TV's Black Superheroes Share Their Personal Heroes Who Inspire Them

Who do these Black superheroes look up to and see as their personal heroes?

Chelsi

• Published in Film & TV
• April 10, 2022

Early on, kids find out the concept of what heroes are. They look up to them and think that they’re awesome enough to gain inspiration from what they do.

When you ask them, a lot might say that it’s the person who raised them and others would go for the superhero they see in films and shows. But if you don’t see too many heroes that look like you, would you be easily inspired?

This is why representation matters and it might have taken a bit too long but the new generation of heroes in shows is now getting more diverse. There’s the Black Panther who had not only a big impact on Black People but also showed how sacred their culture is and there’s also Mack from S.H.I.E.L.D. who presents that you don’t have to have superpowers to be a hero.

These celebrities who are playing Black superheroes are beyond thrilled to be part of the movement for a cast to be diverse. They have their own stories of who they saw themselves in the most while growing up and how it made a mark on the way they became who they are today.

1. For Javicia Leslie, her ultimate hero is her mom who was a former army and raised her and her sibling independently.

As for playing Batwoman, the depth of what it means for a Black woman to play the character didn’t sink in until she was finally cast. At first, during the audition process, Javicia didn’t really think they would go for her because of the usual perception of Batwoman in comics but still went through with it anyway. 

2. Moms are awesome and Kaci Walfall certainly agrees with the sentiment as she also sees her as her personal hero.

Her mom is a principal that runs an elementary school but tried to step back to support Kaci in portraying Naomi McDuffie. Being Naomi gave Kaci a chance to be an inspiration for little girls everywhere while enjoying what she does.

3. Martian Manhunter a.k.a. J’onn J’onnz in Supergirl is arguably one of the most powerful heroes in the DC universe and David Harewood was cast to play him.

Growing up he always looked up to the Incredible Hulk for not only being as strong as he is but choosing to yield his powers for good. When asked about the Black superhero that inspires him, he chose Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. It was a film that resonated with him very much.

4. The Legends became better when Maisie Richardson-Sellers was cast to be the complex Vixen/Amaya/Charlie.

She was stoked and proud to be part of the representation that’s progressing in the entertainment industry. The number of diverse heroes that Maisie watched growing up wasn’t a lot and so it’s a game-changer to see that things are starting to change.

5. There’s a deep connection between Camrus Johnson being Luke fox on the show Batwoman.

It was a dream for him to play a hero but also being part of TV history is big for him. When he was young he found Static Shock to be very relatable and inspirational since it showed that black kids with the same personality can be heroes too.

6. The kid who grew up looking up to Cyborg grew up to play him on Doom Patrol.

Jovian Wade admitted that he watched Teen Titans and the Justice League and saw Cyborg as someone he identified with. He had a few more favorites but to be the one playing the hero for kids to look up to him and see representation means the world to him.

7. Black Panther, Namor the Submariner, and his mother are the heroes that made Henry Simmons the man capable of playing Mack on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

He definitely got excited when they chose to go with a Black character for SHIELD’s leader. Henry knows that technically Mack doesn’t have superpowers but the fact that he’s running the show behind a team of superheroes would be a great representation to kids.

8. Nafessa Williams was aware that there weren’t a lot of superheroes that looked like her while growing up and it was with great pride that she was chosen to play Thunder on Black Lightning.

Although she couldn’t relate much to Claire Huxtable when she was young, she was sure that she was her superhero. 

The lack of representation was one of the big reasons Black kids would think that it wasn’t possible for them to be superheroes. Then slowly but surely, casts of films and shows are starting to become diverse.

And those kids who grew up not really seeing themselves much in characters are now the ones lending their voices to the future generation. Not only are they enjoying their job, but they are also proud of it. 

Chelsi