From Irish American Captain America to Slaine, there are a handful of superheroes with Irish roots.
Now, I won’t pretend that I’m an expert on comics. As a kid, I would read them when I could but wouldn’t actively seek them out. Reading and sitting still were impossible separately, never mind performing them at the same time. I did always enjoy Daredevil, though the movie version was a huge letdown. That being said, here are the know superheroes with Irish heritage or were born there.
Syrin
The daughter of Banshee, Syrin uses a sonic scream that has the ability to deafen wrong-doers and cause massive vibrations with just her voice. Her civilian name is, Theresa Rourke Cassidy, if there was any confusion if she was indeed Irish or not, the name sort of clears it up.
Daredevil
Matt Murdock grew up in the slums of Hell’s Kitchen, in New York, and was raised with very strong Irish Catholic values. Blinded at a young age, Daredevil’s enhanced senses act as a radar which along with his martial arts training and athletic prowess make him up to be one awesome superhero.
Slaine
Now, according to the Internet, Slaine is basically just the dollar store version of CuChullain. He’s a near-feral warrior type celt who spends his days slaying Norman and Saxon soldiers and his nights, tall scantily clad Celtic women. His story is stripped of any history, but hey, that’s what makes it a comic book right?
Captain America
Another good, Irish American, Catholic lad turned superhero. Captain America was raised by poor, Irish immigrants in Brooklyn, thus instilling in him a flawless moral compass and a passion for standing up for those with no voice
Banshee
Father of Siryn, originally from County Mayo, and a graduate of Trinity College, Banshee also uses his voice as his weapon. Among the first of X-Men’s mutants, upon his death, he passed on the duty to his daughter. Sweet inheritance, huh?
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Green Lantern
About time an Irish American was in the green spandex!
Kyle Rayner, born to a Latin-American Father and Irish mother, he was raised by his mother who instilled in him, a fierce pride of his home country. She even taught him Irish Gaelic in an attempt to solidify that pride. It worked.
The Ant-man
I wish this one was a joke. It’s not. Even though he is considered to be an ANTi-hero (I couldn’t help myself) by many, he did manage to save the world a number of times and that deserves some mention. Eric O’Grady was also known as a pest to society, despite being a part of the Avengers.
The Shamrock
Molly Fitzgerald’s superpower is luck. Yea, the Irish superhero’s power is luck. This is a classic example of why many comic book writers are lazy; they rely on stereotypes and nationality profiles to build characters because they aren’t capable of creating one using any creativity. Her father was a militant Nationalist named, yep, Paddy.
Ugh. Give me a break.
After researching these superheroes, it seems like very few of these comic book writers had ever actually met an Irish person or had done any research about Irish culture. All of these ‘Irish’ characters feel like they’re based on what someone’s friend’s friend told them about what one person with Irish heritage was like or some terrible joke about the Irish. It’s a real shame seeing as there are so many fearless Irish and Irish Americans littered throughout history.
Have a favorite Irish superhero? Let us know about them in the comments section, below.
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