I believe in escapism through fiction. So right now, in this time of political turmoil and controversy, I'm not surprised to see a lot of entertainment news trying to break through the discussions and news reports. Yet there are the times where our entertainment becomes political, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Marvel Comics, however, has done both. I am not going to talk about the movies, or movements such as #givecaptainamericaaboyfriend (that's a whole other argument), because those pertain to the Marvel Studios films, and simply because I'd like to point out the diversity and changes happening in the comics, some of which are exactly what the non-comic Marvel fans are looking for. The company has changed and altered many characters to fit the new, current, everything-must-be-diverse ideology, and while there are some great stories being told, there are also ones that are very obviously just there to make the Marvel Universe more politically correct.

The first big “change” to a character occurred in the pages of "Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man," an alternate universe "Spider-Man" title. Following the death of Peter Parker at the hands of the Green Goblin, the mantle was taken by Miles Morales, a African-American/Hispanic high school student. Miles struggled with being known as “the new Spider-Man” and started wearing a primarily black costume to differ himself from the original. When Marvel revealed this to the world, the media ran crazy. Rumors began circulating that the then-upcoming "The Amazing Spider-Man" film would feature a black actor as Peter Parker. Some outlets said that the biracial character is Peter Parker. Despite all this, Marvel continued to publish stories featuring Miles within the “Ultimate” universe, and his popularity increased dramatically over the next few years. After appearing in the “Spider-Men” storyline and the Spider-Verse event series, Miles was brought into the mainstream universe via the world-shattering 2015 Secret Wars. Currently, he is on the main Avengers team, and since his inclusion within the main titles, the controversy of a biracial Spider-Man has almost faded away.

Year 2014 featured two major changes to characters – one that worked, one that is hit or miss, and one that contradicts previous storylines. The first, was the introduction of Kamala Khan, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl from Jersey City, who would become the next Ms. Marvel. This title and character was already a C-list title, so there was little to no coverage in the news. It should be noted that Kamala Khan's family is devout Muslim, but they are not the stereotypical Pakistani immigrants. Her father often is at odds with her older brother, who is studying to become an imam at the local mosque. Neither Kamala or her mother wear a veil, and Kamala's friend Nakia is asked in the first issue whether or not she is being “forced to wear it” by her father. Nakia tells the classmate that he actually wants her to stop wearing it. This series has been called “the most important comic” of that year, and has been praised for shattering the stereotypes of Muslims in America. However, the draw to the character is not that she is Muslim – instead, Marvel advertises the series as about a girl who discovers that she is an Inhuman, and she must struggle with family, school, and being a superhero. A change that worked, because the team behind it is keeping the story first, not her religion.

The other “new take” on a character was when Jane Foster became Thor. The series has been good, but has also had many bad/disappointing stories – which could just be the problems of writing for someone who is essentially a god, but I digress. The news was announced on The View, and Marvel was accused of pandering to feminists. The talk show did not acknowledge that this female Thor was not the same character as the “classic” Thor, but simply somebody who wields the hammer while Thor Odinson is deemed unworthy of the weapon. To this day, the title is a very controversial one, with constant debate over whether or not the original Thor should just come back and prove himself worthy again. The use of the character also has ups and downs – she is well used in her starring title, but her work in Mark Waid's All-New-All Different Avengers leaves much to be desired. It is an interesting note that Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, and Thor are all on the same team.

The last big change to a character that year was not passing the mantle onto a new person, but a total change in the characterization of one. Brian Michael Bendis' "All-New X-Men" featured the original five X-Men being transported to the modern day, where they met their future selves and have to figure out a way to return home. In #40 of the series, Jean Grey probed the mind of Iceman, and found out that he is gay. She confronted him about it, and he tried to deny it, saying that his “future self isn't gay!” The older Iceman met with his past self, and confirmed this as truth. This change was one of those “let's change it for the sake of changing it” events. This revelation contradicted much of Iceman's past, including romances and near-engagements. The X-Men series has been often used to introduce diverse characters, such as the first openly gay hero, Northstar, who was also the focus of the first gay marriage in comics. Yet in this instance, it was panned by both audiences and critics, because it came out of nowhere and was simply used to bring an emotional arc to the series. The series is still being published, and Iceman's sexuality has almost been ignored altogether, at least so far.

The next year featured the death of Wolverine, and the question of whether or not the name should continue. The previously-established young female clone of Wolverine, X-23, was revealed to be taking over the main "Wolverine" title, with an alternate universe version of the original being the lead in "Old Man Logan." X-23 as Wolverine proved to be a welcome passing of the torch, but not without some controversy over the name. It is still questioned among the fanbase whether or not it is right that she is using the old callsign while wearing a similar costume. Her title is selling well according to recent figures, but there hasn't been too much news and discussion over the content of the series. This could simply be because of a lack of advertisement or popularity of X-Men comics, possibly due to Marvel-Fox relations over the film series.

Lastly, the most recent alteration of a character recently made headlines. In the fall, following the Civil War II storyline, Tony Stark will be replaced as Iron Man by a 15-year-old black girl named Riri Williams. This announcement led to much controversy and debate, some thinking this would happen in the movies, others questioning how exactly she gets the mantle. She has built her own armor using scrap metal, and is said to be smarter than Stark himself – another aspect that has led to a lot of argument. She also has been confirmed to be using the name “Iron Man,” and while some celebrate this representation, many longtime fans are disappointed that Marvel did not create a new armored character, but is simply giving her the name. We have seen James Rhodes in the Iron Man armor before – he was in the armor during the first Secret Wars in 1984. However, he had been established as a longtime friend, and was not portrayed as “better” than Stark. Only time will tell if Riri Williams will be a great character, or a forgettable moment in the overall Iron Man series.

So yes, Marvel is much more diverse than many believe. It is not within their blockbuster films or television programs, but within the pages of the source material. However, these are all characters using names of others. To truly be the diverse universe Marvel wants to be, they must first create new characters with their own names and their own stories. It may take time for them to catch on, but there very well could be another Ms. Marvel type success with an original character. Until then, we have new takes on old classics, and considering the medium, it is all up in the air when they'll hand it back over, so for now, we'll just have to make do with what we have. If you're looking for comics with leads that are not the usual comic book hero, check out these all-new, all-different Marvel titles. Or, if I'm being honest here, look for the independent comics. They'll be much more original and diverse than the mainstream.