It's Your Fault: Why Publishers Gender Or Race Swap Your Favorite Superheroes

(MENAFN- PF Advice)

Image source: Amazo

Riri Williams. Jane Foster. Miles Morales. Simon Williams. Taskmaster. Silver Surfer. Even if you have never read a comic book in your life, you probably know these names. These comic book characters became the focal points of controversy in recent years because comic book publishers love to gender and race swap your favorite superheroes.

So, why do publishers love gender or race-swapping their popular characters?

There is a Chinese Superman in DC Comics, Kenan Kong. Many fans consider Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, to be the definitive Green Lantern. Jordan is the second canonical Green Lantern. There are over 7,000 Green Lantern members. John Stewart, a Black man, is the definitive Green Lantern for a new generation of comic book fans; there are also Latina and Muslim Green Lantern members.

The short answer is that publishers swap the genders and races of your favorite characters because they can, it benefits them, and fans fuel the same problem they complain about.

You Complain About Modern Superheroes (That You Also Love)

A 2016 research study suggests that over 86% of comic book characters are white males or white in general. That statistic was higher in the recent past. Almost nine out of every ten comic book characters are white males or white. For some comic book fans, that is not enough.

Comic book profits have been falling for decades, but have been precipitous since 2017. Many critics on social media blame the“woke agenda,”“forced diversity,” and the idea of tokenism. However, that can’t be the reason since almost 90% of characters are white.

Comic book fans, including myself, are notorious for hating every major Spider-Man storyline since the 1980s. Peter Parker has been narratively stuck as a character for decades. Superman is boring to a lot of fans. Bruce Wayne is now an OP character with impenetrable plot armor. Wonder Woman is an iconic character with a convoluted backstory and not a lot of standout modern stories.

All of these characters are white, but fans love to complain about them. That is why publishers love to gender and race swap your favorite superheroes. It jolts fans who take these characters for granted. These fans then race to complain online, which generates attention for these IPs.

Social Media Attention and Brand Awareness

Even negative online attention feeds brand awareness with a globe-spanning reach into the algorithm. The recent Wonder Man Disney+ show caused a lot of controversy due to the race-bending of the character, even though critics hailed the show.

Comic book publishers swap the gender and race of your favorite superheroes because they know fans will run to social media to complain. The ferocity of the complaints can take over social media newsfeeds and even reach corporate news channels. Most importantly, it can inspire people who never read the comic but are against race and gender bending to check out the original IP and comics.

Bad Publicity is Publicity

Comic book publishers swap genders and races of your favorite superheroes because it is the fastest way to get free publicity. Even though actor Doug Jones was the first live-action Silver Surfer in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, the film was not a hit.

Julia Garner, starring as the female version of the Silver Surfer in 2025’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, would cause a social media firestorm. The firestorm would create publicity for the comic, IP, and the MCU. Even though the film had middling success, the Fantastic Four will reappear in December’s Avengers: Doomsday.

Every person who took part in that online culture war will remember it whenever they see the Fantastic Four now. Or Wonder Man, for that matter. You can’t pay for publicity like that in this day and age. All a comic publisher has to do to instantly generate publicity is to gender and race swap your favorite superheroes.

You Don’t Buy New Characters

To play devil’s advocate for the Big Two publishers, Marvel and DC, most comic book fans don’t buy new comics featuring new characters. Recent new comic book characters like Sideways, Damage, The Immortal Men, and The Curse of Brimstone went nowhere with comic book fans. There are so many independent comic book creators that it fractures fan attention.

So, comic book publishers swap the genders and races of your favorite superheroes. It generates interest in the older characters and the new derivatives. It may be a short-term sales bump, but it is better than nothing. This ploy also makes old and new readers alike take more interest in traditional characters, if even for the span of a viral moment or short-term cultural war.

Jace Fox is the eldest son of Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne’s employee, ally, inventor, and weapons designer. Jace Fox, a Black man, hides his race under a mask as he operates as Batman in New York City. (Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey.) I Am Batman Vol. 1 is a 176-page hardcover that collects the first six issues of the 2021 series. Get it now on Amazon for $11.49.

It Brings in New Fans

When publishers swap the genders and races of your favorite superheroes, it brings in new fans and demographics. Most of the people who love comic book TV shows and films have never read a comic book. Also, new and expanding demographics enjoy seeing themselves represented in comic books.

Publishers Gender or Race Swap Your Favorite Superheroes Because They Can

It does not matter if you are a traditionalist or love drastic progressive changes to old comic book characters because the result is the same. Whether or not you like the gender-bent Silver Surfer or the race-bent Wonder Man, it got your attention. Social media outrage and criticism only spark wider IP and brand awareness with new fans.

New fans generate interest in the original IP or the newer, modern version. Also, traditional comic book readers don’t care about or like new comic book IPs. Gender swaps and race swaps generate incredible publicity in an era where comic book stores are closing, comic book fatigue is real, and digital comics read on tablets and smart devices will become the norm in the immediate future.

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