Get to Know the AAPI Super Heroes of Marvel Comics
AAPI Heritage Month is in full swing, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander super heroes (and antiheroes!) of Marvel are making sure to showcase their power. On July 18, Marvel Comics: A Manga Tribute will be available. Over 30 Japanese artists, including Peach Momoko, will give classic Marvel stories their own manga makeover.
Of course, Marvel comics have always been home to popular AAPI characters such as Jubilee and Psylocke of the X-Men. Psylocke is even a new member of the Uncanny Avengers! On the screen, the MCU has re-introduced audiences to powerful heroes like Shang-Chi and given new live-action life to fan-favorite super heroes like Kamala Khan and Wong. More recently, Mantis joined her Guardians family in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for one last adventure in the beloved film trilogy. Beyond these well-known heroes, however, lies a whole roster of AAPI heroes making a name for themselves.
Wave
Full Name: Pearl Pangan
Powers: Hydrokinesis, granting her control over water and a connection to her upbringing along the coast in Cebu
Affiliations: Agents of Atlas
Major Enemies: Malekith, Sindr
Fan Fact: Wave first worked with the new Agents of Atlas, a team led by Jimmy Woo composed of other new AAPI heroes such as Aero and Luna Snow plus established heroes like Shang-Chi, Silk, and Brawn.
Iron Fist
Full Name: Lin Lie
Powers: Wielded the Sword of Fu Xi since he is a descendant of the Xian Xu Li, an ancient Chinese leader from Ta-Lo; grants him energy manipulation in addition to his mastery of martial arts and swordsmanship
Affiliations: Agents of Atlas, Doctor Strange, Danny Rand, Daredevil
Major Enemies: Chiyou, Baron Mordo, Mike Nguyen
Fan Fact: After his sword briefly rejected him, a demon seriously injured Lin but his life was saved by the dragon Shou-Lao. The K’un-Lun dragon helped him absorb shards of the Sword of Fu Xi, setting Lin on a path to succeed Danny Rand as the current Iron Fist.
Trinary
Full Name: Shilpa Khatri
Powers: Technopathy (psychic manipulation of any technology within her eyesight)
Affiliations: X-Men, X-Corp
Major Enemies: Indian Mutant Defense Force
Fan Fact: Trinary is a member of the X-Corporation board alongside Monet St. Croix and Angel, and she was also part of the X-Men team that took down Nimrod as Krakoa was being established.
The Wu
Full Name: Alice Gulliver
Powers: Alice inherited a gift for magic from her mother, The August Wu
Affiliations: Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange
Major Enemies: The Chinese Triads, one of which killed her father, Adam Gulliver
Fan Fact: Though she works as a Hong Kong detective like her father, Alice enhances her guns and gadgets with specialized hexes.
Amadeus Cho
Aliases: Brawn (currently), Mastermind Excello, Totally Awesome Hulk, Chulk
Powers: Genius-level intellect (seventh smartest person in the world) as well as gamma-induced Hulk transformation
Affiliations: Hercules, Hulk, Maddy Cho (twin sister), Mighty Avengers, Champions
Major Enemies: Pythagoras Dupree, Chthon, Intelligencia, the Pantheon
Fan Fact: Amadeus’ hacking skills are so impressive that he once nearly shut down S.H.I.E.L.D., though Hercules convinced him not to do something so villainous.
Silk
Full Name: Cindy Moon
Powers: Superhuman physiology with arachnid-based abilities, such as silk production from fingertips and enhanced Spider-Sense
Affiliations: Spider-Man, The Order of the Web, Agents of Atlas
Major Enemies: Morlun, The Inheritors,
Fan Fact: On Earth-65, the home of Spider-Gwen, Cindy Moon is actually the founder of a terrorist organization called S.I.L.K.
Silver Samurai
Full Name: Keniuchio Harada
Powers: In addition to mastery of the katana and the Bushido discipline, Silver Samurai is a mutant who can channel tachyon energy fields (tachyons are subatomic particles that travel faster than the speed of light)
Affiliations: Mandrill, Big Hero 6, Clan Yashida
Major Enemies: Daredevil, S.H.I.E.L.D., Wolverine
Fan Fact: Silver Samurai shares a complicated history with Wolverine, through not only Mariko Yashida but also the infamous swordsmith Muramasa.
Nico Minoru
Former Alias: Sister Grimm
Powers: Limited magical ability / use of the Staff of One
Affiliations: The Runaways
Major Enemies: The Pride
Fan Fact: While extremely powerful, the Staff of One requires that no two spells share the same incantation. As a result, Nico must get creative with the words she uses during battle.
Indra
Full Name: Paras Gavaskar
Powers: Indra’s mutant abilities include an armored exoskeleton and psionic generation of weaponry
Affiliations: Academy X, Northstar, Rogue
Major Enemies: Belasco, S’ym, Children of the Vault
Fan Fact: Unlike his namesake, the Hindu god of war, Indra is a follower of Jainism, a religion of nonviolence — this has led to many internal struggles for Indra as a mutant hero.
The Marvel Multiverse is infinitely vast, so the above heroes aren’t the only AAPI characters around! On the small screen, Daisy Johnson, AKA Quake, made a seismic impact on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. while formidable Colleen Wing appears in both comics and television alongside her partner Misty Knight. And over on Krakoa, there’s always a mutant waiting in the wings for their moment to shine — just ask Shinobi Shaw, Neal Shaara, Mondo, Sway, and Armor.
Who is your favorite Marvel AAPI character? Did we miss someone? Keep the conversation going with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in our Atomic Misfits Facebook Group, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!