Why Miguel O'Hara Is Marvel's Most Important Hispanic Character
5. His Background, Education And Accomplishments
A lot of prominent Hispanic characters in the world of pop culture, including comic books, tend to be portrayed in more or less the same way: they struggle financially, come from a downtrodden area, are surrounded by crime and may find themselves at risk of falling victim to an environment that champions street knowledge over formal education.
Mind you, while it can sometimes get a bit too stereotypical, these stories still deserve to be told, as they do represent the trials and tribulations faced by many Mexican-Americans today. In fact, Marvel has proven that such stories can still be effective, with Robbie Reyes being a prime example of a Hispanic character whose troubled background is handled well.
Miguel O'Hara, however, is quite literally a man of the future. Sure, the year 2099 has its own major problems as far as social equality is concerned. However, people facing discrimination due to their ethnic background is largely a thing of the past (as it should be).
What's more, Miguel is incredibly intelligent and well-educated, traits that were largely encouraged during his upbringing and allowed him to carve out a rather decent life for himself, at least from an onlooker's perspective.
Not only that, but before the 2099 continuity was upended, Miguel became the CEO of major company Alchemax, working to undo the wrongs the company was responsible for, not to mention becoming a certified worthy wielder of Mjolnir to lead the future into an age of prosperity.
What makes this so important is that Miguel's extraordinary life is one that tells young Hispanic readers that they can accomplish truly monumental things, as opposed to simply getting by. It can also help just about anyone to envision a more united future.