OBAMA!!!!

I've never thought of X-Men as being either sexist or racist, but you make some valid points. Both DC and Marvel tend to portray their male and female heroes in the way you describe and this is not just in mutant books. Across the lines of both major companies female heroes tend to be portrayed as highly attractive and well as highly intelligent women.

Having said that, don't forget that one of the most powerful X-Men - Storm - has black skin and an offensive rather than a defensive power. As for someone from the Southern hemisphere how about Armor who is from Japan?

Also: Cipher is an African - American with stealth powers, Lifeguard is an Australian with the power of Metamorphosis, Magma has the power to transform into molten rock, and Mystique has blue skin.

I think the creative team (s) at Marvel are aware of the importance of diversity in the X-Men and the examples above go some way towards showing that. However, that does not mean to say that the points you raise are invalid - just that there is another side to the story.

Archetypes.

Fail...due to poor research
 
 There are just as many male characters with psychic powers...and super strength is more commonly a male power I'll admit...but many female characters still have it
 
What does a frenzy have to do with black people??

Japan is not in the southern hemisphere. Look at a map.

Statistically very few should come from the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere makes up roughly 90% of the human population.

I've always hated how most super-strong character are shown to have hulking muscles.

Muscle mass develops from the adaptation of tissues after they've been stressed.

If you had super-strength there's not a lot you could lift that would stress your tissues and cause your muscles to grow.

You'd probably look more average or fat than ripped. Go Blob.

I think you're looking way too into it, and may risk inadvertently making yourself sound racist, haha. However, "Collective Man" from China is pretty hilarious.  
 
But then there's Jubliee, which started off as an Chinese American teenager with the power of FIREWORKS. I know her powers have now evolved into something else these days, but come on now.   
 
But meh, doesn't bother me. 

@texasdeathmatch said:

But then there's Jubliee, which started off as an Chinese American teenager with the power of FIREWORKS. I know her powers have now evolved into something else these days, but come on now.

Lol, I remember thinking the same about Jubilee having fireworks for powers, but to be fair they made her suck at maths which is like reverse positive stereotyping or something.

@texasdeathmatch: What do you mean no such thing as positive stereotyping there are plenty.

Lack of representation the x-men come from all sorts of backgrounds and races, fictional or real.

@texasdeathmatch: Of course positive stereotyping has negative undertone because of the whole stereotyping part which is obviously not a good thing positive or otherwise, but yeah we are getting off topic.

@Mighty Thorion: I don't think it's intentionally bad but i think some characters which have been created seem very contrived and maybe subconsciously stereotypical. Character like Storm or M break a lot of molds and redefine the superhero archetype but since Decimation there hasn't been more mutant character to explore new types of heroes and villains.

I would love to see more mutants of all colours, but with powers unique to them and not derived from a certain cultural perception. So hopefully that will mean psychics who aren't just white, black mutants that aren't just super-strong, more Asian characters because there should be more of them reflected if their population is in the billions. So again i really can't wait to see character that break the mold.

this is clearly obama's fault

@Yai_Inn said:

I've always hated how most super-strong character are shown to have hulking muscles.

Muscle mass develops from the adaptation of tissues after they've been stressed.

If you had super-strength there's not a lot you could lift that would stress your tissues and cause your muscles to grow.

You'd probably look more average or fat than ripped. Go Blob.

Hell yeah, go blob. I don't know though. Is it sexist to want to read comics staring beautiful people? The women and men are both usually just drawn to look aesthetically appealing. We want to see our gender opposites sexy and those of our same gender how we would want to look. Now I know not every gal wants to look like Power Girl and not every guy wants to look like McGuiness superman, but I think that's the general idea behind it all. I didn't realize most telepaths were female...or that it was a feminine power. Frenzy to me doesn't imply aggressive black woman. Whats wrong with an aggressive black woman anyways? As for dust I could see the argument that that one is perhaps racist, maybe. I'd have to ask some one of her ethnicity if her character offends them. Better yet, I'd have to poll a large population of them and reach a consensus.

I think sometime people look to hard for reasons to be offended. If a pretty blonde female character happens to be dumb and ditzy is it sexist? It's a stereotype. Would it be racist to give a black character superspeed? That's a stereotype too. Is Lex Luthor a racist character? I don't even know what a racist white character would be, because there's really nothing that would offend me as a fairly 'nilla white guy. I think, majorally there are more characters from any given ethnic backround that don't fit into stereotypes than those that do. However, i don't see a big problem with some character being stereotypical in the first place. I mean, I've known lots of people who line up almost EXACTLY with their stereotype across the board. They do exist, and not sparingly either.

I would like to see hell no

molly hayes is a strong girl

xavier is a telepathic man

@texasdeathmatch said:

I think you're looking way too into it, and may risk inadvertently making yourself sound racist, haha. However, "Collective Man" from China is pretty hilarious. But then there's Jubliee, which started off as an Chinese American teenager with the power of FIREWORKS. I know her powers have now evolved into something else these days, but come on now. But meh, doesn't bother me.

I am just looking at it as a fan of X-men comics for 20 years and as a woman of colour so i think. I have a lot of experience with these types of ideas and like look at things i love critically. And i didn't create the characters I am just pointing out how their mutations sometimes seem derivative of social cliches and stereotypes. And the fact that there are so few people of colour and women characters in the spotlight doesn't help.

I think the X-Books do a pretty good job at presenting a ethnically and gender diverse group, especially if you compare it to other team books. Sure Cyclops and Emma Frost are about as W.A.S.P.y as you can get, but if you look through the roster of all the people who have been X-Men you can find characters from pretty much every ethnic background.

As for the powers I think you're looking at too narrow of a sample range. When you talked about telepaths for example you are ignoring things like the fact that Jean Grey had telekinesis while Charles Xavier did not. Psylocke almost always used her telepathy in an offensive fashion (her psi-knives or whatever they called them). Strength? Off the top of my head Rogue, Molly Hayes (she was in the Runaways but was classified as a mutant), and Frenzy all had super-human strength on par with any dude. Molly knocked Wolverine out in one issue. And then there's Prodigy. What stereotype is he portraying? All black men are super smart and wear sunglasses like Bono from U2 wore in the 90's?

I'd like to stress that the OP's language is too strong for what they're trying to convey. The terms racist and sexist and used pretty liberally these days. Not to say that parts of our society aren't deserving of those brands, but for other parts it's a much grayer area. Sexism and Racism implies an active attempt on part of the sexist and/or racist to oppress or objectify or dehumanize their intended targets. What the OP is using as an example is closer to racial and gender ignorance than a communal effort to subject women and minorities to a white male worldview. And while I agree with the sentiment that this is a problem in the world at large and to a lesser extent in Superhero comic books I'd say the examples given don't justify the reaction.

There are plenty of male telepaths in the X-men universe. The are plenty of female powerhouses as well. In fact Marvel is more in danger of going overboard in an attempt to pander to the politically correct than the opposite. That being said the diversity of character displayed is extremely appreciated if sometimes short sighted.

Also the X-men have always been on the forefront of diversity in comicdom. The second team roster was made specifically to be multicultural and over the years it has only expanded. The X-men probably have the most diverse roster in 616. After all they have been an analogue for all sorts of minorities over the years, they roster has always reflected that.

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)  

I can't side with the tk/tp male/female examples, because there are UBER powerful male and female examples in BOTH categories. Jean Grey being Queen B of course.

@SC said:

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)

SC brings up some very good points. I think that laziness and sensationalism is much more potent in the industry that racist or sexist overtones (although they do exist). However I also think that the intended demographic needs to be taken into account. Archetypal and stereotypical character sets have existed in literature forever. They can be extremely useful tools when trying to open new doors for a fairly sheltered western audience. At first glance Dust is a somewhat one dimensional character and to some extent it's true that she is hindered by her codependent nationality and powerset. But she is also fairly young compared to the rest of the Marvel Universe. She has plenty of potential and has displayed some already through her actions if not her backstory. Another example would be Indra. While Indra hails from India and Sooroya from Afghanistan an ignorant western observer like myself would easily associate the two with one another because they used to sort of live kind of by each other maybe. Indra's mutation is an armor that is Hindu stylized. Is it racist to define his powers based on his heritage and use his bindi as a focal point? I don't think so. Because this trait lends itself to Indra's cannon and highlights the struggles he went through as a child and his struggle with identifying his mutation within his culture. His story is rich and seems to be true to his heritage even though I can't relate to it whatsoever. Sooroya has shown signs of similar validation as the reader tries to reconcile her "stereotypical" powerset with her character. And she only has more time to do so.

I wouldn't be so quick to label things as sexist or racist, those are strong words that have lost their meaning over the years because of frequent use.

As much as I don't like the X-men anymore, they really are the most culturally diverse team in comics. In terms of powers you might have a point, but there are really so many powers to go around, and there are so many x men, you're bound to have repetition.

The most powerful tp/tk user in the Marvel universe is a woman, I agree that some abilities do seem a bit on the stereotypical side but I have to disagree with the psychic thing being that professor X and like 2 other men are the only ones capable of hanging with the women in that area

I would say that TP and TK are not good examples, since Marvel Boy/Justice, X Man, Professor X and Exodus are particularly potent males with those powers to balance out Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Emma Frost, Psylocke and etc on the female side.

I think a stronger argument for power sexism can be made in that women tend to have energy manipulation as their powers, while males tend to have physical augmentation as theirs. It somewhat reflects the classic paradigm reflecting: "males are strong and hit things", while "females are delicate and have psychic/sexual/non-physical powers over other people". Even some potentially gender-neutral powers end up having a sexualized element: while Mystique and Random both are shape shifters, her powers are limited to other people while his tend to be weaponized.

@SC said:

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)

Very well said.

@PhoenixoftheTides said:

I would say that TP and TK are not good examples, since Marvel Boy/Justice, X Man, Professor X and Exodus are particularly potent males with those powers to balance out Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Emma Frost, Psylocke and etc on the female side.

I think a stronger argument for power sexism can be made in that women tend to have energy manipulation as their powers, while males tend to have physical augmentation as theirs. It somewhat reflects the classic paradigm reflecting: "males are strong and hit things", while "females are delicate and have psychic/sexual/non-physical powers over other people". Even some potentially gender-neutral powers end up having a sexualized element: while Mystique and Random both are shape shifters, her powers are limited to other people while his tend to be weaponized.

@SC said:

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)

Very well said.

But even then, there are several noteworthy female heroes that I can think of that have major physical enhancement powers. Psylocke amplified her fighting skills with TK, Ms. Marvel Rogue was a powerhouse for a large portion of her time on the X-Men................I feel that there is a lot more balance to the power system than is being covered...................Then there's Armor......................And Emma's diamond @$$ isn't helping matters either........And I'm Pretty sure anyone who got into the ring with M would hate their life.

As far as the "Frenzy" example, I'd say she's both fitting, and an example of a physical mutation.

The best way to stop racism is to quit talking about it.

@White Mage said:

@PhoenixoftheTides said:

I would say that TP and TK are not good examples, since Marvel Boy/Justice, X Man, Professor X and Exodus are particularly potent males with those powers to balance out Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Emma Frost, Psylocke and etc on the female side.

I think a stronger argument for power sexism can be made in that women tend to have energy manipulation as their powers, while males tend to have physical augmentation as theirs. It somewhat reflects the classic paradigm reflecting: "males are strong and hit things", while "females are delicate and have psychic/sexual/non-physical powers over other people". Even some potentially gender-neutral powers end up having a sexualized element: while Mystique and Random both are shape shifters, her powers are limited to other people while his tend to be weaponized.

@SC said:

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)

Very well said.

But even then, there are several noteworthy female heroes that I can think of that have major physical enhancement powers. Psylocke amplified her fighting skills with TK, Ms. Marvel Rogue was a powerhouse for a large portion of her time on the X-Men................I feel that there is a lot more balance to the power system than is being covered...................Then there's Armor......................And Emma's diamond @$$ isn't helping matters either........And I'm Pretty sure anyone who got into the ring with M would hate their life.

However almost every male superhero has superstrength and enhanced durability as part of their suite of powers. The Avengers alone have Thor, Hercules, Captain America, Vision, The Hulk (sometimes) and Wonder Man (this is without even going too deep into their membership roster). And while there are female heroes with super strength among their skills (that's not really being argued here) for the most part, women tend to get energy-based powers while men tend to get brute strength as part of their powerset. While there may be noteworthy exceptions to this generalization, it somewhat proves the rule.

@Imagine_Man15 said:

The best way to stop racism is to quit talking about it.

I would say that not talking about it tends to make racism become more pervasive. Ignoring that it exists doesn't lead to enlightenment.

I actually have noticed a lot of the female characters have more creative powers than men most of the time. I'd say like 80% of the super powered male heroes in Marvel have the standard super strength/durability, healing factor, while the women are the ones who generally get things like weather manipulation or making weapons out of pure psychic energy

@Imagine_Man15 said:

The best way to stop racism is to quit talking about it.

BULL.......SH*T

@PhoenixoftheTides said:

@White Mage said:

@PhoenixoftheTides said:

I would say that TP and TK are not good examples, since Marvel Boy/Justice, X Man, Professor X and Exodus are particularly potent males with those powers to balance out Jean Grey, Rachel Grey, Emma Frost, Psylocke and etc on the female side.

I think a stronger argument for power sexism can be made in that women tend to have energy manipulation as their powers, while males tend to have physical augmentation as theirs. It somewhat reflects the classic paradigm reflecting: "males are strong and hit things", while "females are delicate and have psychic/sexual/non-physical powers over other people". Even some potentially gender-neutral powers end up having a sexualized element: while Mystique and Random both are shape shifters, her powers are limited to other people while his tend to be weaponized.

@SC said:

Not so much racism and sexism as much as lacking critical reasoning and willingness to think creatively. I mean, the by product may have perceptions of racist or sexist overtones collectively but thats something different altogether. Also the reasons and explanations for mutations. Can mutations be triggered by the environment? Hereditary? Is Dust turning into sand racist, or a very practical mutation given her environment. Not that one could make the mistake of thinking therefore that all mutations must follow this path strictly. As funny a point to make, diversity is especially great when its diverse. As much fun as trying to make diverse characters relatable or realistic (the tricky slope of assigning "natural" characteristics based on race and gender)

Very well said.

But even then, there are several noteworthy female heroes that I can think of that have major physical enhancement powers. Psylocke amplified her fighting skills with TK, Ms. Marvel Rogue was a powerhouse for a large portion of her time on the X-Men................I feel that there is a lot more balance to the power system than is being covered...................Then there's Armor......................And Emma's diamond @$$ isn't helping matters either........And I'm Pretty sure anyone who got into the ring with M would hate their life.

However almost every male superhero has superstrength and enhanced durability as part of their suite of powers. The Avengers alone have Thor, Hercules, Captain America, Vision, The Hulk (sometimes) and Wonder Man (this is without even going too deep into their membership roster). And while there are female heroes with super strength among their skills (that's not really being argued here) for the most part, women tend to get energy-based powers while men tend to get brute strength as part of their powerset. While there may be noteworthy exceptions to this generalization, it somewhat proves the rule.

Those are Avengers and Gods. Not Mutants

@The Man of Yesteryear said:

this is clearly obama's fault

lol

My Telepathic Tally.

Female telepaths(17): Emma Frost, Psylocke, Rachel Grey, Karma, M, Blindfold, Phoebe Cuckoos, Irma Cuckoo, Celeste Cuckoo, Mastermind, Lady Mastermind, M-Twins, Sage, Selene, Madelyne Pryor(psychic entity), Jean Grey (AoA version or maybe Hope), not including the dead and depowered

Telepathic Males (7): Professor X, Legion, Kid Omega, Exodus, Cable(?), Shadow King(psychic entity), Franklin Richards

Just because Professor X was THE MAN, doesn't change the fact that he is one of the few purely telepathic male mutants. All the other male psychics in the X-verse also have telekinesis to their powerset. Or just telekinesis like X-man has now . My other point about psychic males is that their power is made more powerful in comparison to women to overcompensate and they are often labeled as "OMEGA" level. I love that Psylocke has finally reached the omega level. But really why must we care about who is more powerful, when it should be about how you use that power not how much you have. No?

And if you look out side the X-men, in other comics, books, tv shows and movies, men usually get telekinesis while women get telepathy or empathy as their power. It's just so common i have to make some rationale over it. And to me, men just think TK is more masculine then TP, hence why they create characters who abide by that sexist idea.

@TheWitchingHour said:

I'd like to stress that the OP's language is too strong for what they're trying to convey. The terms racist and sexist and used pretty liberally these days. Not to say that parts of our society aren't deserving of those brands, but for other parts it's a much grayer area. Sexism and Racism implies an active attempt on part of the sexist and/or racist to oppress or objectify or dehumanize their intended targets. What the OP is using as an example is closer to racial and gender ignorance than a communal effort to subject women and minorities to a white male worldview. And while I agree with the sentiment that this is a problem in the world at large and to a lesser extent in Superhero comic books I'd say the examples given don't justify the reaction.

There are plenty of male telepaths in the X-men universe. The are plenty of female powerhouses as well. In fact Marvel is more in danger of going overboard in an attempt to pander to the politically correct than the opposite. That being said the diversity of character displayed is extremely appreciated if sometimes short sighted.

Also the X-men have always been on the forefront of diversity in comicdom. The second team roster was made specifically to be multicultural and over the years it has only expanded. The X-men probably have the most diverse roster in 616. After all they have been an analogue for all sorts of minorities over the years, they roster has always reflected that.

I think what my biggest problem with the X-book as well as with other comic books in general is that they are made by and mostly for white men. Everyone else has to make due with what they have to offer us. There have been some great creators who have made an attempt at expanding on these so called archetypes or trying to avoid certain stereotypes. But sometimes i think they can't help subconsciously or unknowingly expressing sexist or racist ideas, because they have a limited view due to their cultural upbringing. So i wouldn't expect them to understand some of the things that might offend women and/or people of colour. But that's where they have to work harder at including us in the conversation and or thinking with an anti-oppressive mentality. That can come from reading more, listening more, and being more empathic. That is why i love knowing that Marjorie Liu is currently writing an X-book. But it's just one step in the right direction.

Just looking at how the X-men have waned in the past decade in their social significance and story quality, I can't help but critique the direction the books have gone and how hopeless it has been that there haven't been new mutants to expand on these superhero archetypes that need modernizing and revolutionizing. That's why i have the highest hope that after AvX there will be more promising characters that defy the stereotypes and provide more diversity, representation and inclusion.

@Silver_Raven said:

My Telepathic Tally.

Female telepaths(17): Emma Frost, Psylocke, Rachel Grey, Karma, M, Blindfold, Phoebe Cuckoos, Irma Cuckoo, Celeste Cuckoo, Mastermind, Lady Mastermind, M-Twins, Sage, Selene, Madelyne Pryor(psychic entity), Jean Grey (AoA version or maybe Hope), not including the dead and depowered

Telepathic Males (7): Professor X, Legion, Kid Omega, Exodus, Cable(?), Shadow King(psychic entity), Franklin Richards

Just because Professor X was THE MAN, doesn't change the fact that he is one of the few purely telepathic male mutants. All the other male psychics in the X-verse also have telekinesis to their powerset. Or just telekinesis like X-man has now . My other point about psychic males is that their power is made more powerful in comparison to women to overcompensate and they are often labeled as "OMEGA" level. I love that Psylocke has finally reached the omega level. But really why must we care about who is more powerful, when it should be about how you use that power not how much you have. No?

And if you look out side the X-men, in other comics, books, tv shows and movies, men usually get telekinesis while women get telepathy or empathy as their power. It's just so common i have to make some rationale over it. And to me, men just think TK is more masculine then TP, hence why they create characters who abide by that sexist idea.

My telepathic tally

Female Telepaths (23): Emma Frost, Psylocke, Rachel Grey, Karma, M (who has a vast array of abilities including Superhuman strength), Blindfold (who is clairvoyant and precognitive not telepathic but I'll include it), the Stepford Cuckoos (who are a hive mind but have shown enough individuality to distinguish themselves so that's another gray area), Lady Mastermind, Mastermind, Selene, Madelyne Pryor, Jean Grey, M-twins (open interdimensional gateways as well), Hope Summers, Martha Johansson, Sage, Cassandra Nova, Alice Hayes, Astrid Bloom,

Male Telepaths (28): Charles Xavier, Kid Omega, Legion, Exodus, Cable, X-man, Shadow King, Franklin Richards, Apocalypse, Fantomex (misdirection amounts to illusion casting which is included due to Lady Mastermind and Mastermind above), the Gorgon, Mister Sinister, Azazel, Kenji Uedo, Absolon Mercator, Stryfe, Prodigy, Proteus, Jason Wyngrade, Tyler Dayspring, Mister X, Hyperstorm, Shen Xorn, Lucifer, Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, Gene Hayes, Hack, Spencer Bronson

These are the ones I can think of. And a couple I had to look up. But it wasn't difficult to list more male telepaths than female ones.

They want to make the females of the X-men to look hot. I say they've been successful.

@TheCannon: You're absolutely right. Comic book art has a long history of being objectifying and sexist. But this thread is dedicated to the nature of powers and whether or not they're sexist. And I don't think they are. I also don't think they're racist.

@TheCannon: Internet high-five.

@TheCannon:

Counter-Point: Ernst

@DarkKnightDetective said:

@TheCannon: Internet high-five.

Thanks. Back at you.

@ReVamp said:

Archetypes.

Jean Grey and Madelyne Pryor are possibly the 2 most powerful TP/TK users in the Marvel universe and pretty much dwarf the power levels of any of their male counterparts with the 1 possible exception of X-man before he was depowered and that is questionable

@Mighty Thorion said:

Having said that, don't forget that one of the most powerful X-Men - Storm - has black skin and an offensive rather than a defensive power. As for someone from the Southern hemisphere how about Armor who is from Japan?

Also: Cipher is an African - American with stealth powers, Lifeguard is an Australian with the power of Metamorphosis, Magma has the power to transform into molten rock, and Mystique has blue skin.

LOL. Japan is in the northern hemisphere.

@cattlebattle said:

Fail...due to poor research There are just as many male characters with psychic powers...and super strength is more commonly a male power I'll admit...but many female characters still have it What does a frenzy have to do with black people??

Yes but the super strong woman are thin and slender while the males are big and muscular.

@Blacklightning13: Spider Man is super strong and Thin

@TheWitchingHour said:

@TheCannon: You're absolutely right. Comic book art has a long history of being objectifying and sexist. But this thread is dedicated to the nature of powers and whether or not they're sexist. And I don't think they are. I also don't think they're racist.

They are unfair to all body types. Male and female.

No, How is telepathy racist?

@Jnr6Lil: this is 2012 everything is racist apparently

@joshmightbe: Yeah but he's meant to be the nerdy guy that can't really make him too strong. It would ruin his character. Plus his strength is proportional to his size. While most other super's get big arms because of there powers.

There are exceptions of course this is just meant in general anyway.