As some of you know, I have long been a proponent of having a more diverse (and more realistic) group of superheroes at Marvel Comics. However, “diversity” isn’t limited to characters of distinct racial, ethnic, or sexual backgrounds. Join us for Part One of a new series looking at under-represented groups in the spandex elite!
This week, we’ll focus on the representation of heroes who are disabled. Also, the language used in this piece was researched from several sources to avoid offense (subscribing to the "people-first" method). Any terms that you might find offensive are NOT intended as such.
For my definition, I’m specifying those characters who are either paraplegic or amputees. For the casual Marvel Comics reader, it may be surprising to see names such as Thor and Venom alongside such recognizable figures as Professor X. For now, let’s look at some of the more well-known characters, and we’ll discuss implications later on.
Alpha Flight:
Box (Roger Bochs)
Powers: Technological genius; merges with a giant suit of armor called the Box bot
How he became disabled: Lost both legs due to an accident
New Warriors:
Silhouette (Silhouette Chord)
Powers: Darkforce manipulation allows her to teleport through shadows
How she became disabled: Partially paralyzed when a bullet hit her spine
Inhumans:
Gorgon (Gorgon Petragon)
Powers: Incredibly powerful legs (and hooved feet) can create seismic disturbances when stomped
How he became disabled: Paralyzed from the waist down after being stabbed in the back
Grid (Dinesh Deol)
Powers: Visualize, sense, and manipulate electromagnetic fields
How he became disabled: Hands eliminated and replaced by energy rings when powers manifested
Guardians of the Galaxy:
Captain Universe (Gabriel Vargas)
Powers: The Uni-Power
How he became disabled: Paralyzed in combat during Operation: Desert Storm
Jack Flag (Jack Harrison)
Powers: Increased strength, stamina, and speed
How he became disabled: Stabbed in the back by Bullseye when he refused to register during Civil War
Venom (Flash Thompson)
Powers: Control of the Venom symbiote which can alter its shape for a variety of purposes
How he became disabled: Lost both legs above the knee fighting in Iraq
X-Men:
Professor Charles Xavier
Powers: Immense telepathy
How he became disabled: Originally, legs crushed by villain Lucifer; healed by alien Shi’Ar, then back broken by Shadow King; temporarily healed as side-effect of Apocalypse, wears off; temporarily healed by Magneto in disguise, healing revoked; restored when he transports inside a reality-altering crystal, then killed
Wiz Kid (Takashi Matsuya)
Powers: Can create and reshape any technological device with his mind
How he became disabled: Involved in a horrible car accident as an adolescent that paralyzed him from the waist down
Forge
Powers: Intuitive understanding of mechanics and design
How he became disabled: Lost a hand and a leg in Vietnam
Hellion (Julian Keller)
Powers: Telekinesis
How he became disabled: Hands disintegrated in robotic attack
Other Notable Characters:
Angel (Warren Worthington), Karma (Xi’an Coy Mahn), Bishop, Thor (Odinson), & Misty Knight
All of these five characters were victims of violent acts that made them amputee victims: Angel’s wings were forcibly removed, Karma’s leg was ripped off by a cyborg, Bishop’s arm was eaten, Thor’s arm was cut off by Malekith, and Misty lost her arm in a terrorist bomb.
Each of them received mechanical/bio-mechanical prostheses soon after.
So now to the implications: if you’ve made it this far in the list, you’ve probably noticed the same trend I did, namely that differently-abled characters are more-often-than-not “cured”—permanently or temporarily—of their disability. The implication is that these characters are not viewed as viable heroes unless they can look like, act like, and navigate the world of their non-disabled teammates.
Perhaps this is an issue with writers who don’t know how to characterize heroes who are disabled—in fact, several of the characters on the list who lost limbs don’t even take the time to deal with the reality of having a prosthetic replacement; they’re back and ready for combat with a shiny new one the next issue.
Perhaps this is an issue with artists who don’t feel comfortable in rendering heroes who are disabled in a realistic way, who are so used to a certain form-language that it’s difficult to deviate from it.
Perhaps this is a marketing issue where the corporate office doesn’t see the monetary return of a visibly hero who is disabled.
Or perhaps this is an audience issue where readers have brought forth disgust, disbelief, or disinterest in the present few heroes who are disabled.
Whatever the cause, it is a problem…or is it? It has been a struggle for me to interpret this data. I’ve arrived at one of two conclusions.
Side A: It’s good that we have any heroes that are disabled. People need to see themselves represented in fiction to really feel immersed and accepted in that world.
Side B: Having heroes who are disabled who are made to look more like their counterparts—or healed/ “fixed” of their disabilities—sends the wrong message. Even though they are in the fiction, they are not embraced for their difference but taught to hide them.
Of course, it’s not a black-or-white issue, but some glaring questions of logic are screaming at me.
Why does Thorneed a new arm? Is he now incapable of taking down threats? Has his warrior-hood diminished in some way?
Why do Grid and Hellion have hands? They both have levitation powers! Why do these two need prostheses at all, especially ones they would damage by using their powers?
Why does Venom—whose symbiote can web-sling and create constructs out of itself—create legs? He could increase the mass in his arms to walk around on his hands, crawl from the ceiling with pincers, probably even craft giant wings to hover above the ground. Is our imagination so limited that we confine him to legs? For that matter, why doesn’t Box use technology for similar outcomes?
Why does Captain Universe (who can fly) need to have the use of his legs?
Why are there NO heroes who were born as disabled? All of them, without exception, were the results of accidents.
Why are so few of them embracing the reality of their situations, finding strength, and being better examples and role models because of it? Why are so many of them racing to “fix” themselves, as if they’re broken?
Two shining beacons, in my opinion are the kick-ass Silhouette and a little-known character called Wiz Kid. Although neither of them were born with their disability, both have chosen to use their status as a disabled hero to their advantage instead of their detriment: Silhouette modified her crutches to be used as weapons; Wiz Kid used his technical genius to create a battle chair. Both are true to who they are. Neither of them—having access to advanced technology or “cures”—has chosen to alter themselves.
Professor X is in the middle of this debate for me: although he has been healed and re-crippled more times than any other character, none of the times that he was “cured” were sought out by him. In fact, having access to mutant healers, magical shaman, robotic geniuses, and alien scientists and still choosing to stay in his wheelchair might be considered a self-sacrificial and admirable statement.
But that’s an easy stance to take when I haven’t been there myself, when I haven’t lived the life of a person who is disabled. Perhaps I would want the same hope that I would have—to walk again, to not be given special treatment, to be viewed as “normal”—to be present in my comic book heroes.
This struggle is exemplified by Hellion. Writers of the various X-Books showed him undergoing a cycle of depression, rage, bargaining, and finally acceptance that is both heartfelt and believable.
So the hard-fought conclusion is this: we all have an internalized vision of what our perfect self feels and looks like. Desiring for our outward images to match our internal image isn’t wrong. Body modification—in its various permutations—is viewed as vanity (at worst) and artistic expression (at best). So making a blanket statement that praises or condemns the character development of these fictional heroes would be shortsighted without having a better understanding of where that character is on his or her personal journey.
Whatever conclusion is reached, we should still celebrate the fact that these characters are in existence—that their inclusion in our comic book world helps to bring a more realistic portrayal of the world we live in.
And, although we will all be waiting to see how Marvel handles these characters, they have an unprecedented number of titles featuring heroes who are disabled: Venom: Spaceknight, All-New Inhumans, Guardians of the Galaxy, & The Mighty Thor. Additionally, I’m sure any number of the X-Characters will be popping up in the various X-Books at some time.
Who should’ve made the list that didn’t? Put in your two cents in the comments below. And join us next time as we explore body image in comics!
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