The Top 10 Best Black Superheroes from Movies

5. Col. James Rupert “Rhodey” Rhodes Aka War Machine- The MCU

Sorry, Terrence Howard, I’m going to have to go with Don Cheadle on this one. War Machine is Iron Man’s trusted companion in a lot of ways. However, he’s much more than just some sidekick. He was one of the first black superheroes to be introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and though he didn’t get a chance to really shine until Iron Man 2, he’s been swooping in to help save the day plenty of times ever since. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with him in Infinity War after his fall from grace (literally), but he’s an old warhorse and you can count on Rhodey to be right there fighting the good fight when it matters most.

4. Sam Wilson AKA Falcon- The MCU

Captain America’s best bud (at least from this century) is the Falcon. More importantly, though, the Falcon is a big deal when it comes to black superheroes in Marvel comics. After all, he’s one of the few people to have held the title of Captain America, and with Chris Evans exiting the role, you know that Anthony Mackie‘s is going to do the mantel of the shield-wielding symbol of justice, well, justice. The Falcon has served a bit more as comic relief in a few of the movies he’s starred in, but he’s a loyal soldier who stands for what he believes in and refuses to back down when his friends need him most. Who knows how far Captain America would have made it without Falcon watching his 6.

3. Eric Brooks AKA Blade- The Blade Trilogy

Black Panther is a big deal when it comes to black superheroes. There’s no arguing that. However, the first powerhouse to hit the silver screen was Wesley Snipes as Blade. In fact, showed up a few years before X-Men really got the superhero movie genre rolling. Look, I’m not going to argue that all of his movies were masterpieces, but they were pretty solid movies and gave the audience their first real mainstream movie to star a black comic book character (at least when it comes to a decent movie). With talks of the character getting rebooted back into the MCU, I look forward to seeing Mahershala Ali‘s take on the character.

2. Scrapper 142 AKA Valkyrie- Thor: Ragnarok

There were a lot of black superheroes on this list that seemed that are incredibly awesome. However, looking back on Tessa Thompson’s debut in Thor: Ragnarok, I have to say she’s my favorite black superhero in the movies so far. Valkyrie, like Thor, is an Asgardian, which means she’s already super strong, invulnerable to most attacks, and possesses magical powers. On top of that though, she’s also a Valkyrie, one of the legendary warriors of Asgard that even Thor dreamed of becoming when he was a little boy (it’s an all lady squad though). That means in a race of warriors, Valkyrie was one of the best of the best. Toss in the fact that she’s hilarious, cool as hell, and is the new leader of the Asgardians on Earth, and Valkyrie is definitely my personal favorite on this list.

1. T’Challa AKA Black Panther- The MCU

Let’s face it, Black Panther making his way to the big screen was a game-changer. He wasn’t the first black superhero to get their own film, but he’s the one that has made the biggest splash since Black Panther premiered in 2018. This character proved that not only could movies about black superheroes be successful at the box office (and at award ceremonies), but that there was a huge demand for them from audiences around the world. Now that the MCU is changing, I have no doubt that the King of Wakanda will play a huge role in its future as the next generation of heroes steps up to fill the huge shoes left by Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Luckily, T’Challa has some pretty awesome kicks of his own already and he’s perfect to fill the void left by both those characters with his intellect and honed combat abilities. That’s why he’s snagging the number one spot on this list of the best black superheroes from movies. 

Honorable Mention: Miles Morales AKA Spider-Man- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Most of the time when I pull together top 10 lists, I try to stick with live-action characters. However, when it comes to black superheroes, there is one animated character I deserve to be mentioned with the names above and that’s Miles Morales. Into the Spider-Verse was one of the best superhero movies in general that I’ve ever seen and right at the center of it was the up and coming character, Miles Morales. When Spider-Man dies in his universe, Miles reluctantly takes up the mantle to carry on the hero’s mission and memory. While he lacks confidence at first, Miles soon learns that in order to be a hero, he has to be his own hero. That means embracing what makes him strong and not just trying to copy others. This revelation makes him an inspiration and a character that I hope we see a lot more of. 

Dishonorable Mention: John Henry Irons AKA Steel- Steel

I wouldn’t mind seeing this character rebooted for the new DCEU for the simple fact that then I could try to forget that the Shaquille O’Neal ever happened. It’s a horrifically terrible movie that only happened in an attempt to capitalize on Shaq’s ill-fated attempt to transition from the court to the silver screen. Unlike so many other athletes that became actors, Shaq just didn’t have the charisma to be a leading man and Steel was almost painful to watch. Still, I have to respect the attempt to make a comic book movie with a black protagonist in the 90s. So, I figured I had to at least mention the film on this list.

There you have it, the 10 best black superheroes that have appeared in movies. While I’m not going to say that black superheroes have gotten nearly as much screen time as their white counterparts, I was actually pretty surprised how many there were and how hard it was to narrow down this list. Those were just my picks though. So, if you feel like there are black superheroes that should have been on this list, be sure to leave a comment below. Oh, and if you enjoyed this article make sure you share it with your friends!