New Captain America will be black

[Umbran]

They are doing this to iconic characters because it seems no one can create new iconic characters! The last iconic character created was Wolverine and after that, little or nothing, kind of sad.

It isn't like new characters haven't been introduced. They've thrown loads out to the audience, some of them quite good. The new Ms Marvel seems to be gaining some traction...

One major reason why they creating new icons is difficult is that print comics are kinda dyin'. The new characters don't get exposure to the masses on the newsstands nearly as much as they used to, making it difficult for a character to break out into broader appeal.

Luckily, there are already a ton of iconic characters that the market like - so it works well to slightly alter existing icons. Superheroes are modern mythology, and they change with retelling and the times, and that's okay.

 

[billd91]

Let's see - Wolverine was created in 1974. That gives us 40 years to find other iconic characters.
Kitty Pride (1980)
Emma Frost (1980)
Puck (1983)
Captain Britain (1976)
Psylocke (1976)
Rogue (1981)
Elektra (1981)
Deadpool (1991)
Gambit (1990)
Cable (1986)
Nova (1976)
She-Hulk (1980)


Ultimately, it depends on what you call "iconic". If iconic means at the pinnacle of comic character popularity, then I think that's too restrictive a definition. That pretty much limits you to Batman, Superman, Spider Man, and Wolverine. Captain America and Iron Man themselves really only get there because of recent popular movies.

That said, I do think there's a point to be made that there is a relative dearth of really well known and popular characters that don't have a long (at least 30 years) history. I think that may be one reason why they're so popular - multiple generations have read them and remember them.

I also think it takes time for characters to hit their stride. According to John Byrne, Wolverine was in danger of being cut from the X-Men when he joined the team. His advocacy for a fellow Canadian helped keep him around and they were ultimately able to find a voice for him that worked with the fans. Without that, he may easily have faded into obscurity (which probably also would have led to Sabretooth drifting into obscurity too).

 

[Crothian]

As long as they are changing things I want a comic that places captain America with Martin Luther King Jr set in the 60's.

 

[WayneLigon]

They are doing this to iconic characters because it seems no one can create new iconic characters! The last iconic character created was Wolverine and after that, little or nothing, kind of sad.

Truly iconic characters are very rare. After you get past Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man, the field becomes very, very thin.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Let's see - Wolverine was created in 1974. That gives us 40 years to find other iconic characters.
Kitty Pride (1980)
Emma Frost (1980)
Puck (1983)
Captain Britain (1976)
Psylocke (1976)
Rogue (1981)
Elektra (1981)
Deadpool (1991)
Gambit (1990)
Cable (1986)
Nova (1976)
She-Hulk (1980)

Don't see them as iconic, some are close and sure they are great characters in the list but not top tier. DC is horrid on it breakout characters. The youngest on the list (Deadpool) is 23 years old.

This is just a shortcut for them.

 

[Deset Gled]

Kitty Pride (1980)
Emma Frost (1980)
Puck (1983)
Captain Britain (1976)
Psylocke (1976)
Rogue (1981)
Elektra (1981)
Deadpool (1991)
Gambit (1990)
Cable (1986)
Nova (1976)
She-Hulk (1980)


Ultimately, it depends on what you call "iconic".

To me, iconic means "When I say a ____ type superhero, people picture _____". The only one of these characters I would consider at all iconic is Deadpool.

But how about...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blade
The Crow
Hellboy
Judge Dredd
Men in Black
Sailor Moon

All based on comics that are 30 years old or younger.

 

[The_Silversword]

Black Captain America isnt really anything new.

 

[billd91]

As long as they are changing things I want a comic that places captain America with Martin Luther King Jr set in the 60's.

Sadly, I think the time for that has passed. Back in the 1960s, when Cap was revived, it would have made great sense and I think the Cap of that timeline came to really reflect a lot of the values of 1960s liberal America. While he was occasionally written with a view toward reflexive patriotism and national security, in the main he did come to stand for a more liberal view of freedom and justice. But then, he was being written through America's experiences of the 1960s, civil rights movements, a disillusioning Vietnam War, the growth of legal protection for civil liberties, and written in a city that's a bulwark of liberal politics. It would be totally in character.

The trouble with doing something like that again and writing a comic putting Cap with MLK is it looks like some kind of revisionism to do that with the main timeline Cap. It might fit, but it would look awkward. Also, doing so would draw attention to the contrast between main timeline Cap and the Cap of the current movies. In the movies, he's been in suspended animation and out of action for 70 years. He's a real man out of time, far more than the main timeline Cap ever was despite attempts to really portray him as one in the 1960s. He was only out of action 20 years.

I just don't see them doing something along those lines. I'm not even sure the current writers would feel they had the same credibility to do it as the bullpen from the 1960s would have had (had they thought of it).

 

[JRoss]

Will Smith is too old. He's pretty much dead in Hollywood, anyway.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Black Captain America isnt really anything new.

Or, more accurately (and as mentioned in the article):

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth:_Red,_White_&_Black