The 25 Most Memorable Black Comic Book Characters

The men and women who brought diversity to comics.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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During the comic book industry's Golden Age in the ‘30s and ‘40s, the star of every major title was white. For decades readers had to deal with the fact that the only black characters featured in these stories were corrosive racial stereotypes played just for laughs.

In the ‘60s, major publishing houses like Marvel and DC began to feature more black characters in supporting roles and, eventually, as the stars of their own books. Still, the industry is dominated by white male characters.

And as we celebrate Black History Month this February, let The 25 Most Memorable Black Comic Book Characters be a call to arms for even greater diversity in a medium that needs it.

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Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

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25. Tyroc (DC Entertainment)

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24. Deathlok (Marvel Entertainment)

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23. Mister Terrific (DC Entertainment)

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22. Mother’s Milk (Dynamite Entertainment)

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21. Barracuda (Marvel Entertainment)

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20. The Fox (Top Cow Productions)

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19. Ultimate Nick Fury (Marvel Entertainment)

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18. Joe Robertson (Marvel Entertainment)

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17. Vixen (DC Entertainment)

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16. Steel (DC Entertainment)

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15. Bishop (Marvel Entertainment)

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14. Misty Knight (Marvel Entertainment)

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13. Static (Milestone Comics/DC Entertainment)

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12. Cyborg (DC Entertainment)

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11. Michonne (Image Comics)

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10. Falcon (Marvel Entertainment)

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9. Martha Washington (Dark Horse Comics)

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8. Black Lightning (DC Entertainment)

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7. Lobo (Dell Comics)

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6. Blade (Marvel Entertainment)

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5. John Stewart (DC Entertainment)

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4. Spawn (Image Comics)

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3. Luke Cage (Marvel Entertainment)

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2. Storm (Marvel Entertainment)

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1. Black Panther (Marvel Entertainment)

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