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6 Unconventional Superheroes The World Deserves Right Now

All Hail The Super Sikh! 6 Unconventional Superheroes The World Deserves Right Now
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First, she was a sports icon, then she became the inspiration for a Bollywood blockbuster, and now Olympic boxer Mary Kom is all set to have her own animated series.

According to reports, the 32-year-old pugilist will feature in a female superhero series titled Mary Kom Jr. She has signed a licensing deal with the production company ScreenYug Creations Pvt Ltd for the series. In a PTI interview, the Olympic champion said this would be an interesting way to motivate the girl child.

India has had it's share of incredible characters saving the world from sure catastrophe -- take the case of snake-shooter Nagraj, science dude Parmanu or the hot-headed, gun wielding Doga.

Once in a while, unconventional superheroes pop up to the delight of comic fans. The new Thor is female, the new Spiderman is mixed race and the new Captain America is African-American.

Here’s a list of some of 6 of the most unconventional superheroes.

Ms. Marvel
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Last year, Marvel introduced its first Muslim superhero who headlined her own comic — Ms. Marvel is a female teenager with very regular problems in life (overbearing parents, sibling rivalry, a crush who has friendzoned her, and an inability to belong to the ‘popular’ crew).Khan made her first appearance in the 2013 August issue of Captain Marvel prior to starring in her own comic book. A Pakistani-American, Khan is part of the Muslim community in New Jersey City. With inhuman genes and shapeshifting abilities, Khan can stretch, expand, compress her entire body or parts of her body.Khan dresses up just like the previous Ms. Marvel, her idol - Carol Danvers.
Priya’s Shakti
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Inspired by Hindu mythological tales, Ram Devineni, Lina Srivastava, and Dan Goldman created Priya, a young woman who survived a gang-rape, and went on to battle gender crimes in India with the blessings of Goddess Parvati. Priya’s Shakti was created in 2012 following the horrific Delhi gang-rape.
Super Sikh
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Deep Singh's entrance into the comic book world created quite a flutter, given that the ‘part-Batman, part-Jason Bourne' secret agent is possibly the world's first crime-fighting sardar. Stylishly opting for a red turban and a well-fitted suit, instead of the classic underwear-over-tights superhero attire, this United Nations secret agent is a huge Elvis patron when not fighting the Taliban and other notorious criminals. Super Sikh was a successful kickstarter project by writer Eileen Alden and Silicon Valley executive Supreet Singh Manchada.
Burka Avenger
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Meet Burka Avenger , aka Jiya, a young schoolteacher who employs her school teacher skills to fight crime against women and education. She is specially trained in the martial art of 'Takht Kabaddi' that involves throwing books and pens, and uses her burqa to mask her identity (a much more effective technique than a skimpy mask). This TV show character was created by Pakistani singer Haroon Rashid in 2013 as a reaction to girls’ schools being shut down by Pakistani extremists.
Omega Sentinel
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Potentially the first Indian female character to appear in the popular X-Men series ( in 2000), Karima Shapandar is not a mutant, but an Omega Prime Sentinel, a human programmed to seek out and destroy mutants. The ex-Indian police officer was eventually disassembled by Professor X and Magneto, to return to her human state but retained her super powers, and lost part of her memory in the process.
Maya
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Who wouldn't want the ability to control water and fire? Well, this DC creation who first appeared in Justice League International (JLI) in 1993 does precisely that: Indian superhero Chandi Gupta or Maya discovered these abilities at a very young age, and eventually channelled them into fighting for the JLI.

Do you know of other unconventional superheroes? Tell us about them in the comments section.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.