Marvel adds Native American, Korean superheroes

Los Angeles (AFP) - The comic book giant Marvel has added a Native American and a Korean-American teenager to its list of superheroes, pushing forth with its bid to diversify and smash racial boundaries.

"The Marvel Universe's American Southwest now has a superhero to call its very own -- the mysterious new hero, Red Wolf," the company said in a statement Wednesday.

"An outsider and an honest man, Red Wolf is going to need all his wits, and both his fists, to serve and protect this new world from the corrupt organizations that want to control... the gritty and harsh American Southwest."

The company last week also revealed that Amadeus Cho, a Korean-American, would become the new fictional character Hulk, replacing Bruce Banner.

Both Red Wolf and Amadeus Cho will debut in December.

A black superhero, Black Panther, is set to come to life on the big screen in 2018 with actor Chadwick Boseman in the lead role. It will be the first time a black superhero gets his own film.

"That's what's awesome about it: You have all these characters of different nationalities and ethnicities, but it's not all about their culture," said Jeffrey Veregge, the artist for the Red Wolf character, himself a Native American.

"It's about them being a hero."

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