Marvel recently announced one of the most important and influential decisions in the comic book and superhero world. Iron Man will soon become Iron Woman.
Tony Stark is taking a well-deserved break from the spotlight to pave the way for a young woman, and most of the Marvel Universe couldn't be more excited. Riri Williams, a 15-year-old African-American studying science at MIT, caught the attention of Stark when she created her own version of his iconic suit in her dorm room, and he quickly took her under his wing to succeed him. Brian Michael Bendis, the creator and writer of the Iron Man story, is incredibly zealous about a new and diverse character joining the growing superhero cast. He explained that Williams is based on a real woman from Chicago who escaped violence and tragedy in her hometown to pursue a college education, which, in his words, is the "most modern version of a superhero or superheroine story." Robert Downey Jr. himself even endorsed the new character with his tweet that read, "Get ready for a new generation of Marvel BAMF..."
While a majority of Marvel fans are happy with the monumental change of Iron Man, some are upset with the conversion. Men are offended that Marvel is "ruining their childhoods" and "destroying the sanctity of the character" by making Iron Man a woman.
Iron Man is one of the most popular superheroes in existence, and for him to be succeeded by a black woman is ridiculously iconic and significant to comic book readers and movie watchers. Representation is frequently discussed in the fantasy world, with women and minorities often being overlooked. Whenever something horrific happens in the world, white men in tights are always the first to respond, with few exceptions, such as Wonder Woman and The Powerpuff Girls. Famous black superheroes are constantly being recast as white men: Green Lantern, for example. Representation is important in the comic book world because readers are of all genders and races, and they need to be able to relate to the characters of their favorite stories.
Girls are raised to believe that they can achieve anything if they put their minds to it. However, the "Damsel in Distress" is, more often than not, the identity given to women in fantasy worlds. Even if a woman is cast in a movie, she is likely going to be surrounded by multiple men who are more powerful than her--especially if she's part of a minority race.
Marvel is finally giving girls--especially African-American ones--a new role model. Riri Williams will be the new face of toughness and fighting crime. She'll fight like a girl, think like a girl, and run like a girl, but all because she's just that: a girl. Riri Williams will be receiving her own stories in comic book stores in the fall and will hopefully fight alongside Captain American and Thor in the "Avengers" series.
