Recently we've seen quite a bit of diversity when it comes to mainstream films. First we see Jamie Foxx play Electro, Miles Morales is the new upcoming Spiderman, and now Zendaya has been cast as Mary Jane. Idris Elba has just scored a role in the new Stephen King movie and T.V show based on the best selling scifi fiction novel "The Dark Tower". But where are the Latino superheroes? This summer we saw one of our first superheroes, kinda, in Suicide Squad. However, Suicide Squad was really just about a bunch of villains fighting worse villains. Regardless, El Diablo is the the first Latino superhero/villain we've seen on the big screen lately. Unfortunately though, he didn't say much the whole movie, save for a few funny lines here and there. His story is a sad one, he doesn't use his powers because of a violent outburst that killed his family. But all that is lost in between his stereotypical accent and his face/body of tattoos. Something, as you can see, isn't really accurate to the comics.
However in "The Flash"one of the main characters, Cisco also known as Vibe, is Latino. He has always been one of the leading characters in the show and as the seasons go on and he develops his abilities, his role continues to expand.
Shows like The Flash with superhero characters like Cisco aren't the norm though. One of the biggest reasons I think this is has to do with the film industry in general. I feel like the film industry is underdeveloped when it comes to finding Latino talent. In film, Latinos have traditionally been the bad guys. Hollywood has always had a bias when it came to films involving Mexicans, who were often only cast as violent villians. Hollywood films now need to overcome such bias and cast Latinos outside of roles like El Diablo who is definitely another movie trope.
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