It's been a long time coming but Black comic book characters are finally beginning to get their due. And it's mostly thanks to Hollywood. Both Marvel Studios and DC Films have exposed millions of moviegoers to the exploits of some of the greatest heroes and villains with clear African ancestry that the pages of comics have to offer. While Spawn, Johnathan Stewart and Storm have yet to be given the live-action showcases that they deserve, some of the other memorable Black characters have made quite an impression on film fans.
13. Amanda Waller
With her casual manipulativeness, willingness to cross any ethical lines in order to achieve her objectives, utter lack of loyalty or empathy and amoral brand of passive-aggressive evil, Amanda Waller is the embodiment of toxic femininity. The ruthless director of A.R.G.U.S. (Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans) has no compunction about threatening or pressuring anyone, including both military heroes and super-powered criminals alike, to do her bidding. There's nothing scarier than sociopathy empowered by government authority and backed up by armed and highly trained federal agents. Though she organizes Task Force X, a team of convicted murderers, to go on black-ops missions in Suicide Squad, Waller is revealed to be the film's true villain.
11. Cyborg
10. Jesse Kane
As the villain's (David "Black Manta" Kane) father, Jesse is intended to be a darker version of Thomas Curry (the hero's father). The thing is, Jesse's 100 times more interesting than Thomas and every other dad, of which there are many, featured in Aquaman. Kane is fully aware that his own father was subjected to racism and discrimination during his service in the U.S. Navy throughout World War II. It was then that Kane's father was given the nickname "Manta" by his fellow sailors.
Interestingly enough, Michael Beach, who portrays Jesse Kane, voiced the character Devil Ray on the Justice League: Unlimited animated series. Devil Ray is actually Black Manta; the character's name was changed due to licensing issues.
9. Black Manta
Debuting in theaters just 10 months after the masterpiece that is Black Panther, Black Manta comes off like the DCEU's version of Killmonger. But Baltimore's most famous pirate is the absolute best thing about Aquaman. Kane uses his expertise in mechanical engineering to create an armored battle suit that far exceeds the capabilities of the Atlantean technology given to him by King Orm. Though toning down the comic book look of some characters for the sake of realism is a vast improvement for some ---- (Bane, Scarecrow, Helmut Zemo, Two-Face, Juggernaut), Manta's spot-on costume is a sight for sore eyes. Kane's battle suit combined with his considerable hand-to-hand fighting skills provide Arthur Curry with the most significant challenge he's ever faced from a mortal. I gotta tell ya, I'd rather see a Black Manta movie than an Aquaman sequel.
8. M'Baku
M'Baku, Wakanda's ruler of the Mountain Tribe leads from the front with an iron but fair hand.
7. War Machine
While he's also equipped with an armored battlesuit, Colonel James Rhodes' background as a pilot may just give him the edge over his friend -- Iron Man himself.
6. Blade
Eric Brooks' human/vampire hybrid ancestry gives "the Daywalker" an enormous advantage over his blood-sucking cousins. He's vowed to stalk both the night and the other half of the day in order to rid the world of nosferatu for good.
5. Deadshot
Though Suicide Squad was intended to be an ensemble piece, Harley Quinn emerged as a star. But Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton stole the show. A crack shot with various firearms, Lawton made his living as a hitman-for-hire until he was apprehended by Batman himself. Facing decades in Belle Reve Special Security prison, he's offered a sentence reduction and supervised visits with his daughter in exchange for his participation in a black-ops mission for shady government bureaucrat Amanda Waller. No stranger to employers who can't be trusted, the devoted father pops off almost as many hilarious one-liners as bullets during the operation, all the while voicing his suspicions about Waller's true motives.
4. Falcon
The man who Steve "Captain America" Rogers trusts most in the world is fellow military vet Sam Wilson, whose pararescueman training and experimental wings allow him to take the battle from land to air.
3. Bloodsport
One of The Suicide Squad's Task Force X members, Elba's Robert "Bloodsport" DuBois, is reminiscent of past squad member Floyd "Deadshot" Lawton, being a Black assassin with weird guns, expert marksmanship and an estranged young daughter. But he's definitely his own -- and unforgettable -- man. And his relationship with new squad member Cleo "Ratcatcher 2" Cazo alone is worth watching the movie -- and rewatching it.
2. Black Panther
T'Challa's not only the one and only Black Panther, he's also the ruler of the African kingdom of Wakanda.
1. Killmonger
T'Challa's (Black Panther) American-born cousin, Erik Stevens, steadily inched his way to his ancestral home with single-minded determination. After becoming a Navy SEAL and graduating from MIT, Stevens honed his skills as a warrior in Afghanistan and other hot spots around the globe, picking up the nickname "Killmonger" (a reference to his considerable body count) along the way. His military career also includes black-ops missions in which he helped to destabilize governments.
With assistance from black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue and Tilda Johnson, Stevens used his skills to steal (or liberate) two Wakandan artifacts from a London museum.
After murdering both of his accomplices, Stevens made his way to Wakanda, where he revealed his native name (N'Jadaka) and the fact that he's of royal blood (as the son of King T'Chaka's brother) and thereby eligible to challenge T'Challa's claim to the throne. Following his defeat of T'Chaka in ritual combat, N'Jadaka assumed the Wakandan throne and announced his intention to distribute the country's advanced technology and weaponry (based mainly on vibranium) to the African diaspora across the globe so that the world's Black population could rise up against white regimes.
Updated 4/2/23
Originally Posted 2/22/20
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