Comics and History: The Twenty-First Century

Both the real-world War on Terror and Marvel Comics Civil War raised issues of security vs. civil liberties. Steve Rogers, meanwhile, handed the shield of Captain America to Sam Wilson six years after Barack Obama was elected the first African American president. On the DC side, the Green Arrow Rebirth series featured a mayoral candidate whose campaign was based on divisive rhetoric. As the twenty-first century continues to roll on, the similarities between comic books and the real world will no doubt continue as well.

Champions of a New Generation

A new generation of Marvel comic book superheroes, led by Kamala Khan and Miles Morales, formed their own superhero team in 2016 with a focus on more real-world based villainy.

Ms. Marvel and Voting in America

Writer G. Willow Wilson explored the reasons why Americans don’t vote in a Ms. Marvel comic book published in November 2016 in which the superhero tries to increase turnout in Jersey City.

Green Arrow: Racial Profiling

In 2016, writer Benjamin Percy tackled the subject of racial profiling in a multi-issue narrative of Green Arrow in which a floating machine with tentacles targets African Americans in Seattle.

The Unstoppable Wasp and G.I.R.L.

The 2007 comic book series follows the exploits of a teenage superhero recruiting other female geniuses and serves as an inspiration for real-world young women to pursue careers in STEM.

Sam Wilson: The U.S.-Mexican Border

Sam Wilson, the newly anointed Captain American in the Marvel Comics Universe, defended migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexican border despite the political controversy of his actions.

Champions: Sheriff Studdard and Daly County

The Marvel superhero team travel to the American Southwest to confront an elected county sheriff waging war against immigrants, similar to the real-world Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County.

Champions: This is Not a Drill

In a 2018, a high school shooting occurred in the Marvel Comics Universe just seven months after the real-world shooting in Parkland, Florida, that launched the #NeverAgain movement.

Rebirth of a Social Justice Warrior

In the Green Arrow Rebirth comic book series, writer Benjamin Percy creates a fictional world where the Age of Trump is taken to the extreme and Green Arrow is a symbol of resistance.

Green Arrow: The 2016 Presidential Election

Writer Benjamin Percy crafted a multi-year story arc for the Green Arrow Rebirth comic book series that included a mayoral election that mirrored the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.

Green Arrow: The Dakota Access Pipeline

The Green Arrow: Rebirth comic book series included a two-issue story arc based on real world protests at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation against the construction of an oil pipeline.