Source: brickipedia.com
20. Black Vulcan
Time for a history lesson, boys and girls!
Black Vulcan isn’t just a Super Friends character; he’s a great piece of trivia, as well. In the 1970s, DC comics was all set to create a black superhero. That superhero was The Black Bomber, a racist white man who could hulk out and become a black superhero. Writer Tony Isabella realized what a horrible idea that was, and pitched a new character named Black Lightning.
Black Lightning was an actual black man, a teacher who used lightning powers to defend the inner city of Metropolis against crime and racism. The comic was a success, and Isabella was officially credited as its creator, but he later left the company due to creative differences. When the Super Friends producers were looking for more diverse characters to add to the Justice League lineup, they found Black Lightning and wanted to use him. DC told them no problem, but they had to pay a royalty fee to Isabella, the character’s creator. Hanna-Barbera said they weren’t gonna do that, and created Black Vulcan instead.
A cheap knockoff done to get out of paying royalties. What a depressing note to end on.
