Marvel Comics’ New ‘Mighty Avengers’ May Be Controversial

Marvel Comics has unveiled their latest comic book in Mighty Avengers, and it may be a little controversial.

For the second time this month, Marvel has done something that raised a few eyebrows and possibly put a few fans on edge. Earlier this month, an all-female X-Men team was unveiled, making some comic book fans ask if this was inevitable or just to appease the special interest groups.

According to the storyline, the new all-female X-Men team meets an old enemy who seeks asylum from an ancient evil. The team includes Jubilee, Storm, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey and Scott Summers’ daughter Rachel Grey, and Psylocke.

This might seem peculiar except for the fact that some X-Men teams before have been all men, usually consisting of Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Gambit and Iceman or some other classic characters. Most of the time, though, the X-Men have usually always had Storm, Jean Grey, or one of the other women prominent among them.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers, was upset that there haven’t been enough female super heroes. This may be in answer to his protests, or possibly coincidence.

This time around, it’s Marvel Comics‘ Avengers that has been retooled with some possibly controversial choices. The storyline for Mighty Avengers is that the original Avengers are off planet doing their usual thing, and we apparently needed a second team to fight Thanos in their absence.

Enter the Mighty Avengers. Luke Cage has gathered Superior Spider-Man, Power Man, She-Hulk, White Tiger, Blue Marvel, Falcon, a new Ronin and Monica Rambeau under a new superhero guise. Have you noticed yet that Spider-Man is the only white male member of the Mighty Avengers? Everybody else is African-American or female or both, making us wonder if there wasn’t some kind of agenda to the list. And it seems a bit controversial as well that the logo includes the word “mighty” in a spray-paint font.

Executive editor Tom Brevoort says that the new diversity is no accident, “It feels artificial and ghettoising to me, to have an all-black or all-LGBT or all-Asian Avengers. Putting them together and therefore keeping them away from the other characters — to me, that feels fake. The reality is that people are interested in these characters and want to see heroes that reflect them — and they have a very genuine point.”

In the end, when it comes to Marvel super hero teams, it all comes down to perspective. We should be willing to hand the reigns over to a new team, no matter what their gender or racial background may be.

What do you think of Marvel Comics’ decision toward the casting of the Mighty Avengers? Is it controversial or a welcome change of pace?