking non-Spanish. Just because people are culturally made to conform doesn’t mean they’re not from that culture. This is specifically in references to complaints that “Kyle doesn’t speak Spanish”, not making any sort of claim that Latino people should conform to some stereotype.