Black Women Are the Superheroes the World Needs

THE NEW YORK TIMES 

By Mya Phillips

Layne’s character, Nile, goes from the U.S. military to the immortals’ army. Credit...Aimee Spinks/Netflix, via Associated Press

In different ways and to varying degrees of success, “Watchmen” and “The Old Guard” know that these characters have a much more nuanced understanding of justice. Traditionally, superheroes fit a predictable mold: white males who stand as bastions of justice despite their vigilante status. In the riveting recent Netflix film “The Old Guard,” and the masterly Emmy-nominated HBO series “Watchmen,” Black women are the new kinds of heroes, not only breaking this mold but also allowing for a radical shift in storytelling.[More]