I’ve noticed that in a majority of superhero tales, there often is a Black character who has the main superhero’s back. This character knows better than to be the lead. He’s usually a friend, a mate, a teammate. Sometimes he gives advice. At times, he entertains with technology or logistics. He just shows up sometimes, when the hero needs backup. He is generally loyal and dependable. He typically does not receive his own full storyline or main arc. He’s there to make the hero be successful.

In most of these stories, the lead superhero is white. The Black character is not the protagonist, but he is always there. And so you can say this is a type of good representation just because the character is smart or strong or helpful. But he is not the one advancing the story. He is meant to enable someone else to succeed.

“I think this pattern arises often because people writing these stories may not think about what that really means. They may want variety, but they still orbit it all around the same type of hero. And the Black character is just subsumed into that formula. It crops up in movies, shows, comics and games. Now that you know it, it’s difficult not to see.