Iconic Black Sci-Fi Characters Then and Now [UPDATE]

If you haven’t watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022) at this point, I’m so sorry, but it’s time to talk about Shuri (Letitia Wright) gaining the strength of the Black Panther, leading Wakanda to victory. She is the new Black Panther after the death of her brother (the late Chadwick Boseman).

Previously appearing in the film Shazam!(2019), Black Adam received his own film in 2022 played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Black Adam gained his magic powers from a wizard and struggled between being a villain and a hero.

We were finally introduced to Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) known as Riri Williams in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever(2022), getting a peak into the tech genius’ self-made super suit! Disney announced that the Ironheart Disney+ series will be streaming in 2023.

The sci-fi racists have been after Ismael Cruz Córdova as Arondir Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. Córdova is the first Black Elven warrior. Despite the pushback from fans, the creators of the show have stood firmly on their choice to cast Black people in the show.

We can’t forget Wesley Snipes as vampire hunter Blade in the movie franchise. Marvel created the original Blade hero in 1973. We are eagerly waiting for Mahershala Ali to revive Blade sometime in 2023!

Sophia Nomvete plays the first female Black dwarf in the Lord of the Rings franchise. Although fans found things about her that didn’t match the books, the creators have embraced a new interpretation of the princess.

Steve Toussaint plays the white loc’d Corlys Velaryon in House of the Dragon on HBO. Corlys Velaryon is a seafarer and lord of the House of Velaryon, the husband of Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Unfortunately, Toussaint was attacked online by Game of Thrones fans because apparently Black people can’t exist in a fantasy world.

The triple threat actress, singer, and dancer Nichelle Nichols portrayed the beautiful and smart character of Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek series. Her character was known to be one of the first Black women who did not have to resort to playing a demeaning role on television. Instead, Uhura was one of elegance and opened doors for other Black women in the sci-fi genre. We might be currently mourning the death of Nichols, but her legacy lives on.

The late Chadwick Boseman portrayed one of the most important characters in the MCU, T’Challa aka the Black Panther. Released in February 2018, Marvel fans new and old swarmed the movie theaters to see a majority Black cast in a Marvel film finally, and Boseman did not disappoint. As the second Black Panther film is set to be released later this year, Boseman’s resounding presence will be missed.

To the Root and many others, this master of the craft is the Queen of great science fiction. In fact, Octavia Butler’s works are some of the most powerful in the genre. Her books incorporate the Black experience, science, Afrofuturism, injustice, and women’s rights. Her sci-fi novel, Kindred, was her best-selling book. Although she tragically died from a fall in 2006, her works are still being appreciated today.

The ominous voice of Darth Vader was originally that of James Earl Jones in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977 ). He continued to voice Vader throughout several of the franchise’s films, TV series and video games.

Bumblebee is DC’s first Black female superhero. She debuted in the Teen Titans series in 1976. She is currently voiced by Kimberly Brooks in the DC Super Hero Girls animated series.

The Pierce family graced our screens from 2018-2021, a Black family of superheroes. The show followed Jefferson Pierce played by Cress Williams, who was a dad, principal, and retired superhero. He put his suit back on when a gang re-emerged in his hometown, threatening his family life. He and his daughters, Anissa and Jennifer (played by Nafessa Williams and China Ann McClain), learn to use their powers and protect their community and each other. Believe it or not, this was the first Black-led DC superhero TV series.

Morpheus! This wise and just badd-ass character was played by Laurence Fishburne. First he appeared on our screens in 1999 in The Matrix and continued for two more films in the series.

One of the most shocking outcomes of the exciting, devastating, and excellent Avengers: Endgame film was that Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson, better known as Falcon, would become the new Captain America. His initial appearance was in the Marvel films in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) as a friend and sidekick for Captain America. Falcon was also the first Black American hero in the Marvel comics.

Although this film was far from successful at the box office, we cannot forget Halle Berry as Catwoman. The Academy Award winner does not regret playing the character, and we will keep dressing up as her version of Catwoman for Halloween.

The newest Black film in sci-fi is Jordan Peele’s, Nope starring Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya. These two play siblings in this summer blockbuster, instead of spoiling the film, go watch it for yourself!

Samuel L. Jackson played the Jedi Master Mace Windu beginning in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Jackson’s recognizable personality and wit brought some excitement to the somewhat boring early Star Wars films.

The fierce Niobe portrayed by Jada Pinkett-Smith was the love interest Morpheus AKA Laurence Fishburne in the Matrix. Pinkett played Niobe in three other Matrix films as well as a video game.

Letitia Wright played Nish in Black Mirror’s S4E6 “Black Museum.” Her performance in the episode gave her a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2018.

Danai Gurira has portrayed one of the main characters of The Walking Dead as Michonne, a survivor of the zombie apocalypse. Gurira only recently bowed out of the series after a stunning 125 episodes over since first appearing in 2010.

Ja’siah Young played Dion in the tragically canceled series, Raising Dion on Netflix. The 10-year-old certainly has a bright future in the sci-fi genre as his acting made his audience feel the pain, wonder, and excitement of being a child with superpowers.

Miles Morales was first seen on film in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018), the first time Spiderman was seen as a Afro-Latinx person. He was voiced by Shameik Moore in the movie.

T’Challa would’ve never been able to save his country without the fearless women of Wakanda. Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright’s characters were the Black women we’ve been waiting for years to see in a Marvel film. We look forward to seeing all of them return in Black Panther 2.