10 Comic Book Characters Who Were Forced To Change Their Name
9. Bucky Became Battlestar
Captain America's first and most recurring sidekick is James Buchanan Barnes, who is better-known as Bucky. After Bucky seemingly died, several superheroes took on the mantle as a homage to the supposedly fallen hero including Jack Monroe, Fred Davis Jr., and Rick Jones. In 1987, Lemar Hoskins became the first Black character to become Bucky.
Although Lemar has teamed up with the original Cap many times, that wasn't how he started out. When Steve Rogers stepped down as Captain America, the US government looked for a replacement to maintain patriotism in the country. A soldier called John Walker had similar powers to Cap and so, was designated as the new Captain America, with Lemar Hoskins serving as his partner.
After being subjected to an experiment, Lemar was given enhanced strength, endurance, and agility. He was also gifted with a triangular shield, similar to the one Cap used to wield.
Shortly after Hoskins debuted as a sidekick, it came to Marvel's attention that "Bucky" and "Buck" were historically used as racist slurs towards Black Americans. To rectify that error, Lemar's name was changed to Battlestar less than a year later.