Disability Pride Month is upon us. Throughout this month, you will see many articles from disabled writers discussing various issues affecting the disabled community, from inaccessible railways to housing.
I am no different, though; unlike last year's article, I wanted to do something more fun And what's more fun than talking about movies, films, comic books, and characters? That’s right; I’m looking at various disabled characters in media and breaking down what makes them great!
Abed Nadir- Community
Abed Nadir may be familiar if you watched American cable in the late ’00s or were on Netflix during the Community Renaissance.
Community follows seven students who study at Greendale Community College and, throughout the six seasons, get up to more epic and meta adventures- from G.I Joe homages and paintball to Levar Burton leaving on a boat. Community had it all!
One fan favourite character was Abed Nadir. He is a character that has a hyper fixation with TV and Film, viewing almost everything through that lens, likening real life to film or TV (in fact, thank him for many meta references in the show). He was very observant, liked to play in the Dreamatorium and had one of the best sitcom bromances (or romances), depending on your view of the relationship with Troy Barnes.
Now it’s never been directly stated Abed has autism- apart from that one ‘Asburgers’ joke in the first episode and the joke about Britta knowing a disorder he wants to look up. But with the way Abed hyper-fixates on film and Inspector Spacetime, he doesn’t communicate the way everyone else does i.e.picking up on a guy flirting with him at a bar but talking about Farscape instead. and isn’t as good at reading social cues people believe (quite rightly) that he is autistic! Add in the fact creator Dan Harmon has gone on record to say writing Abed helped him towards getting diagnosed with Asperger's only makes that belief stronger. Many prefer how Abed’s autism(or autism coding) is written over Sheldon Copper, who is (unfortunately) the poster boy for autistic characters on TV.
Alicia Masters- Fantastic Four (Marvel Comics)
Comics have been around for ages. There have been many great superheroes in the genre, from Superman to Spider-Man; even Scooby Doo is in the DC universe!
But Marvel's first family, the Fantastic Four, specifically Alicia Masters, is on the list.
Alicia Masters is one of the most important members of the fantastic four cast and was first introduced in issue #8 as the puppet master's stepdaughter. At the time, she didn't have a surname (which was eventually chosen by a fan.) She’s a brilliant sculptor and has an incredible intuition- which is one of the reasons why she and Ben Grimm are married.
On top of all those amazing things about her characterisation and importance to the fantastic four, she’s also blind and often uses a cane or a phone to help her live independently.
The current run by Ryan North explores Alicia’s character and disability brilliantly, especially in issues #8 and #9, which feature Sue and Alicia and #9 explores how she sees the world for a page. She also comes up with a plan to help them win. There are also bonus points for issue #9 coming out during Disability Pride Month.
Sun- Spider (Marvel comics)
Thanks to Spider-verse, anybody and everybody can be Spider-Man. One of the greatest heroes in American comics (up until recently, but that's a story for another time.) A recent addition to the spider man pantheon was Charlotte Webber, AKA Sun-Spider.
Dayn Broder created Charlotte Webber in a Spidersona competition. In 2022, thanks to disabled writer Tee Franklin Charlotte Webber was brought to life on the pages of Edge Spider-verse issue #4.
Charlotte Webber has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; E.D.S. is a rare condition that affects connective tissue. There are 13 different types of EDS. Common symptoms are hypermobility, fragile skin and organ problems such as prolapse. In the comics, Charlotte has hypermobility and has to change between using her cane or a wheelchair due to fatigue, mobility issues and flare-ups. But she uses this to her advantage, such as dislocating her hip to stop Doc Ock in her universe!
What many disabled fans like about Charlotte is that becoming a spider person didn’t magically cure her disability, that she has some great tech, still uses her mobility aids, brings them to her fights, and they have fantastic designs too!
Although her appearance made Comicsgaters mad (hence why I can't upload a regular comic video and had to use a short interview clip!) It gave many comics fans representation that they haven't had for a long time regarding disabled superheroes was even featured in the movie, with this funny line
‘ Miles? I'm, like, a huge fan of your work. Do you think spider-people too often use comedy as a crutch? Get it, crutch?’
The Doctor- Doctor Who
Doctor Who is one of the longest-running sci-fi shows. With a gender-fluid alien at the helm and a blue box to show us all of time and space.
Because of its long-running history Doctor Who has had many characters in different mediums. So when I mention disabled characters, the first that come to mind are Davros, Mr Lumic (sadly all villains) or Cass from Under the Flood or Hebe Harrison from the Big Finish audios.
But it would be easier to keep to the main character.
The Doctor is a gender-fluid alien that travels time and space with a blue box. However, what exactly puts them on the list? Short answer the Doctor is neurodiverse. In the last voyage audiobook, the tenth Doctor says to Sugar Mccrawley.
'I'm many things, Sugar Mccrawley, but neurotypical has never been one of them.'
Add in the fact the doctor hyper-fixates, isn't very good at social cues and is a bit hyper. It all adds up!
Now I'm happy to headcanon the Doctor as being Autistic and having ADHD. However, neurodiverse is good enough and places them on the list.
Nica- Chucky
Chucky has undergone many changes as a horror franchise, such as going from straight horror to comedy to changing mediums from film to TV show. The franchise has typically needed the help of disabled people to make the movies happen, like actor Ed Gale playing the titular character alongside Brad Dourif to our leading lady Nica.
Nica lives with paralysis and moves about in a manual wheelchair. She is intelligent, wants independence, has a psychology degree, and can defend herself. Horror movies typically portray disabled characters as villains or monsters or as damsels; making Nica a capable heroine is a thoughtful and timely subversion!
Now the representation, whilst significant, is a little dicey as she isn't played by an actual disabled person and is played by non-disabled actress Fiona Dourif.
However, Nica, as a character, belongs on the list because she is a disabled character. The character also helped improve how disabled and wheelchair-using characters are portrayed in horror movies and as protagonists.
Barbara Gordon (Oracle) DC Comics
Barbara Gordon hasn’t always been Batgirl. Don’t get me wrong; Batgirl is excellent! However, this list is not the part of this heroine we want to talk about the most (although she’s vital for the journey.)
After a run-in with the Joker in the infamous comic, ‘The Killing Joke, ’ Barbara Gordon became paralysed. Due to being paralysed, Barbara had to hang up her Batgirl identity and use a wheelchair. This created a new hero for Barbara to become- the computer hacker known as Oracle.
Oracle is the leader of the Birds Of Prey. And thanks to the development of Barbara as Oracle and teams like the Birds of Prey, this part of Barbara’s history has become a fan favourite iteration of the character.
Listen, the way Oracle came to be was highly misogynistic and borders on fridging. But Barbara becoming a wheelchair user and a disabled hero is still important to many people! Although the way DC treats Oracle in recent times hasn’t been great, i.e. that infamous panel where she cuts out her chip and walks.
Oracle remains a significant moment in Barbara's life and a fan favourite.
Cyborg- DC Comics
One of the best teams in comics is the new teen titans. For many, the first time they would've seen the team would be the 03 TV show. Whether you've watched it on your TV screens or through the comics, you know one of the standout characters of that group is Victor Stone, aka Cyborg.
Victor was in an accident that left him fatally injured. His scientist father, Silas Stone, replaced the damaged limbs with robotic parts, saving his son's life and turning him into a cyborg.
Becoming a Cyborg was difficult for Victor to accept for obvious reasons. First, unlike his parents, he desired to be a football player and often trained to become the best. Because of these new enhancements, this chance was taken away from him- add that he was born non-disabled, which means he has a lot to grieve and adapt to!
Ultimately, he joins the new teen titans as a hero ( and has joined the justice league), using his cyborg parts to help him with computer hacking, strength and teleportation.
He has some fantastic arcs throughout the new teen titans and even today. e is a brilliant character who means a lot to people because of his friendships, development, and disability.
Maya Lopez (Echo) Marvel comics
When you look at Marvel and disabled characters, two come to mind Daredevil and Professor X- which, whilst they're nice, their predictable and honestly... Would putting them on this list not be a little blase? e all know who they are and why I don’t need to be the 50000th blogger to discuss them.
But within Daredevil's supporting cast is someone that is often forgotten about on lists like these! Her name is Maya Lopez, aka Echo.
Echo has been around since 1999 and is a Native American woman- from the Cheyenne Nation and is deaf, but as she was a skilled lip reader, this wouldn’t be diagnosed for a long time. he kingpin killed her Dad, who, on his deathbed, made the Kingpin promise to look after his daughter. uckily the Kingpin kept his promise to raise her. his would eventually lead her to be placed in a school for the gifted and be used in a plan to kill Matt Murdoch and then shoot the Kingpin!
Maya has many skills, such as photographic reflexes, is a concert-level pianist and is a great acrobat. s of recently, she has been able to host the Phoenix force, which gives her cosmic fire generation and flight.
I believe Echo (as well as Cyborg and Abed for the same reason) are significant representations of disability, as when you look at disabled people in media, most of the people represented will be white. his isn’t great, especially in 2023, as anyone can become disabled at any time, and many people with disabilities are POC, so I think Echo being native american is brilliant for multiple reasons.
More people can see themselves in comics
It opens up more storytelling opportunities and expands the world
You learn how disability and the role it plays in someone's life differs for different cultures and ethnicities- You can even see it in the list, as I’ve only got three non-white people on this list.
A report in 2016 focusing on Inequality in 800 Popular Films by Dr Stacy L. Smith, Marc Choueiti, & Dr Katherine Pieper verifies this as Dr Smith states,
‘A full 71.7% of characters with disability were White, and 28.3% were from underrepresented racial/ethnic group.’
I’m as white as a pastry sheet, so when it comes to issues of race and disability, you should seek out POC-disabled creators such as Imani Barbarin (Crutches and Spice), Tee Franklin, Johnnie Jae and Shelby- To name a few, I know of off the top of my head.
Annie Cresta (and technically the other victors) The Hunger Games
The late 2010s gave us YA Dystopian novels and films. Some were terrible (Divergent, I am looking at you!), and some were brilliant and were the cornerstone for some young readers (This is where the hunger games trilogy comes in ablaze with glory.)
The trilogy follows Protagonist Katniss Everdeen as she volunteers for her sister in the hunger games (an arena of 24 kids that have to fight to the death for the capitols' entertainment) to then causing a rebellion and being the symbol- the Mockingjay- for said rebellion.
Throughout this series, we meet many victors who all show signs of PTSD and various mental health struggles. Katniss gets nightmares and struggles to keep her thoughts together.
Finnick is worried for his loved ones and has a mental breakdown in which he has to tie knots to keep it together.
Johanna develops hydrophobia and addiction to Morphling
Peeta has nightmares and gets hijacked, causing memories to get distorted and flashbacks.
Haymitch developed alcoholism to cope with the years of mentoring and losing kids and his family after the 50th hunger games.
Beetee becomes paralysed and is a wheelchair user in Mockingjay.
And then there's one of my favourite characters ( along with Finnick and Katniss)
Annie Cresta!
Annie Cresta is the victor from the 70th hunger games, developing PTSD after seeing her partner get beheaded. She is seen as a mad girl because her symptoms are more severe (even though everyone is experiencing this stuff.)
She covers her ears when she experiences loud sounds or has a memory connected to the Capitol and can enter a daze. Still, Finnick is always able to bring her back- and when he dies, she remained composed at the final vote and then raises their son by herself, so she’s fully capable of looking after herself (not that the fandom appreciates it.)
In short, for young readers, these guys were probably one of the earliest representations towards mental health and disability- although many haven’t realised it because of how non-disabled people view disability and trauma.
Hebe Harrison- Doctor who
Doctor who has a long history of having ableist portrayals of disabled characters, i.e. Davros or Max Capricorn. H wever, in recent years this has changed with characters such as The Doctor being neurodiverse and Cass from the Under the Lake two-parter.
In 2022 Big Finish ( the company that creates Doctor Who audio adventures) revealed a new character that would travel with the Sixth Doctor and Mel.
Her name is Hebe Harrison, and she is the first companion to use a wheelchair! Her first adventure was in The Rotting Deep. Hebe is played by Ruth Madley ( who is a disabled actress herself).
Hebe is a marine biologist who considers herself the ‘Anti-Ariel’ because she would like to stay under the sea. Hebe becomes an assistant to the Sixth Doctor and Mel after distress calling them to a boat- thanks to Evelyn Smyhe’s help!
She is fiery, doesn’t accept bullshit, and, like most disabled characters, can adapt to many situations.
Hebe is an ambulant wheelchair user as she is heard using her manual chair or using her walking stick (which she uses to bat away aliens!) She is an excellent addition to the franchise, and it's easy to see why Ruth Madely is in the new era of Doctor Who as Shirley Ann Bingham.
This list only scrapes the barrel of disabled characters in media and the varieties of conditions out there- and that's before we even talk about representation in terms of whether it was multifaceted and whether these people had agency, on top of things like them being LGBTQ+ or being POC, or the different viewpoints towards conditions.
Ultimately, these characters are just the beginning towards improving how disability is represented in media and making us more visible in all media types!
With a lot of intersectional campaigning and activism, not only will the systemic problems be fought, i.e. affordable housing, universal healthcare or accessible transport. But we will also make the arts and media more representative and viable to us too!
Thanks for reading this article! If you would like to know more about Disability and Disability Pride Month, then I suggest reading this post next: https://cavanaghrebecca7.wixsite.com/rcavanaghwrites/post/happy-disability-pride-month-what-is-it-and-why-its-needed
Comments