Cover Photo: Promotional still via Marvel Studios
Promotional still via Marvel Studios

Zendaya is Not Your Mama’s Mary Jane

The Black leading ladies of superhero media haven’t always gotten the best deals. But like much of the comic book–inspired world, one change could shape the mythos for decades to come.

Ravynn K. Stringfield is an American Studies Ph.D. candidate at William & Mary. Her research centers Black women and girls in new media fantasy narratives. She is also a blogger, essayist and novelist. Ravynn's work has been featured in Catapult, ZORA, Shondaland, Voyage YA Journal and midnight & indigo. For more about her, visit her website, ravynnkstringfield.com, or follow her on Twitter: @RavynnKaMia.