Just about every American has at least a fleeting familiarity with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men. While these characters originated in the pages of comic books in the mid-20th century, today they are as much a part of our cultural identity as the faces on Mount Rushmore. Synonymous with justice, reinvention, strength, and overcoming oppression, these heroes have been talked about, written about, and reimagined in countless ways; Hollywood has made eight Spider-Man films since 2002, and Joaquin Phoenix just became the second actor to win an Oscar for playing the Batman villain Joker. More variations on these well-known characters are sure to come, and they'll no doubt break more records. But Hollywood's tendency to revisit the same heroes over and over leaves a great many more characters unexplored and overlooked -- and a lot of them are black or people of African descent.

We'd hardly know it from looking at which superheroes are featured in film and TV, but comics are teeming with superheroes of color who'd be excellent choices for on-screen adaptations. Since Lobo, the first African American hero to headline his own comic series, vanquished foes way back in 1965, more black heroes, superhuman and not, have followed in his stead -- many mentioned in this roundup of the best black superheroes of all time. Whether they're mega-powerful mutants, morally conflicted laymen, or witches who can summon the elements with their minds, there's a whole galaxy of would-be superhero stars out there waiting to be given the Black Panthertreatment.

The Rise of Black Superheroes: A Black History Month Celebration

As part of TV Guide's celebration of The Rise of the Black Superheroes, we asked some of the most prominent voices in the industry which black superheroes they'd most like to see brought to the small screen next. Here's hoping some of these characters get to become household names, too.