The Vision and Racial Metaphor

Themes of passing & prejudice and the pursuit of truth & justice should make superhero comics well-suited to discussing racial politics. However, the frequent use of racial metaphor can be a slippery slope. King & Walta’s “The Vision” miniseries shows why. 1/14

First, some history. Because so many iconic superheroes were created by Jewish immigrants during an era of intense antisemitism, many commentators have argued that themes of racial & ethnic prejudice fundamentally inform the genre. According to famed writer Danny Fingeroth: 2/14

Yet superhero comics often approach racial politics through metaphor. Superman & the original X-Men may be informed by prejudices against Jews & African Americans, but the characters present as white. Scholar Isiah Lavender III argues this is typical of science fiction: 4/14

“Science Fiction often talks about race by not talking about race, makes real aliens, has hidden race dialogues. Even though it is a literature that talks a lot about underclasses or oppressed classes, it does so from a privileged if somewhat generic white space.” 5/14

The longtime relationship between the Vision & the Scarlet Witch mixes racial metaphor w/ real-world contexts. In one story, religious fundamentalists try to assassinate Vision, protesting the “unholy” union between a synthezoid & a mutant (who would later be Jewish Romani). 6/14

King & Walta’s “Vision” series maintains aspects of this racial metaphor. The series opens with the Visions’ white suburban neighbors voicing overt prejudice against synthezoids. This may reference historical links between American suburbs and “white flight” segregation. 7/14

Later, the Vision’s garage is vandalized w/ metaphorically racist graffiti. This has countless real-world analogues, such as vandalism of LeBron James’ home in 2017. The fact the graffiti targets the Visions’ supposedly deviant sexuality can also resonate with queerness. 8/14

In addition, Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” starring the controversial but complex Jewish character Shylock, is a recurring intertext. Children Vin & Viv become fascinated with the play and it’s quoted at a pivotal moment to specifically align Virginia with Shylock. 9/14

Combining real prejudice (antisemitism) with fictional prejudice (against synthezoids) evokes scholar Darko Suvin’s concept of “cognitive estrangement,” wherein a fantastic “novum” (a synthezoid family) reveals important truths, in this case, about the nature of prejudice. 10/14

Metaphorizing the Visions as Jewish can also highlight the Jewish origins of the genre. Yet the Visions evoke multiple contexts of racial and ethic oppression. Elsewhere, they are metaphorized as Native American through a comparison with a racist “Redskins” school logo. 11/14

On the one hand, racial metaphors can emphasize commonalities across experiences of prejudice. While every oppressed group has a unique history, many instruments of oppression recur in different eras and contexts. Recognizing commonality can foster intersectional empathy. 12/14

On the other hand, the Visions’ ability to represent multiple racial & ethnic groups risks appropriation. Because the Visions can represent almost any racial or ethnic context to tell any story the writer wants to tell, there are no obligations to authenticity or accuracy. 13/14

Racial metaphors are neither exclusively good nor exclusively bad. What matters is recognizing the history & complexity of the technique, so that individual instances can be interrogated with all the nuance and variation they deserve. 14/14