Marvel is known for pushing the glass ceiling for diversity. The predecessor to Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman. To capitalize on the growing popularity of comic books—especially those starring superheroes—Goodman created Timely Comics. Timely’s first comic book was Marvel Comics no. 1 (cover dated October 1939), which featured several superhero characters, most notably the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Timely Comics introduced many superhero characters during comics’ “Golden Age” in the 1940s, most importantly Captain America, who first appeared in Captain America Comics no. 1 (March 1941). After Timely canceled the last of its books, Goodman formed his own distribution company, and Timely Comics became Atlas Magazines. In the early 1960s Atlas changed its name to Marvel Comics. Due to poor sales in the comic book industry, Marvel Comics declared bankruptcy in 1996. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 1998 and began to diversify its output, launching imprints aimed at a variety of demographics and expanding its cinematic offerings under the Marvel Studios banner.
In 2018, Marvel release Black Panther, a superhero film based on the African character of the same name. In Black Panther, T'Challa is crowned king of Wakanda following his father's death, but his sovereignty is challenged by an adversary who plans to abandon the country's isolationist policies and begin a global revolution. During its theatrical run, the film grossed over $1.35 billion and broke numerous box office records, including for the highest-grossing film by a black director. It became the ninth highest-grossing film ever, the third highest-grossing film ever in North America, and for 2018 it was the highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. and Canada as well as the second highest-grossing film of the year worldwide.
In 2021, Marvel is trying its hand again with a wide range of diversity on the movie screen. At San Diego Comic-Con on July 20th, 2019, actress Tessa Thompson hinted that her character, Valkyrie, will be involved in an LGBTQ storyline in the fourth Thor movie, “Thor: Love and Thunder.” When asked what her character will be up to in the film, Thompson told the audience: “I think first of all as king, as new king, she needs to find her queen. That’ll be her first order of business. She has some ideas. Keep you posted.” Following Saturday’s panel, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige confirmed that Valkyrie will be involved in an LGBTQ storyline. “The answer is yes," he told Gizmodo. “How that impacts the story remains to be seen with that level of representation you’ll see across our films, not in just ‘Thor 4.’” Valkyrie has appeared in Marvel Comics since 1970. The superheroine, based on the Norse mythological figure Brynhildr, was created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema. First appearing in “The Avengers” #83, Valkyrie became a mainstay of the superhero team known as the Defenders and a close ally and love interest of the superhero Thor. But in more recent comics, Valkyrie has been portrayed as bisexual.
“Our entire success is based on people that are incredibly different,” Victoria Alonso who is Marvel’s production chief. “If we don’t put pedal to the metal on the diversity and the inclusivity, we will not have continued success. Our determination is to have that for all of the people out there watching our movies.” In the infamous voice of Celie, “I just stand back and wait to see what the wall gonna look like.”
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