Marvel fans, have you been waiting anxiously for the next line of superheroes to make their debut? Well, wait no longer, social justice warriors have joined the ranks of Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman, and Captain America. Introducing Snowflake and Safespace, two of the newest heroes to defend mankind against the evils of the world. This pair of non-binary twins, however, will not likely be fighting malevolent madmen plotting to take over the world. Instead, they are tasked with combating bullies and the social injustices against humanity.
As part of the new “New Warriors,” Snowflake and Safespace will be introduced along with others for the 2020 year. According to Marvel’s advertisement:
“With Kamala’s Law in full effect – forbidding unsupervised super heroics by anyone under the age of 21 – it’s time for the New Warriors to step up. Thrasher reunites with Firestar, Rage, Speedball, Namorita and Silhouette to mentor a whole new generation of heroes … whether they like it or not. Introducing the NEW New Warriors – and the epoch of their thrilling adventures!”
The new team members all have names that represent some kind of issue or concern in society. The idea behind the power names is to take popular negative identifiers and try to change the derogatory perceptions being blasted across the internet.
Marvel’s Newest Crime Fighters
Snowflake and Safespace
The psychic twins are billed as non-binary bully fighting superheroes. Marvel said the twins are “hyper aware of modern culture” and their powers are a “post-ironic mediation on using violence to combat bullying.”
Snowflake, dressed in blue with matching eyes and a somewhat feminine appearance, is the non-binary half of the siblings and likes to be referred to as they/them, Marvel said. This character’s offensive superpower is the ability to magically create “snowflake-shaped projectiles” to destroy enemies. “The connotations of the word ‘snowflake’ in our culture right now are something fragile, and this is a character who is turning it into something sharp.”
Safespace is a bulky, masculine character with bright pink eyes and a costume to match. His powers are defensive and can only be used when he is protecting others – not himself. When someone else is in danger he can create a forcefield (safe space) of protection.
Screentime
This character was exposed to his grandfather’s “experimental internet gas” and his brain became permanently connected to the internet as a result. Screentime can see augmented reality, real-time maps, and can access Google instantly.
“I wanted to have teen characters who felt as ‘now’ as the New Warriors did in 1990,” writer Daniel Kibblesmith explained, adding that as a kid he had been somewhat intimidated by the heroes of the 90s and thought they were “too cool” for him. “The New Warriors have been zeitgeist characters from the beginning, you get edgy skateboarding Night Thrasher in the ‘90s and the Reality TV team in the 2000s, and now in 2020, we have New Warriors who have never grown up without the Internet, and one character who appears to essentially live inside it.”
The teen heroes, Kibblesmith added, got their names as a symbol of the labels they are fighting against.
Trailblazer
This young girl is a bit overweight and a group home and foster kid who volunteers at senior centers. She has a magic backpack inherited from her grandfather that has infinite space from which she can withdraw random and useful objects, although this ability isn’t always under her control.
B-Negative
No, this isn’t a call for teens everywhere to be negative, instead it is the name of the “living vampire” who was exposed to Michael Morbius’s blood as a child during a medical procedure to save his live. He would be considered the “goth” member of the team and is obsessed with the music and attitudes of the 90s and 2000s.
Should Marvel get applause at incorporating social justice warriors into their iconic lineup of superheroes? How well will these newest members stack up against the Hulk, for example, whose main power is “smash,” or Iron Man, whose genius technology ability is matched only by his cutting, sarcastic, and even insulting comebacks? Only time will tell.
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Read more from Kelli Ballard.
