Quotes About Representation

I want to be in everything, but that's because I haven't seen someone who looks like me in everything. I want to play a superhero. I want to be the love interest. I want to write my own stuff and create my own projects. I want to be in French films.

Historically, diversity has been a real issue for superhero comics - so we need to do something about it, crafting strong, modern heroes for a modern audience.

I think there need to be more female action heroines out there that are intelligent and not overly masculine and things like that so I'd love to find - and real too. Not necessarily the superhero perfect archetype of what an action hero is represented as a lot of times. I would love to find that kind of action heroine role to play.

I thought, 'Oh, this is great,' because maybe someone who does look like me will watch 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' and realize that they can be an actor if they want to be, or they can be a superhero. They can have a hero that looks like them as well.

I'm proud that I can represent, within Cyborg, a couple of different groups. One being people of color, but also, Cyborg is a superhero that is in many ways disabled. So, being able to give representation from that end as well is something that's really powerful to me.

At age 10, or even 15, it would have meant the world to me to see a Pakistani girl portrayed positively, let alone as a comic book superhero.

When I asked myself what I'd want to see in a comic about a Pakistani superhero, the first word that came to mind was 'relatable.'

In most superhero shows, the superhero is pretty young. He's in his 20s; he's single. 'Black Lightning' is a man who's middle-aged, going through a divorce, and has two daughters.

The reality is that diversity as an overall subject has to continue to be addressed onscreen. That goes beyond having a gay superhero. There should be a black superhero, a Latino superhero and, while we're at it, we still aren't seeing nearly enough women behind the scenes and as the anchors of movies.

It seems only fitting that we have a trans superhero for trans kids to look up to. I wish there was a trans superhero when I was little.

For me, I really liked the idea of playing a non-superhero on a superhero show.

There isn't just one kind of person that can play a superhero.

A lot of black actors will sit there and go, 'Every role is about being a gangster' - then they get an opportunity to write a script and they write about a gangster. You know... write about a superhero.

I want to give black kids a new superhero.

There are now superhero movies fronted by women, and I think directors generally are moving away from that stereotypical woman's role that is just about being flirted with by a man before falling into his arms.

I would love to see an Asian American superhero.

'Deadpool' is its own thing, and it's very quirky, breaks out the box, and doesn't follow the rules of normal superhero movies, so it was really important for me to show that kids that look like me, who are chubbier than other kids, that they can be the hero they want - it was a dream of mine to be a superhero, and it's come true.

It's awesome that they would think of me and base the next big Marvel superhero off of me. That was definitely something I was not expecting and I'm so honored!

I hope in my lifetime we will get to see an Indian superhero for sure.

It does feel like we get to just carte blanche create a superhero origin story for 2021, for this day and age, that is told through a distinctly Asian American lens.

Just because there's one Asian American superhero in the MCU, it does not by any means imply that our fight is finished right there.

The first time I tried on Shang-Chi's superhero suit - Marvel has never had an Asian lead, so that was such a rare and impactful moment, for me as an actor but also for people who look like me. I nearly cried. It was so emotional.

These superhero movies are starting to give more love to not only black characters but also to more female characters, which is necessary because you have boys and girls of all colors who are looking at these superheroes saying, 'I want to be that. I want to look like that. Show me somebody that I can automatically connect with.'

It's important to for your kids to see themselves in their superheroes. Really, it's important for all of us.