Sisters On Their Own: Female Characters in the Nerd World Who Need a Solo Career

Updated 3/8/2016 They’ve been side kicks. They’ve been love interests. They’ve been characters no one had appreciation for in the television or film adaptations. Some have been killed off to further a male character’s storyline. Some waited to be rebooted into DC’s New 52. Well, the ladies of Black Nerd Problems wanted to share some of our favorite female characters that we would love to see do their own thing, having their own stories. Hey, Gwen Stacy — we mean Spider-Gwen — nailed it, right? Here are a few of our favorites.

Thunder (Anissa Pierce) & Lightning (Jennifer Pierce) – DC Comics Let’s say someone created a comic starring two Black superhero sisters co-parented by their superhero single dad (who happens to be an Olympic gold medal decathlete and became the Secretary of Education, no big deal). Also, one of the sisters dates an incredible Asian Amazonian girlfriend and has a degree in medicine. How much in debt would you be right now from buying every available copy? Let’s start with Anissa. There are so many different stories you could write about the first daughter of two overachievers (the girls’ mother, Lynn Stewart, is an activist and lawyer in addition to Black Lightning’s accolades) who not only has to focus on studying medicine to please her parents, but isn’t even allowed to use her metahuman density powers until she graduates college. Add to this the struggle of formulating her identity and navigating the world as a queer Black woman and you have a …