Image via Complex Original
Earlier this year, Marvel announced that a 15-year-old black girl would become Iron Man in the comic book series. The news was yet another example of Marvel moving towards diversity and replacing their traditionally white male characters with people of color. Sadly, if you look at Marvel's Cinematic Universe, you won't see nearly as much diversity on-screen, even considering the Sept. 30 release of Netflix's Luke Cage series, and Captain Marvel getting her own (Brie Larson-starring) film in 2019. Things are starting to move down the right path, but there's a long way to go.
Recently, Netflix announced that they want half of its content to be original productions. Daredevil's already getting a third season, with Jessica Jones receiving a second, and The Punisher being given a series order. With Netflix's continued success as the house of the original series for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it would make sense that they'd lean on Marvel to help fill that quota. If that does happen, and Marvel has the opportunity to bring even more of their characters to TV, hopefully they're reading this right now. Marvel has so many worthy heroes of color—if they're really dedicated to diversity, and making America look similar to the Queens that is being assembled for Spider-Man: Homecoming, these are the superheroes who should get their own series.
Miles Morales / Spider-Man
Debut: Ultimate Fallout #4 (August 2011)
For fans of: Awkward teen high school melodramas
Miles Morales should be a no-brainer, right? Since he was introduced via Marvel's Ultimate Universe back in 2011, he's been a fan favorite. Maybe it's because we were tired of Peter Parker, or because the fresh-faced, half-black, half-Latino Morales offered a different spin on great responsibility coming with great power. Whatever the case may be, it'd be refreshing to see the teen shining in a 13-episode story arc. Although with Sony's current deal with Marvel, it might be hard to see this dream actually become a reality.
Riri Williams / Ironheart
Debut: Invincible Iron Man Vol. 7, #7 (May 2016)
For fans of: Iron Man and Iron Man 2
You remember Riri Williams: the new character from Brian Michael Bendis (who also created Miles Morales) that is said to be taking over the Iron Man spot for Tony Stark (although her character will officially be known as Ironheart). She's a 15-year-old genius who is already attending M.I.T., although her schooling is in jeopardy because she jacked all types of equipment to perfect her gear, which is based on an outdated Iron Man suit.
Riri's new to the game, but that is where her beauty lies; her character's already headstrong enough to keep this project under wraps while not giving a fuck about what authority thinks. Plus, she's got a good heart. There's a Spider-Man-esque vibe to what she's doing, but instead of a young white male navigating through puberty and awkwardness, we have a confident, gifted young woman who's throwing herself head first into this superhero thing. If that isn't ripe for a series order, I don't know what is.
Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel
Debut: Captain Marvel #14 (August 2013)
For fans of: Awkward Comic-Con missed connections
If there's one thing that writes itself, its a Pakistani American teenager being turned into a superhero who can enlarge or shrink her body at will, all while trying to deal with overprotective parents in the heart of Jersey City, New Jersey. Like Miles Morales, Kamala Khan has grown into a fan favorite in the two years since she has debuted, to the point where they both were added to the Avengers roster. If Marvel was to tell her origin story via Netflix, it'd be a huge boost to the Muslim community, who love comics and superheroes just like everyone else.
Robbie Reyes / Ghost Rider
Debut: All-New Ghost Rider #1 (May 2014)
For fans of: Every Fast & Furious film
When Marvel decided to bring the Ghost Rider into the MCU (after a pair of failed Nicolas Cage-starring movies) via Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., they shied away from the white, male versions of the hero and introduced Robbie Reyes, a Mexican-American high schooler who's into that Fast & Furious auto racing life. His life is hectic; we're talking about a teen who has to take care of his developmentally disabled younger brother while navigating through the gang-heavy streets of East L.A.—all while holding onto the demonic Ghost Rider persona inside of him. This story is full action, emotion, and straight-up fury. It'd be one of the easier characters to translate into a series.
Cindy Moon / Silk
Debut: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #1 (June 2014)
For fans of: Spider-Man and Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego
Cindy Moon is an interesting new-ish character. Long story short, she effectively has the same powers Peter Parker has, but has been locked in a bunker for 13 years so a predator named Morlun wouldn't find her and kill her. Parker let her out of her bunker, and she's not only using her powers for good, but she's on a mission to find her parents, by any means necessary.
The idea that this young Korean-American woman, fresh out of missing more than a decade of life, is a) adjusting to her new powers while b) on a secret mission to find her parents? That's a kernel we've not seen in the MCU as of yet, and it'd be dope to see it truly be fleshed out. The comedy of modern living multiplied by the desire to reconnect, and what that could mean for her, could be a winner. And with rumors that Cindy Moon could be appearing in Spider-Man: Homecoming, this could be reality.
Mercedes "Misty" Knight
Debut: Marvel Team-Up #1 (March 1972) [unnamed], Marvel Premiere #21 (March 1975) [as Misty Knight]
For fans of: Luke Cage and Living Single
For those who know how Misty Knight gets down, her introduction via Luke Cage could be everything. In one of her more recent incarnations, Misty was actually the leader of the Heroes for Hire, booking jobs for different street-level heroes. Simone Missick is such a talent, and her history in the comics has her linked to both Luke Cage and Iron Fist, two heroes getting their own Netflix series. Officially, Luke Cage is just the start of her journey, and while she's set to be a part of The Defenders, the hope is that Misty's trek could also include a series for her to truly spread her badass wings.
Nick Fury
Debut: Ultimate X-Men #9 (October 2001)
For fans of: Anything Samuel L. Jackson screams in
Samuel L. Jackson was so dope as Nick Fury that Marvel replaced the old, white Nick Fury with a new, black one. Jackson's Fury has been a constant force in the first two Phases of the MCU, but due to his celebrity, it's hard to see him nailed down to anything more than a glorified cameo position. However, with the quality of original series going up, one could hope that Sam would sign on to a Nick Fury series that might see him having to, say, time-travel back to help his former self become the Fury he was destined to be. Or he could just lead a new batch of agents into battle against the forces of evil, which could springboard even more characters (good and bad) into the MCU.
Lunella Lafayette / Moon Girl
Debut: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 (January 2016)
For fans of: black-ish
Lunella is a young queen right now. Back in July, Marvel announced that the nine-year-old Inhuman brainiac is indeed the smartest person in the Marvel universe. With Marvel already introducing Inhumans via Agens of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Lunella rolling around with a f*cking dinosaur, we have what could be one of the more empowering series in comic book history. Imagine Marsai Martin as Lunella. She's sassy af on black-ish, and could definitely pull off Lunella's nerdy girl who just wants to be normal vibe. If Marvel wants to really blow the roof off of diversity, Lunella getting her own series might be the way to go.