Who Was The First Black Superhero In Film
It's Not Who You Might Think
Nobody will ever, and I mean ever, forget the mega-hit, blockbuster success, that was Black Panther. Perhaps it was the timing of the movie, the already storied success of anything with the name Marvel, or some other lame excuse that people have come up with for its stellar performance, and its place in the "billion-dollar club" of movies. Excuses like that are crimes because what Ryan Coogler (director) and Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther/T'Challa) did together was one of the most memorable superhero movies of the entire genre.
Black Panther was the 18th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a franchise that has made over $15 billion dollars at the global box office. It may well be the first megabudget film to have not only an African-American director and main star but also a predominantly black cast. It was the first time in Hollywood history that anyone has produced such an incredible movie with a cast so awesomely black, a term I use to describe the talent of these incredible actors and actresses. This, however, was not the first black superhero movie out there.
As I sat on a Tuesday evening, scrolling through Facebook, I found a question in one of the marvel groups. Who was the first black superhero to appear in a film? Being somewhat of a movie buff I sat, and I sat, and I sat until I finally had to look into the answer. I truly didn't know the answer, having been off by one movie.
Abar, The First Black Superhero (1977)
Before we were treated to Christopher Reeve portraying the last son of Krypton in Superman, there was a little-known movie called Abar. It centered around the premise of a black family moving into a white suburban area only to find himself targeted by racist neighbors while working on a mysterious project for a secretive serum. The movie waits until the final act for Dr. Kincade to give the serum to a local tough guy, biker-type before the biker can begin to manifest his new abilities. Now bulletproof and psychic, Abar stands up to the racists and becomes a hero fighting for justice.
The Meteor Man (1993)
Robert Townsend, best known for the satire Hollywood Shuffle, wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy-adventure about a school teacher from D.C. that gets powers after being struck by a meteor. The costume and powers were overall generic by comparison to any other superhero but the story set Meteor Man apart from other superhero movies. As opposed to saving the world, this inner-city tale is about a local hero trying to save his community by shutting down crack houses, making peace between rival gangs, and beautifying the housing projects. If only the inner city of Chicago had someone that could deal with all the problems there.
Blank Man (1994)
I'll acknowledge the existence of this one but having seen it when it was first out it was in all honesty not one of the better Wayans movies. Perhaps they hadn't hit their stride yet as writers but this one, if I was a critic, would get a solid half star just because Wayans wrote and starred in it. It was that bad that even I can't give Damon much of a pass for this.
SPAWN (1997)
The year was 1997 and thanks to its' popularity as a dark and supernatural superhero comic the Todd McFarlane creation of Spawn came to the big screen with one of my all-time favorite action stars, Michael Jai White, playing the titular role. However, McFarlane's creation only garnered a mediocre budged that failed to capture the uniqueness of McFarlane's masterfully done art in the comic. It left us with a lot of 90s era metal and John Leguizamo as the big fat clown from hell. White does later on become a cult favorite due to a long line of straight-to-DVD action movies.
Blade (1998-2004)
Twenty years before Chadwick as the Black Panther there was Wesley Snipes as the battle-hardened, vampire-slaying, daywalker. Any fan, of which there is a devoted legion, will tell you that the movies never got the respect they deserved, especially the first one.
Blade was like a film out of its' time. When comic book properties were molded to fit the image of a popular actor as opposed to them making an actor a mega-star in today's Hollywood, it almost felt like this was written for Wesley Snipes. However, Blade was a character that originally appeared in Marvel's 70s era Dracula series, putting it well before Wesley Snipe's time in Hollywood. Nevertheless, seeing snipes hunt vampires at the peak of his career was incredible and I'd watch it again. Blade is due to be rebooted under the MCU with Mahershala Ali as the day-walking vampire slayer. Under Snipes as the lead, Blade went on to make two sequels before the character appeared to ride off into the sunset as all other vampires were believed to have been extinguished. I can't wait to see the new vision for the character.
Storm-X-Men (2000-2014)
One of Stan Lee's X-Men and right hand of Professor X, Storm, hit the big screen played by none other than the amazingly talented Halle Berry. Storm has always and will always be one of the most iconic of the famed X-Men series and Halle Berry in her prime was excellently chosen for the role. It was no doubt, fate speaking to the casting directors, as any other choice wouldn't have been as good. While it might have been a bit beneath her stature at the time, considering the caliber of performances she was putting in, she managed to make it work and appeared in all of the X-Men films involving the original, or OG, X-men.
I'd probably be remiss if I didn't mention Will Smith as Hancock (2008) but the best parts of that movie were Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron trying to invite a drunk, belligerent, angry, and dirty superhero into their humdrum, suburban, existence. But it's Will Smith, so it gets at least a mention.
Nick Fury-MCU (2008 to present)
Creators Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch had the unenviable task of reimagining Marvel's superspy in the early 00s. What they came up with was an idea to make him the coolest man alive. Enter, Samuel L. Jackson, quite possibly, the coolest man alive. Everything about Jackson oozes coolness. From the first cameo appearance at the end of Iron Man, Nick Fury was an intriguing and important part of the package that made up the MCU and ultimately, the Avengers. Considering the last person that we saw play the role was David Hasselhoff in a 98 TV movie, this was a definite improvement.
Black Panther (2018)
If you didn't see or haven't seen Black Panther, it's definitely worthy of a viewing. First introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America Civil War, The Black Panther is the King of Wakanda, a secretive nation in Africa, hidden mostly from the world as they appear to be simple farmers. Wakanda, which sits atop the world's largest supply of Vibranium ore, is a rich nation. Well ahead of the majority of the world in all things, science, medicine, and weaponry.
The regal presence of Boseman as we watch him and his motives change from first, getting vengeance, to fulfilling his role as King, is amazing. The Panther is the protector of his people and all things about his country. The scenery and location shoots are nothing short of stunning and the costumes won an Academy Award. It was heartbreaking to see Chadwick Boseman when he passed after a long, heroic, and secretive battle against colon cancer and one can only imagine the world of Wakanda without him, but it is a world that still needs explored as do the lives of the other heroes of Wakanda.
There were others before Black Panther and there will be others after. The appearance of Black Adam in the DC Universe is expected to be played by Dwayne Johnson. My personal hope is that David Ramsey will be the new Green Lantern in either TV or Movies. After eight long years of watching him back up Oliver Queen on the CW's Arrow, bringing Ramsey back as something more than a skilled operator would be FAN-tastic!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this check-in on the mystery of the first black superhero and possible look at a future one still to dawn the costume. I'm sure there are some that I'm not fully aware of so please forgive me if I missed one or two fan favorites out there.
About the Creator
Jason Ray Morton
Writing has become more important as I live with cancer. It's a therapy, it's an escape, and it's a way to do something lasting that hopefully leaves an impression.
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