8 Real-Life Events That Forced Comics To Change

When Steve Rogers stepped down as Captain America, the US government felt crime could get out of hand unless the people had a symbol to rally behind. As a result, government operatives urged an US army veteran called John Walker to become a new hero called Super-Patriot. After Walker took the country by storm, he was officially designated as the new Captain America and his best friend, Lemar Hoskins, became his sidekick, Bucky. Because Lemar was the first African-American to take on the mantle of Marvel's oldest sidekick, head writer Mark Gruenwald thought this was a great milestone for the company.

Sadly, this decision completely backfired. Only after Lemar debuted as Bucky did Gruenwald learn that the word 'Buck' was a slur towards Africans. To make matters worse, Lemar was part of the military squad, Bold Urban Commandos, which can be abbreviated as BUCs. On top of that, Lemar was described as being illiterate, amplifying the ignorant stereotype that dark-skinned people are less educated.

Not wanting to upset readers, Gruenwald changed Lemar Hoskins' codename to Battlestar soon after and his illiteracy was never mentioned again.