Marvel Studios Officially Unveils the 7th Race-Swapped MCU Superhero

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Over the years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has featured a large and diverse cast of actors playing superheroes. While some have criticized Marvel Studios for being “woke” due to changes in character genders or races, the studio has consistently prioritized finding the best actor for a role, even if it means deviating from a character’s original background.

Marvel is sticking to its approach of diversifying its characters, and its next Disney+ series will feature a lead hero who is a different race than their comic book counterpart, continuing a trend seen in previous projects.

The MCU’s Race-Swapped Lead Heroes

Wanda Maximoff

Elizabeth Olsen is a fan favorite in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to her role as Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch. After first appearing in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Wanda became a regular character in many Marvel projects, and Olsen eventually starred in her own series on Disney+.

When Marvel Studios brought Wanda and her brother Pietro into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they altered their backstory. Instead of being of Romani heritage like in the comics, Marvel made Wanda from the made-up European country of Sokovia. This change tied her directly to Ultron and his schemes in the second Avengers movie.

Reed Richards

For decades, Marvel Comics has usually portrayed Reed Richards, the leader of the Fantastic Four, as a white character. Now, with the casting of Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, audiences will see a Latino Mister Fantastic come to life on screen for the very first time.

Kingo

The 2021 film Eternals introduced a particularly diverse group of superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Notably, the film included one of the MCU’s first openly gay characters and also changed the ethnic backgrounds of several heroes compared to the original comic books.

Kumail Nanjiani’s role as Kingo was a notable change from the character’s origins. Traditionally, Kingo has been depicted as Japanese, connected to a Japanese community. In the movie Eternals, however, the character was reimagined as South Asian, mirroring Nanjiani’s Pakistani heritage.

Makkari

Makkari represents a change in both race and gender for this character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Traditionally, Makkari in the comics was a male character from Olympia. However, in the 2021 film, Marvel chose Lauren Ridloff, a deaf actress of Mexican and African-American heritage, to play the role, making Makkari the first deaf superhero in the MCU.

Ajak

In the 2021 Marvel film Eternals, Salma Hayek’s character, Ajak, represents a shift in traditional depictions. Traditionally portrayed as a male, often Russian, leader, Ajak was reimagined as a Latina matriarch for the film, led by Hayek.

Gilgamesh

In Marvel Comics, the immortal character Gilgamesh, who wears a mask, has usually been depicted as being from the Middle East. However, when Don Lee played the role in the 2021 film Eternals, the character was reimagined as Korean.

Wonder Man

Yahya Abdul-Matteen II will play Simon Williams, also known as Wonder Man, in a new Disney+ series set to premiere in 2026. This marks the latest instance of a character’s race being changed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Wonder Man is usually depicted as white in Marvel comics, but the new series reimagines him as Haitian-American. The show also features his family and incorporates their cultural background into the storyline, making this change in his ethnicity a significant element of the character.

Bonus: Heimdall

Marvel Studios has also changed the race of some characters who aren’t the main heroes of their stories, like Idris Elba’s portrayal of Heimdall in the Thor movies.

Heimdall appears in both Marvel comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but there’s a difference in how he’s portrayed. In the comics, he’s usually depicted as a fair-skinned man, staying true to the character’s origins in Norse mythology. However, Idris Elba, who plays Heimdall in the MCU, is Black, offering a different interpretation of the character.

Bonus: Quicksilver

Changing Wanda Maximoff’s ethnicity from Romani to Sokovian also affected how her brother, Pietro (also known as Quicksilver), was portrayed. Both actors, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and his sister, created a unique accent to play their Sokovian characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Bonus: Valkyrie

As a big Marvel fan, I’ve noticed something interesting with Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. She’s become a key character in the Thor movies – Ragnarok, Love and Thunder, and even the Avengers films. But it’s cool how the MCU version differs from the comics. Traditionally, Valkyrie was portrayed as a white Viking woman, but Tessa Thompson brought a mixed-race background to the role, which is a really refreshing change.

Bonus: Namor

In the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor is a character from the underwater nation of Talokan, and is portrayed by Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta, who will also appear in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Like the Eternals, the people of Talokan are a creation of Marvel comics, meaning Namor’s background hasn’t been firmly established. Traditionally, he was often shown as a white character.

Bonus: The Ancient One

As a big Marvel fan, I remember a lot of discussion when Tilda Swinton was cast as the Ancient One in Doctor Strange. The character was originally portrayed as a Tibetan man in the comics, so changing that to a white woman in the movie really sparked some debate. A lot of people felt like it was a case of whitewashing, and it definitely became a talking point within the fandom.

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2026-02-06 05:36