Korean Marvel Superheroes
The Yellow Tiger?
My wife and I finally got around to watching the highly celebrate Black Panther movie earlier this week and I must say, it does live up to the hype. Besides the predictable tainting of Disney’s kid-friendly influence and expected linear plot, the character development and artistic direction were very tastefully done with a great deal of interpretative energy. Kudos to the team behind the movie, it must of have been a herculean task to balance all the delicate elements.
The casino brawl music is my absolutely favorite -
My JAM comes in at 2:36
That being said, this post if of course not about reviewing Black Panther. This post is much more about my personal envy, seeing an ethnic group empowered by the production of this film and all the acclaim that has been buzzing around it. Even I can viscerally feel why black Americans are so jazzed about it and it leaves me jealous. It would be awesome to see an Asian dude or chick flying around the screen, kicking ass and taking names.
I know I know, it feels like I’m falling into the diversity ‘trap’ of only focusing on race. I’m not claiming that there MUST be an Asian (super)hero or any suggestion that Asians aren’t represented enough. If you’re an Asian that wants to see a beefy yellow vigilante on the big screen, go work out at the gym, take acting classes, tell your mom that no, you won’t go to law school, and move out to Hollywood. I am curious though, of wether or not Asian superheroes are even a thing in Marvel’s legacy, in particular the illustration of Koreans.
Turns out there are. Let’s see what I found!
Don’t get caught in her web: Silk
When Peter Parker was bit by a radioactive spider and transformed into the young superhero he is now, he wasn’t the only one to develop such powers. Apparently there was another classmate who fell victim to the same bite - Cindy Moon. She undergoes a similar transformation as Parker and is known as the vigilante Silk.
Though not explicitly stated by Marvel when Silk was announced in 2014, many speculate her last name (which is linguistically of Korean lineage) points to her being a Korean American girl from New York. She has a slightly divergent storyline, being trained in highly confined conditions, but ends up partnering with Spiderman on a number of missions and is even a lover at one point.
So all in all, a Korean American mirror of Peter, who is already a fairly boring superhero in my opinion. Moving along…
From Singer to Ice-Slinger: Luna Snow
Seol Hee, an aspiring Korean pop-singer, was performing in a Stark Industries event when the festivities were raided by high-tech organization A.I.M. She attempts to delay the enemy force but is eventually taken captive and exposed to advanced cold-fusion tech, giving her the power to control ice. Now, instead of just performing on stage, she fights as Luna Snow.
Marvel Future Fight is a game spinoff of the classic Avengers lineage and it’s fairly respectable to see them subsume international identities like Luna. This is more recent move in the more diverse 21st century and seems like a cliche’ attempt at injecting a bit of variety.
So let’s move on…
Shifting into a Heroic Role: White Fox
Now we get to the noteworthy material. White Fox, civilian name Ami Han, is the last of the Kumiho, Korean shapeshifters that can speak to animals and transform into them as well. The character was actually developed independently as a webtoon by Young Hoon Ko and then assimilated into The Avengers timeline right around the ‘Civil War’ plot twist. She’s a secret intelligence operative by day and crimefighter by night.
Now this is the kind of Korea-based hero I can get behind. Her character, although not nearly as developed as other Marvel mainstreams, is more intrinsically tied to Korean lore and mythology. Plus, her ability is much cooler than just chilling a beer or shooting out the same webs as little Parker.
So that’s my bit of fanboying for today. Maybe Marvel can come out with a Korean-American beefcake in the near future? Let me know if you’d like to see that.
Steem on!
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So silk is like an Asian crush of a spider man. The snow one is just whatever- you ran out of an idea kind of character.
I can get behind the White Fox just cause it is the modern version of a character from an old tale ... sort of... in a way. But before that did you know what kumiho was?
hit ctrlN and google kumiho- Dont.
Unfortunately I'm sure Peter Parker has yellow fever...
But the Kumiho lore is pretty interesting, one that has been interpreted in divergent ways in several asian countries. It's actually the basis of Naruto's character as well!
I thought Black Panther was a little less Disney-like than the previous ones, and I was very happy to see that they didn't turn yet another superhero into a stand-up comedian, for a change.
Anyway, the post was cool, and Silk was hot. No pun intended. It must have been quite the research, I wonder if there's any underground superhero from Italy. Knowing the way the Americans picture us, it would probably be some short, hairy guy throwing Mozzarellas around. And making hand gestures. Oh well :)