Xavier Isearch Paper

Superhero diversity isearch
I started my love for superheroes when I was in first grade. I was introduced to
Spiderman books and Batman books. For an art project, I drew a Spiderman picture.
When I was on summer break, I watched superhero movies all day long. When I was in
second grade, I always read the superhero books they had there. I was really into The
Avengers and The Adventures of Superman. My favorite superhero movie was Batman.
Then I was really curious about the field of superheroes, and when I heard about the
exhibition, I really wanted to do superheroes as a topic. During this project, I learned
about a lot of superhero diversity and superheroes.
Young people need to see superheroes that look like them
● The Impact of superheroes
● The Importance of diversity
● Superheroes and why are they important
The Definition of a superhero from Oxford Languages Dictionary is “a benevolent
fictional character with superhuman powers such as Superman.”
What is superhero diversity?
Superhero diversity is when superheroes in a team are diversified and not all the same
race, gender, ethnicity or religion. One of the first women superheroes is Wonder Woman
which was made in 1941 and was one of the most popular superheroes and still is today.
Wonder Woman was a sign that any gender can be a superhero. The Black Panther Movie
in 2018 was a movie about an African who is a superhero and fights for his people. Right
now there are 2 popular superhero groups: Marvel/Disney and DC Comics are both currently
adding more superheroes with different backgrounds.
How does superhero diversity impact different backgrounds?
One of the first African superheroes is the Black Panther. The Black Panther was
made in 1966 written by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The Black Panther is from the African
country of Wakanda. People look at this superhero icon and in 2018 Black Panther got
a solo movie. This superhero represented a small start to diversity for superheroes. An
important part of having confidence is knowing that you're not alone. When there is a
superhero on the screen that looks like you, you feel like you can be a superhero.
Why is superhero diversity important?
To feel empowered you need to believe in yourself and also have someone to
look up to. Superhero shows are the way for kids and even adults to relate to someone
for life lessons or responsibility. But what if that did not happen? What if you did not
have someone to look up to and relate to? Instead you might have no morals and could
become a bitter person. Unfortunately, some people have it this way and maybe their
parents had the same and their parents before them. A family like this might not be as
knowledgeable because of lack of diversity and respect for all cultures, religion and
gender.
In the article, “The Importance of Black Superheroes,” the author claims that If
we were to include diversity we would not only empower culturalized groups but also
help all kids find a sense of self worth.

Why are superheroes important?
Superheroes are important because they are people you can look up to and be
inspired by. Children try to follow how they approach situations in the movies when they
are trying to fight their personal super villains. According to “The Impact of Superhero
Movies on Children’s Values and Development,” children feel empowered like they can
also be a superhero. Young people need to see people of their color on the screen so
they feel like they can be superheroes and not feel like only them can be superheroes
based on the color of their skin.
Following my research, I interviewed Robin Johnson Jr. who works at Comic
Con, the world’s biggest comic book convention.. I asked him how he thought that
superheroes were important to children and he responded, “Superheroes play a crucial
role in a child's development. They serve as role models, teaching important values
such as courage, empathy, and justice. Moreover, seeing diverse superheroes can help
children from marginalized communities feel seen, valued, and empowered to pursue
their dreams.”
Then I asked him how he would represent superheroes in his work and he
responded, “In my cosplay, [the practice of dressing up as a character from a movie, book,
or video game] I aim to embody the essence of Superman while adding my own personal
touch. By portraying Superman as a black man, I'm challenging preconceived notions of
what a superhero should look like and inspiring others to reimagine these iconic
characters in diverse ways.”
After that I asked him whether he thought superheroes were important for
everyone and he responded, “Yes, superhero diversity is immensely important.

Representation matters because it validates people's identities and experiences. When
children, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, see superheroes who
look like them, they feel empowered and capable of achieving greatness. Moreover,
diverse superheroes help challenge societal norms and promote equality and social
justice.”
My Action:
For my action, I created a superhero that is diversified and can teach kids about
how they can help. I have also made worksheets with prompts so kids can make their
own superheroes. This can show kids how fun it is to be a superhero and how people
can make a difference. To show how much I have learned, I decided to make a timeline
to show how superheroes have become more diverse over the years.
My Reflection:
This exhibition was really hard and stressful, but I learned a lot from the journey.
From this experience, I learned to be a risk taker. I think that because I had to take a lot
of risks to be able to make this exhibition. This will affect me and how I work in the
future for other big projects by making sure that I plan ahead so things are clearer and
easier. Some things that surprised me were how superheroes could be role models to
kids. Superheroes can teach kids to be kinder and take on their own problems like how
their superheroes take down the villains. In the future I might watch other movies about
more diversified superheroes and villains. I had so many questions about how I could
show my learning and how I could present my work, and I decided to make a timeline
of all superheroes.

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Superhero diversity isearch

exhibition, I really wanted to do superheroes as a topic. During this project, I learned

about a lot of superhero diversity and superheroes.

Young people need to see superheroes that look like them

● The Impact of superheroes

● The Importance of diversity

● Superheroes and why are they important

The Definition of a superhero from Oxford Languages Dictionary is “a benevolent

fictional character with superhuman powers such as Superman.”

What is superhero diversity?

adding more superheroes with different backgrounds.

How does superhero diversity impact different backgrounds?

Why is superhero diversity important?

help all kids find a sense of self worth.

based on the color of their skin.

Following my research, I interviewed Robin Johnson Jr. who works at Comic

superheroes were important to children and he responded, “Superheroes play a crucial

touch. By portraying Superman as a black man, I'm challenging preconceived notions of

characters in diverse ways.”

everyone and he responded, “Yes, superhero diversity is immensely important.

children, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, see superheroes who

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