What If? Superman was Black?
One of the best hustles by MARVEL comics is their What If? series, which focuses on alternative storylines in the MARVEL universe. It really challenges the reader to go beyond the foundational histories of the characters within each issue. Every so often my neurons will fire on my own what ifs? and even though DC comics does not have it’s own true what if? line of books, today i’m all about the Man of Steel.
You could argue the DC All Star stories are the equivalent of MARVELs What If?, but, I liken their format to MARVEL Ultimates lineup instead.
If Comics are a reflection of the time they are created, what would the mode be for a dark skinned Kryptonian crash-landed on the third rock from the sun? Would he still stand for truth, justice and the American Way? Would he fight for the rights of others while striving to integrate himself into the human race? Would the challenges faced by Blacks during that era force his strengths and will down another path? What would Superman do?
Back in the day, Superman was a tool of propaganda, pushing ideals that reflected the overall sentiment regarding the united states involvement in world war II, right? (and true, I will acknowledge the war wasn’t the sole vehicle for the Man of Steels presentation, but, it was a part of his character). Remember the old Max & Dave Fleischer Superman series? After an initial run of great Superman plots, it became a platform for wartime propaganda.
I suspect that for a long time Superman was reflective of middle-class values in America. Would these values have impacted him differently if he was Black? What would a seemingly all powerful, sole-surviving alien, and Black develop into? Would he even become known as Superman? As the most powerful Black man on Earth, how would he interpret societal norms (and what would his reaction be towards them?). Would he remain on Earth? These questions come to mind when pondering What If? Superman was Black?. Does it matter? It does to me — it’s a hot storyline to shape-shift given the current state of Comics post-Infinite Crisis.
Drop some commentary on this scenario and let me know how you think it would play out. Bahlactus has spoken.
December 20th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
Well, for starters, being raised in the heartland would have turned out differently. Clark was pretty much surrounded by good will outside the Kents, even. I think the only time he encountered racism as a kid was in that flashback issue of Martian Manhunter (The Ostrander/Mandrake series) where J’onn pretended to be a farmhand to get to know him. J’onn was pretending to be a black man, and some of Clark’s neighbors gave him crap over it. Would it work better if Clark had to deal with that, or would it take a different setting to make “Superman.”
December 20th, 2006 at 8:47 pm
I dont think ’superman’ would be referred to as superman if he were black. Ragnell makes a good point if superman were to be brought up in a black household, his view on society and the world would be much different. Maybe he would be a tool used by the NAACP? Or even as extreme as the black panthers?
‘Superman’ would be in a constant battle of saving earth and proving himself worthy in the eyes of society. His story would be similar to spider-man, where his intentions would be questioned. Though his upbringing would make quite a story, possibly finding his power while being hassled in the projects (don’t steal my ideas DC comics :-p).
The more I think about it, the more development would have to go into the storyline. If I recall there was a black superman for a short time when superman died or something along those lines. There was a black superman (had an iron suit) in addition to a superkid, not clear on my comics but I suppose that is something you can drop some 411 for me on.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:05 am
True, true. You’re talking about John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Steel. It would be interesting to see, if the Black superman would be exploited by some group to further their own agenda. Would he have walked with MLK? Would he have been by any means necessary like Malcom?
December 21st, 2006 at 10:31 am
I would re-imagine Kal-El’s ship landing in somewhere in the rural South rather than Kansas, and him being raised by a black family rather than an elderly white couple. Set in the same historical era, I see the black Clark Kent playing a role in World War 2 and in the civil rights movement that followed. Maintaining the ideals of truth and justice inherent to the character, I believe the black Superman would fight the good fight despite the discrimination he would obviously face as a black male in early 20th century America. Ultimately, I see the black Superman attaining the same position he holds in contemporary DC Comics: leading the Justice League of America. But along with truth and justice, I see the black Superman fighting for an American way that is more inclusive than what exists in 21st century America. Excellent idea, Bahlactus. You really got me thinking about this!
December 21st, 2006 at 10:57 am
(Long time reader, first time poster, whattup)
This is something I’ve actually given some decent thought to! For a good alternate take on black superheroes, check out John Ridley and Georges Jeanty’s “The American Way.” It was a pretty awesome read and one of my favorite miniseries this year. The only book to eclipse it was Brian K Vaughan’s “The Escapists.”
Assuming that the hero came up in the 50s-70s era, I think that the first thing you would see is the US government cracking down on him ASAP, COINTELPRO-style. Depending on how he was raised, he’d either stand for the American Way or he’d stand for Truth and Justice, if you get my meaning. If the latter, he’d definitely be seen as a threat to the USofA.
A Superman in the Panthers would’ve escalated the whole works out there. I can’t say that Huey P wouldn’t have ended up in jail, but I can see things going differently when cops realize that they have nothing to scare this guy with. They could arrest or harass the Panthers. Kind of hard to do that when someone can fly or has super-skin.
What if black SUperman was light-skinned enough to pass? What if he hooked up with Malcolm pre-hajj? Post-hajj? Too much potential.
It’s fertile story-telling ground, but it will never, ever happen with the real Superman.
December 21st, 2006 at 11:18 am
Steve, hmm, I’d like to see that storyline play out. Tagging the back of my head is the notion that he wouldn’t really come up as the lead of the JLA eventually, but, perhaps something like it. I think he’d not be flying around eyes wide shut — different familial background impacting him being raised as a young Black man would have skewed any perspective that the original Clark Kent would have had, right? Also, people fear most what they don’t understand. It happened to Superman. Imagine the format if the most powerful being on Earth was Black? In an era when Black people among others were cast as lower-level citizens? I don’t think I’ve seen you post here before, thanks for commenting, bruh. Keep on comin’ through.
David, what’s good? Thanks for stoppin’ through, bruh. I will definitely have to get down with The American Way and see what’s up. I think you’re on to something too. If Superman was a force within the Panthers, what can the government do to regulate? Now you have a Black kryptonian with the powers to level a city or more AND an entire army of armed and orgnaized brothers to back him up on the ground. Good questions raised as well (re: pre/post-hajj Malcom). Would he have been a type of MLK or Malcom, focusing on civil rights for Blacks, or for everyone? (women too!) Now that you’ve broken the silence and have posted, don’t be a stranger! Holla.
December 21st, 2006 at 11:32 am
I think that he almost would’ve certainly been a civil rights-type. One of the foremost things I’ve been raised with, and most other black kids I know, is “Do for family and self first.” His little brother gets waterhosed at a march, and black Superman realizes, “Wait, this isn’t right and I can change it.”
It would be both a gift and a curse. If you see a guy that’s 6′7″, 230lbs, asking you for equal rights, it’s going to be threatening regardless. It’s just a matter of size and implied power. Now, add laser eyes to that equation and phrases like “pre-emptive strike, he’s going to do it to us anyway” don’t seem so surprising.
I’m trying to remember if there were black Kryptonians or not. I don’t think that there are any or many black Amazons, but my Wonder Woman knowledge is kind of on the low side.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:38 pm
When I saw your post title, I thought, “But we’ve already seen a Black Superman.” The G.O.A.T. himself.
But heavyweights aside, you’ve raised a great point here. And frankly, I’m surprised that this hasn’t made its way from idea to Elseworlds. I mean, we’ve seen Kal-El land in the middle of the Soviet Union. Why not a black Kal-El? I’d like to say that it just comes down to how much of the icon’s look is established. Blue-black hair, the curl, white skin.
But I’m willing to bet that this idea has never seen light outside the drawing room because the repercussions of a badly written product would be very detrimental to the company. We all know how much people still talk about Lois’s undercover work in “I Am Curious, Black” back in 1970. If DC were to do a black Superman story, you’d need to get some spot-on talent to make it happen and to make it good. McDuffie, maybe. Or get Priest to write it. Is it the kind of story that only a black writer could tell?
And hey, Kyle Baker’s take on Captain America was very well-received, so nobody can say that DC would be walking into entirely uncharted territory.
As far as how a black Superman would make his mark on history, I think the track avaiable to him would go beyond a choice between emulating Martin or Malcom. By his very nature, doors would be open to him, though it would be up to his upbringing to decide whether to use them.
No jail would hold him, but would he still allow himself to be arrested for the sake of identifying with the struggle and (perhaps moreso) to demonstrate the injustice of law itself? As all-powerful as he would be, would he have the humility to, through his own example, “[carve] a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.”
But at the same time, I can’t imagine a black Superman taking a completely justified stand against oppression and saying, word for word, ‘”We declare our right on this earth to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.”
When you stop and think about it, a black Superman could manifest the best traits of both leaders.
And be bulletproof as well. Like a living idea.
December 21st, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Hrm. Strike that “I can’t imagine …” in the third to last paragraph. Replace it with “I can imagine …”
(I need more coffee.)
December 21st, 2006 at 12:55 pm
RUMBLE young man, RUMBLE!!! I forgot about the whole elseworlds hustle that DC has. So, they do have a What If? flavor of storytelling — a lot of which has been pretty solid. You’ve defintely brought some clue to the discussion, Thomas. Given a solid upbringing, I could see him integrating himself into the struggle, showing super strength when it became absolutely necessary. So, perhaps a Black Kal-El would get down not as a superhero in tights, but, perhaps as a very powerful Man. I believe there were other flavors of Kryptonians — in Superman Godfall, who were the people that sprung from the tiny civilization that is normally kept in a jar? I think they were Kryptonian — just on a very small format.
December 21st, 2006 at 1:01 pm
For what it’s worth, Baker and Morales’s Cap story was critically well-received, but a lot of fans felt like it was ruining Captain America.
A lot of fans don’t know from good comics.
Speaking of Ali, though… I’d kill for a copy of Superman vs Muhammad Ali. Before there was Doomsday, Superman got his face beaten in by Ali, who then did him the favor of letting him know that he also figured out Superman’s secret ID! I do believe that Neal Adams did the art. I’ve got a small bit of it here, as one of the rotating banners on my site.
I guess it’s rights issues that is keeping DC from reprinting it, but man! What a great comic. Product of its time, but totally awesome.
December 21st, 2006 at 2:32 pm
The Supes/Ali comic was all Adams.
And it looks like the original can be yours for about twenty bucks (for now).
December 21st, 2006 at 2:37 pm
There were black Kryptonians that were from Vatho Island on Krypton. I remember them being referenced in the old DC Role Playing game I had as a kid.
Have you checked out The Emissary from Image? Good book, I like the fact that it delves into the religious and political ramifactions of a superbeing, add to the fact that he’s black. And he’s in a world that doesn’t have superheroes. Now, would the heroes in the DC Universe rally quickly behind a black Superman as they would a white one?
A story I heard once was there were the beings covered from head to toe that performed all these, let’s say “miracles.” The people of the world worship them as gods. Then they decide to take off their masks and it’s revealed that they are black. Would that affect how the world reacts to them?
My thought would be how would ordinary black people would be perceived and how it would affect us? Would it elevate us or would people fear us more because the would see us as a potential threat? Would they be afraid of more black Supermen? Or would he would become a galvanizing force that would unite humanity?
December 21st, 2006 at 2:45 pm
Correction: It’s Vathlo Island. Guess I need more coffee myself.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:13 pm
The only question that this idea raises for me… strike that - the FIRST question that this raises for me is this:
Would he be considered a man? No one ever really questions Superman’s ‘humanity’…because he looks so much like those humans that ARE in power. However, you throw him in some dark skin (I do think a Black Kryptonian wouldn’t be caught dead in the red and blue tights) and I believe that the White Majority would draw some SERIOUS attention to the fact that he is NOT human.
This leads to a bunch of other questions re: MLK, the Black Panthers, etc. Having had his ‘alien’-ness publicized (and or slandered/criticized) would he be a fitting leader for social reform? Would he be welcomed at all, or would he be despised by the Black Community. “We’ve come so far and now here this guy is wreaking the delicate balance with his fancy super-strength and laser vision… while FLYING no less!”
Another question raising its head is one of chronology? Would we be creating a Black Superman who’s story happens in place of the history of the white one? It seems that would be the only really interesting time for the story to take place on a socio-political level. I mean, if he landed in North Africa during the 1100s then it might change the ending of the Crusades, but we couldn’t examine the issue of Civil Rights and Race issues that are still so deeply felt today.
Now I am starting to ramble. I like this discussion though everyone, thanks.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:44 pm
Interesting question, and one I think DC Comics has sort of almost flirted with, but never got too deep into.
Above someone mentioned John Henry Irons, who attempted to replace the dead Superman as “The Man of Steel,” which was shortened to “Steel” after Superman returned to life. This was the ’90s, and I don’t recall his blackness and his super-ness ever being an issue. (He wasn’t actually super, though; more like Iron Man, a normal dude in a super-suit).
Also in the ’90s, DC had a really, really weird Elseworlds style event called “Tangent,” wherein they took the names of characters and created whole new characters for them. I think this had something to do with copyright preservation. Anyway, the second round had a black man named Superman. Didn’t read it though; he was glimpsed in Infinite Crisis though.
Grant Morrison’s Animal Man featured a black Superman with a huge afro from a different dimension named “Sunshine Superman,” and I was never able to figure out if he came from an old DC Comic, or if Morrison just made him up (the story had many characters from old comic books popping in).
Finally, Milstone comics tackled the issue in their series ICON, in which an alien with super-powers crashlands in the South during the time of slavery, adapts his image to look like a black man, becomes a slave, and spends 100 years or so pretending to be his own descendents until he meets a sidekick who convinces him to become a black super-man to inspire kids like her. I’ve only read a few issues when I can find them–it’ snot in trade paperback–but it’s pretty good, and really tackles that question.
Oh, and AMERICAN WAY? Awesome read. Some of the rascist Southern heroes are silly strawmen–one’s named Burning Cross, isn’t he?–but it’s one of the more interesting attempts of a comic book to deal with rascicsm I’ve ever read.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Caleb, thanks for stoppin’ by and droppin’ some Comics clue! BTW, we are covering all Milestone Comics here every Monday in Munson’s Milestone Mondays. Check out what Jeff has been laying down so far in his column. Be easy, bruh.
December 21st, 2006 at 9:17 pm
Regarding “Sunshine Superman,” I’m guessing that Morrison just considered the Donovan song from ‘66 and ran with it.
Animal Man #23-24 were excellent examples of metafiction. Morrison expanded on the fact that Psycho Pirate was the last to remember the original Crisis, going so far as to make him realize that he and everything else in his reality was fiction. And so, the Pirate proceeded to create his own army by calling forth renegade heroes from lost DC storylines. Among these was Sunshine Superman (from Earth-17).
I’ve got the page around here somewhere … ah, here it is.
December 21st, 2006 at 10:18 pm
Caleb, sounds like we have similar tastes because I absolutely loved AMERICAN WAY. I need to remember to tell Bahlactus to pick that up when it comes out in trade…. oh wait, I probably just did!
December 21st, 2006 at 10:26 pm
That’d make a sweet Elseworlds, if handled really well. I’d hope black Superman would have an increased social responsibility, beyond that of the version we know. Maybe he’d be a Superman that was more concerned with injustice for people around the world rather than with criminals wrecking property in the richest city in America.
To me, that’s the biggest problem with Superman — he needs less American Way and way more Truth and Justice.
Would he have the same secret identity job? Man, my mind’s running wild. Great idea, Bahlactus. :)
December 21st, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Hopefully DC will get around to doing a black Superman Elseworlds story someday. I would worry about them messing it up though.
Until then here are some black Superman links:
The Earth D Superman & Supergirl from Legends of the DC Universe Crisis on Infinite Earths:
http://www.blacksuperhero.com/exhibithtml/detail.cfm?id=37
And here they are again in Crisis On Infinite Earths Special - The Untold History:
http://images2.fotosik.pl/98/7ac74c53078e18e6.jpg
How about a movie?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122116/
How about a music video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2uTJoO6OmQ
December 22nd, 2006 at 12:12 am
[…] What If? Superman Was Black? - Bahlactus writes a really intelligently written entry about what Superman would be like if he were black. “Would he even become known as Superman?,” he asks. I love this entry because he asks all the right questions that a creator should ask when developing a character from a non-white race or ethnicity. Of course Superman would be different if he were black because, while many want to live in a “color blind” society, this entry reflects on how being “color blind” would create a homogenized world rather than embracing our socio-cultural and political differences and experiences based on the race and/or ethnicity that we come from. I do, however, believe that, no matter what race Superman was from, he would always be a symbol for hope. How that’s played out would remain to be seen. (from Always Bet On Bahlactus) […]
December 27th, 2006 at 2:40 pm
I’m afraid Ma and Pa Kent would never have picked him up, because they’d be afraid of what the neighbors would think — mixed race families in the 1930s. Kal-el would have been left to raise himself as a feral child, though invulnerable and dangerous. He’d be like the legend of bigfoot — nobody could catch him.
January 29th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
The question gets more interesting, the more you think about it. And there are so very many ways to think about it.
I’d probably first imagine the scenario wherein a Black Kryptonian was found and raised by the Kents. Basically, I’d want to see how things would’ve been if EVERYTHING were kept constant EXCEPT for Supes’ ethnicity/skin color.
I’d be curious about how the different Superman incarnations, from various eras, would’ve differed, as well (i.e. Golden- & Silver-Age Superman). I doubt he ever would’ve “existed” if he’d started off as a Black character concept back in ~1938. He’d have likely been poorly-written in the 60’s and 70’s, complete with silly catch-phrases and kryptonite malt liquor that he couldn’t stop drinking, even as it was killing him.
Finally, I’d also be curious about what kind of story would’ve developed if Supes had been Black AND raised by a Black couple.
Interesting stuff. Thanks to “Son of Blog-El” for the link.
-West
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I find all this to be very interesting conjecture but I must make one note re: Superman being black & born (hatched) or landing in North Africa in the 1100’s. Were he black in North Africa at that time he would most likely be a slave, because N. Africa at that time, as now, was dominated by Semitic Peoples, The Moors, not Blacks. Had he been born in Timbuktu at that time, well I think that, unpopular though it may be to say, slavery would have still existed, but there would have been a strong African kingdom to profit from it not the Arabs in the North.
April 3rd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Hey West, would that make Kal-El “Blackfoot” ?
May 21st, 2007 at 2:40 pm
What if Black Superman landed in Asia(Japan, China, Korea), Germany , Africa. His upbring would be different but ultimatelyonce he reviewed his father’s archives he would know that he cannot adhere to on ideology . He would consider the greater good for all and bring the hurt to all bed guys throught the Earth no matter what country they represent or how much money is in their bank accounts. If he were raised in Africa there would likely be no forced occupation or genecide like what’s going on today. the so-called world leader would likely be working with lex luthor or whomever to try to control or destroy Balck Superman.