Why so few good black Supervillains?

I really enjoyed watching the film “Black Panther”. The heroes were interesting to watch, but what caught my attention was the villain Killmonger. Here’s a villain who had a complex backstory and you could kind of empathise for him despite the despicable methods he uses to get his way. This got me thinking about why are there so few black supervillains or villains who are well rounded, complex and capable as opposed to the one-dimensional stereotype that runs rampant in the written and visual media and the comics world. When I speak about stereotypes, I’m talking about the vicious but the bumbling idiots that are often presented as antagonists – for example, the gangsters in Death Wish and Robocop.

There had been many villains whose backstory had set aflame imaginations and are viewed through a sympathetic lens. There is Magneto, whose vision for mutant supremacy is explained by the horrors he suffered during the concentration camp. Then, there is Thanos, the outsider who rose to become feared and ‘snap’ half of all living things in the Marvel Universe. On the other hand, when I think of black villains it is rooted in racist stereotypes such as being a thug or operating with brute force in the inner cities.

I try to build my villains as I build my heroes. I try to make them into a living character. There are 3 main points that  I keep in my mind though: They believe that they’re doing the greater good. I try to make them have good qualities because the world is not just black and white or good and evil. They’re a worthy opponent to my hero and will put them through hell. The list is not exhaustive, but I try to make them as convincing as possible.

Some might think that there is enough negative representation of black people and that we should strive for positive portrayals. I kind of agree with that viewpoint. However, look beneath the surface and the same issues re-appear.  Writing a black villain that isn’t fleshed out or is dumb is lazy and dehumanizing.  Unless they were a robot or a force of nature, humans are complex and are made up of many layers of emotions and past experiences.

I can understand that some authors want to move away from being thought of as “racist” but I think it is a huge disservice to perpetuate negative stereotypes and not taking as much effort to build your black characters, whether they’re heroes or villains, like white or others.

Do you agree with me that there’s a lack of good black supervillains? Discuss below and I’ll be happy to hear your thoughts.