Diversity From Nigeria in the Marvel Superhero Universe

         Created in a small art studio in New York City, Marvel Entertainment, founded by Stan Lee in the late 1930's, has now become a multi-billion dollar company. Their partnership with Disney, Sony, and 20th Century Fox as well their highly successful comic book series like Captain America, Spider-Man, and The Avengers, has made the company a household name. The movie "Marvel's Averngers" accrued 207.4 million dollars domestically in only three days, which makes it one of the largest film opening United States History. 
       Despite the variety of superheroes and the diversity among viewers, Marvel has only a few Black or African superheroes. In recent years, widely known publications like Spider-man have attempted to readapt their original concepts in terms of race by changing their caucasian characters to other characters of color. These movement have caused many to voice their displeasure and general hate for the company attempts to be more inclusive.

       However, according the AllAfrican website, Marvel has decided to officially produce a small series titled "Blessing in Disguise" based on a female, Nigerian superhero named Ngozi. The character was created by am African writer and was originally crafted in response to the Boko Haram abduction in Nigeria in 2014. Comic book creator Dr. Nnedi Okorafor hopes to inspire young, black women all around the world via the depiction and creation of this powerful female superhero as well inspire diversity in an otherwise predominately caucasian genre.  


       AllAfrica reports that content creator Okorafor hopes to push the comic book genre into a new era of inclusivity and diversity. She states, "I'm a huge Wonder Woman fan, but we can really push it further when it comes to diversity. I'm not just talking about race and sexual orientation, but about having a range of personalities with different desires, dreams and flaws. I don't only want to see badass female characters, I want to see much less predictable ones."



       Via inventive and highly creative writers like Okorafor, young women all around the world, but more specifically African women can feel as if they are being depicted on a national platform. Creating characters that have the traits of black women can make them feel accepted and inspire positivity in terms of body image and self love. Moreover, to have a African character, be strong, intelligent and widely known can drive young Nigerian women to the forefront of western culture because it causes people to pay attention and attempt to understand the lives and experiences of young people everywhere. Movements to include African characters can bring more awareness to social and systemic issues in Africa as well inspire hope and strength in these women. 
       With the support of people all around the world and with Marvel's multi-billon dollar national platform change in the entertainment industry can truly happen and characters like Ngozi can change the lives of young women everywhere. 









http://allafrica.com/stories/201709070483.html