As an African-American male, I found Entertainment Weekly's Captain America: Civil War cover disappointing. The fandom has very few African-American superheroes. Period. It's disappointing to see Black Panther singled out as the only hero that's trivialized on a cover that also features Iron Man and Captain America. Don't get me wrong, I get that it was an attempt at humor but it was poorly executed. The 'meow' makes Black Panther look meek, as if he doesn't belong there standing next to two of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Being lumped with the 'Real Housewives' reality series isn't doing BP any favors either.
This is the first black superhero in mainstream comics. A prince/king of an African nation. Does he not deserve a little more respect? A big draw of superhero comics is the opportunity to read the material and see shining examples of heroism and the pinnacle of what we all should aspire to accomplish and overcome. In his big cover debut there's nothing inspirational or enriching by this 'unintentional' misrepresentation of one of the smartest, resilient and powerful figures in Marvel Comics.
Do better, Entertainment Weekly.
Luckily, someone went and fixed the cover.
Check out some of the outcry and responses from Twitter:
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