"For a white person reading a book, they're very rarely going to go, 'I'm just assuming this is a black character' if he or she isn't marked as such, " he said.

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They will include a character of Hispanic appearance, garage mechanic Mr Sparks, and a black character, Dinah Doll, described as a "black, assertive, ethnic minority female", who was first introduced for a 1992 BBC animated version.

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The actress said she is loving the fact that not many eyebrows have been raised by the fact that a black female character on a television show is involved in a torrid romance with a white male character.

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Black Mask is a character whose true identity is Roman Sionis, a wealthy businessman who hates Bruce Wayne, and who is bad at legitimate business but has a knack for criminal business and who is obsessed with destroying Bruce Wayne.

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Most reaction, however, has been pinned to a singular detail: Morales is a half-black and half-Latino character, not white like Peter Parker.

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