How can Cyborg reach the modern prominence of BP?

[TransJenner]

The studies just need to accept the fact that black super heroes make alot of money. Luke Cage broke netflix, Black Panther setting records. Blade started the whole wave(even though they like to credit xmen which came out a year later). Even Spawn an indie comic hero had a cult following. (a white cult following by the way). There hasn't been a single black comicbook hero with his own movie that has flopped yet. facts
and despite this We've yet to see a single DC negro get his own film.

edit: except Steel, (but that movie was trash and deserved to flop.)

Maybe it's because there's not a lot of them out there

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

You forgot about blade breh

exactly... it's all in the movies and DC has proven they can't do it

lets forget the who's better fight... don't even want to have that


but at the end of the day, marvel came out with C and D list heroes, and made them A list, billion dollar movies... even before ironman, we had a black, F-level hero, in Blade. and that shyt was crazy successful and spawned (no pun), 3 movies. spawn wasn't even in the big 2, and was a shyt show, and still was a cult classic and successful. another black hero


yet we just handing out excuses for Cyborg. Write a good damn story, with a good damn actor, and market it correctly, and you could easily make him a star. but they too busy fukking up A list characters and the big 3 of all time... i would put zero faith in them making good movies where the character ain't iconic already

 

[nightwing2016]

As previous breh’s stated cyborg works best in an ensamble cast. His story in teen titans are great and his interactions with his teammates are very memorable but he isn’t a stand alone character like that. If they make a live action tv series or movie I can see him getting popular if he shines in it but other than that I highly doubt he will ever been anywhere near a storm or John Stewart.

 

[Mic-Nificent]

Todd McFarlane and blumhouse are about to test that theory lol

They've already fukked it up with McFarlane saying he wants Spawn to be silent the entire movie.

 

[nightwing2016]

Will never sell and people will never accept it.

Batman is Bruce
Hal is the GL rep of Earth

The only good transition that happens repeatedly in handing off a heroes mantle to another character is The Flash. I don't know why it works but it does , people accept
Jay -> Barry -> Wally

People would accept dikk as Batman and have. Morrison’s run with dikk and Damian as Batman and Robin sold well and was critically acclaimed and has had the best dynamic between Batman and robin since Bruce and dikk. Damian hasn’t been around long enough for people to go with it. John and Kyle can carry a green lantern book, it is just Geoff Johns has a silver age fetish and had to bring Barry and Hal back when it wasn’t necessary

 

[lutha]

Not to get into this petty shyt but your first point minus all the rage lol is true. There aren’t many marvel or dc black characters who can do what black panther is going to do. Maybe luke Cage? But that’s a maybe for me.

true, no character has the history of bp mainly cause he was the first black character, so they might not reach the levels he finna reach right now, but if done right, there are others that can have success....besides john stewart, one i think that could be a draw: michael **** aka mr terrific...he's one of the smartest (3rd at last count, created/uses t-spheres, performed open heart surgery on the spot when needed by just reading a book), wealthiest (self made), most athletic (meaning he's one of the best with hand to hand combat) people in dc...and he's run shyt as the leader of the the justice society...if they introduced him & brought him along slowly (since most dont know him), while staying true to the character (being equal to or only slightly behind bats in most shyt), and let him address some shyt black people face, i think people would rally around him.....

 

[nightwing2016]

Forgot to address it but I think @MartyMcFly is right in his earlier point, Cyborg really isn't that type of character anyway. And i also agree with@obarth in that not many characters in general are, even if you remove the qualifier of being a "black" superhero.

Cap is the embodiment of America's pride and idealism. (Arguably white America if you factor his look). Wonder Woman embodies feminism, arguably white feminism. Black Panther obviously is an embodiment of African pride, or black pride. And although their race, gender and patriotism aren't brought up like the others, Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man are more covert representations for white males. However, the thing with all the characters mentioned is they have a cool factor and appeal that can transcend any specific demographic.

Spider-Man and Batman have obviously been the shining examples of this for decades now, and at the end of the day, all these fictitious characters are "superheroes" meant to give fantasy wish-fulfillment/escapism to kids and young people. They're supposed to embody great things or great concepts.

Which is where Cyborg falls a bit short because everything about him feels more like the person who you'd rather have be your friend, than the person you'd actually want to be. And why i agree that a John Stewart or Static Shock would work better. And a shoutout to Vixen too, who is a bit underrated.

Honestly, I think you are underestimating what makes a lot of these characters great. People love spider-man because we have watched him grow. We have seen him fail and get back up. The title spider-man means something because peter’s actions have made it into a title worth respecting. I mean I have seen black kids running
around here with naruto head bands on cause they can relate where he is coming from. One of the problems that black superheroes run into is they start off by trying to make a statement. You know why people like static it is because Dwayne Mcduffie wrote Virgil is a relatable kid. I am an x-men stan and wolverine and storm out my top two characters because I have watched them struggle and fall. When storm loses her powers and is thinking about suicide, you feel for her. When she finds her determination to move forward after such a tremendous loss you cheer for her. It is all about the writing at the end of the day

 

[lutha]

hell naw....you right, he doesnt suck, but he's crazy as hell lol...also, he'd be too much like batman...he should get some time in a batman show, but he's not lead material...

 

[David_TheMan]

People would accept dikk as Batman and have. Morrison’s run with dikk and Damian as Batman and Robin sold well and was critically acclaimed and has had the best dynamic between Batman and robin since Bruce and dikk. Damian hasn’t been around long enough for people to go with it. John and Kyle can carry a green lantern book, it is just Geoff Johns has a silver age fetish and had to bring Barry and Hal back when it wasn’t necessary

dikk will never be batman, he'll always be filling in for Bruce.
This is why Bruce was brought back and has and will never be killed off.

Kyle was a nice stand in GL main guy for 20 years, but most of us GL fans were angry what they did to Hal and hoping he would come back, and eventually they brought him back. John and Guy are solid with the GL Corps and their side stories and characterizations eventually became great, but they aren't Hal and they never could fill his shoes or place, because they nor Kyle as characters never should have had to.

 

[lutha]

How about vixen or bronze tiger

they should get shine, but dont think they are leads....besides john stewart, mr terrific is the guy that dc can push if they wanna push a black character...

 

[Primetime]

Honestly, I think you are underestimating what makes a lot of these characters great. People love spider-man because we have watched him grow. We have seen him fail and get back up. The title spider-man means something because peter’s actions have made it into a title worth respecting. I mean I have seen black kids running
around here with naruto head bands on cause they can relate where he is coming from. One of the problems that black superheroes run into is they start off by trying to make a statement. You know why people like static it is because Dwayne Mcduffie wrote Virgil is a relatable kid. I am an x-men stan and wolverine and storm out my top two characters because I have watched them struggle and fall. When storm loses her powers and is thinking about suicide, you feel for her. When she finds her determination to move forward after such a tremendous loss you cheer for her. It is all about the writing at the end of the day

I understand your perspective. Here's the thing, i watched Spider-Man grow. i watched him get de-aged, I watched him grow again. I read his comics (amazing, spectacular, unlimited, sensational, peter parker, etc), have like 10 of his 500-600 page published novels as a kid (written by Diane Duane and other authors in the early 90s), watched his fox cartoon, movies, video games, toys...

I know what makes Spider-Man great, and i appreciate his contributions to my childhood. I do think you're underestimating that knowing what makes him great, doesn't change recognition that he's a white guy amongst a sea of white guys and that as great of heroes as he, batman, superman are... there's still a good amount of black people who want better representation and aren't blind to the politics and double standards at play. Same thing with women, and women of color particularly.

Put another way: one of the big problems that black superheroes run into is that there aren't many black creators who get given an opportunity to do their thing without encountering bullshyt. Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, the late great Dwayne McDuffie have all spoken on this. So it's easier to make Spider-Man into all those great things that make you love him, because he's a white guy surrounded by white writers and white editorial that have his best interest at heart (most of the time). Same with Batman, Wolverine, Captain America, etc etc. Even those that fail will often get multiple opportunities to be great.

So i understand where you're coming from and trust, i know why these characters are great and well received, but i also see the politics. And that's not exclusive to the comic book industry of course but as Reginald Hudlin once told me, the comic industry is one of the more backward/slow to move forward industries of them all.

Also, I hope i made it clear before, but a character given the right traits and opportunities can transcend multiple demographics, regardless of whose behind the mask. That's a compliment to Spider-Man and a I told-you-so to all the naysayers who were arguing with my young ass in 1998 aol 3.0 days that black panther couldn't be what he is today.

 

[Un-AmericanDreamer]

Kill that stupid man vs machine storyline DC always goes with for him

Stop letting Cyborg be emo, make him a badass.

Streamline his design, make him a cool cyborg like Deus EX or Genos. Drop the ugly bulky look

You know what, make him a black Genos. Cyborg can be a lot more dynamic, flashy type fighter with cool powers.Give the brother some agility and fluidity.

Give him a love interest (Zatanna, Vixen, anyone?)

Give him more feats

Give him dope storylines like flashpoint was for Flash.

 

[BlackMajik]

Yea... Cyborg not even top 2 in his own universe.... its John GL, Static and then maybe him.

He has no chance at ever being as big as BP

Martha

Steel>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cyborg

 

[Un-AmericanDreamer]

With Cyborg he is best used if you go full blade runner sci-fi.
Black Lightning wasn't on anyone's radar and mostly remembered from the Super Friends cartoon until the show dropped. With the right push any character can go from boring/joke/2nd tier to top of the class.

That's the philosophy of Kevin Feige. He sees every character as a potential A-lister depending on how they're developed.

 

[nightwing2016]

I understand your perspective. Here's the thing, i watched Spider-Man grow. i watched him get de-aged, I watched him grow again. I read his comics (amazing, spectacular, unlimited, sensational, peter parker, etc), have like 10 of his 500-600 page published novels as a kid (written by Diane Duane and other authors in the early 90s), watched his fox cartoon, movies, video games, toys...

I know what makes Spider-Man great, and i appreciate his contributions to my childhood. I do think you're underestimating that knowing what makes him great, doesn't change recognition that he's a white guy amongst a sea of white guys and that as great of heroes as he, batman, superman are... there's still a good amount of black people who want better representation and aren't blind to the politics and double standards at play. Same thing with women, and women of color particularly.

Put another way: one of the big problems that black superheroes run into is that there aren't many black creators who get given an opportunity to do their thing without encountering bullshyt. Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, the late great Dwayne McDuffie have all spoken on this. So it's easier to make Spider-Man into all those great things that make you love him, because he's a white guy surrounded by white writers and white editorial that have his best interest at heart (most of the time). Same with Batman, Wolverine, Captain America, etc etc. Even those that fail will often get multiple opportunities to be great.

So i understand where you're coming from and trust, i know why these characters are great and well received, but i also see the politics. And that's not exclusive to the comic book industry of course but as Reginald Hudlin once told me personally, the comic industry is one of the more backward/slow to move forward industries of them all.

Also, I hope i made it clear before, but a character given the right traits and opportunities can transcend multiple demographics, regardless of whose behind the mask. That's a compliment to Spider-Man and a I told-you-so to all the naysayers who were arguing with my young ass in 1998 aol 3.0 days that black panther couldn't be what he is today.

Don't get me wrong i understand the need for good representation of black people in comic books but how you go about doing that is just as important as doing it. Storm is one of the most iconic black characters in any industry and she has shined with mostly white editors and writers behind the x-men books and her most iconic moments that make you love her are written by white men. I am not disregarding that peter being white does not help his marketability what i am saying that is despite being white and a sea of white men heroes he shines, like bruce and clark shines and that has more to do with who they are as characters and their deeds than their whiteness. Is their politics involved with comics industry of course, you going to run into that bs where ever you go but the greats like Dwayne are still able to create and tell great stories with compelling characters. Sometimes that means doing what Mcduffie did and making the millerverse or Mcfarlane and creating spawn with image. Now i know for a fact that black writers are dealing with more bs than white writers and are giving shorter leashes so i completely agree with you there.