Is the “Woke” Agenda Real? Popular Mainstream Comic Books With Almost Zero Diversity

September 9, 2026

Besides the inclusion of a few minor characters, the 2025 Ultimates team is mostly white. Image source: Amazon

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Social media is not always reflective of real life. However, ever since the term “woke” was appropriated by online culture warriors within recent years, there is a mistaken belief that every white comic book character is being race- or gender bent due to a “woke” agenda. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, most popular comic book series on the stands feature almost zero diversity.

I am not implying that these comic books, or their creators, are racist – not at all. I have read and enjoy all of the comics on this list. However, with the fact that both Marvel and DC have no solo ongoing comics with a Black superhero lead (besides Miles Morales at Marvel), it is also breathtaking to consider that many comics now feature almost all-White casts.

My point is that those who believe there is a woke agenda out to erase Whiteness in popular culture cannot have it both ways. Almost 86% of comic book characters are white males or white in general. A few race- or gender bent characters in live-action adaptations do not change that fact.

Zero Diversity and Erasure Myth

For years, critics have claimed that comic books are being “taken over” by a so‑called woke agenda. This agenda was the cause of traditional heroes being erased, replaced, or rewritten to fit modern diversity quotas. But the reality in 2026 tells a very different story.

The biggest titles from Marvel, DC, and some indie comics remain overwhelmingly white, male, and traditional. These comics are excellent reads – thrilling, well‑drawn, and expertly written – but they also reveal that the “erasure of whiteness” is a myth.

Here are seven popular comics that prove the “woke takeover” exists only in theory. These comics, while entertaining and popular, feature almost zero diversity or minimal non-White characters. This article was inspired by a video from YouTuber Blerd Without Fear.

1. Absolute Superman (DC Comics)

This exciting and compelling deconstruction of the Superman mythos features a seemingly main cast of almost zero diversity. Image source: Amazon

Although Absolute Batman is one of the hottest titles in comics, Absolute Superman is also great. In a universe created by Darkseid, Superman’s hero’s journey is very different from the traditional version. Kal-El and his parents are part of a lowly social caste on Krypton. The Superman emblem is actually a scarlet letter, a mark of shame denoting one belongs to the lowest Kryptonian social class.

After Krypton’s destruction, Kal-El rockets to Earth as a young adolescent boy, not an infant. The Kents never become his adoptive parents. Kal never uses the name “Clark Kent” or becomes a reporter. His suit is a sentient armor and fights corrupt corporations to help downtrodden people.

Even though the book features almost zero diversity in the main cast, it is a compelling deconstruction of the modern Superman mythos.

Absolute Superman Vol. 1: Last Dust of Krypton is a 176-page hardcover collecting the first year of stories. Buy it now at Amazon for $23.29.

2. Space Ghost (Dynamite)

Space Ghost was a one-season 1966 cartoon about Space Ghost, a cosmic crime fighter from Ghost Planet. In 2024, Dynamite Comics began publishing the modern, dark, and gritty take on the character. Space Coast is now a cosmic vigilante protecting his sidekicks, Jan, Jace, and Blip, from cosmic threats.

The art style leans into retro sci‑fi aesthetics, and the cast diversity is virtually nonexistent. Still, the original cartoon was not diverse either. Buy the first issue on Amazon for $2.99.

3. Ultimates 2025 (Marvel)

Despite its futuristic setting, Ultimates 2025 centers on traditional and familiar faces like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Sif, Doctor Doom, Ant-Man, amongst others. Featuring almost zero diversity, the Ultimates roster and cast is almost all white. In this universe the Maker, an evil version of Reed Richards, creates an Earth where there are no heroes.

Luke Cage debuts in issue #9 and America Chavez shows up in a story. However, almost every cover features almost zero diversity. Camp’s writing is sharp and philosophical, yet the team’s composition shows Marvel’s comfort with the traditional roster.

Ultimates By Deniz Camp Vol. 1: Fix The World collects the first six issues of the series. Buy the paperback now on Amazon for $12.35.

4. X-Men (Marvel Comics)

Marvel’s X‑Men has long been a metaphor for social justice, but the current run is surprisingly homogeneous. The core team, led by Cyclops, features Beast, Magneto, Magik, Juggernaut, Psylocke, and Temper. Temper is the only Black character on the team and does not get a lot of attention. Psylocke was technically an English woman in a Japanese woman’s body for almost 30 years until recently.

After the Fall of Krakoa, the X-Men relocate to Alaska to fight new threats and determine their place in the world. X-Men By Jed Mackay Vol. 1: Homecoming is a 176-page paperback collecting the first six issues. Buy it now at Amazon for $10.82.

5. Transformers (Skybound/Image)

In 2023, Skybound and Image began publishing the Energon Universe. It is a collection of titles, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Void Rivals, and M.A.S.K., that repurposes the Transformers mythos. Energon, the energy source used by Transformers, becomes a vital resource on Earth. The Transformers encounter humans for the first time in a story that expertly parallels their human-like nature with human beings.

However, their chaotic war with the Decepticons makes it difficult for humans to differentiate the good from the bad robots. It’s a riveting, mechanical epic about robots warring over ideology and survival. Still, besides an occasional non-white character, its human characters are almost entirely white.

Transformers Vol. 1: Robots in Disguise collects the first six issues of the series. Buy the 144-page paperback now on Amazon for $13.71.

6. Thunderbolts: Doomstrike (Marvel)

In the recent “One World Under Doom” event, Doctor Doom takes over the world. Amazingly, most world governments voluntarily give up power to Doom. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, now known as The Revolution, finds out he unwittingly helps Doom with his global power grab. Bucky recruits U.S. Agent, Black Widow, Songbird, Sharon Carter, Sal Romero, the Ghost Rider from 1944, and the Midnight Angels.

The Midnight Angels are Wakandan; the book deserves points for that. However, they are not major players in a story with a majority-white cast and only joined at the end of the series. This 2025 series would directly spin off into a New Avengers series, led by Bucky, that had an entirely white cast.

This 120-page paperback collects all five issues of the series. Buy it now on Amazon for $15.38.

7. The Legion of Super-Heroes

The 2019 Legion of Super-Heroes comics would cause an uproar after traditionally white characters Lightning Lad and Lightning Lass were race-bent into Black characters. What is odd is that there was never any controversy about the fact that for almost 60 years, the Legion of Super-Heroes has always been predominantly white.

The Legion of Super-Heroes made their debut in Adventure Comics #247 in 1958. They were a group of super-powered teens from different planets in the 30th century working together to fight evil. Tyroc, their first Black member from an Africa-like dimension and island, would temporarily join in 1976. Tyroc was a black racist who had to learn to trust the Legion before joining.

Several non-white characters became members of the Legion over the decades, but not many relative to white members. A new Legion of Super-Heroes comic was recently released; time will tell if this trend of extremely limiting non-white membership continues.

The Legion of Super-Heroes is one of the greatest and underrated titles ever; the dearth of Black members in the 30th century as a narrative choice is still an issue needing resolution.

Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 1: Millennium is a 240-page paperback that collects the two-issue miniseries and the first six issues of the ongoing series after it. Buy it now on Amazon for $6.49.

The Woke Agenda Fallacy

Across these seven titles, one pattern stands out: the mainstream comic industry hasn’t changed nearly as much as critics claim. The fear that “wokeness” is erasing classic heroes doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. These books are commercially successful, critically praised, and deeply traditional.

The “woke agenda” isn’t destroying comics because it’s barely visible. The industry remains dominated by white, male heroes, and the biggest publishers continue to rely on nostalgia and legacy branding.

These comics are great reads, full of artistry and imagination, but they also serve as quiet evidence that current cultural panic about forced diversity is greatly misplaced.

The woke takeover exists only in theory, not in the pages of today’s best‑selling comics.

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