Red hair, the rarest naturally occurring hair color, is found in less than 2% of the world’s population and is the result of a rare gene called MC1R. You know who else has rare genes? MUTANTS! That’s right, having red hair is basically like a genetic superpower. Ok maybe that’s a stretch, but a lot of Mutants and other heroes have red hair! We are celebrating all of the awesome redheads on November 5th, with this list of the coolest red-haired comic characters.
Jean Grey: The Fiery Phoenix of National Redhead Day
Her powers are perhaps the strongest in the entire MCU. The X-Men’s Jean Grey was born with telekinetic, telepathic and psionic powers. Named The Phoenix because she literally rose from the dead. Reborn with new, incredibly strong powers bestowed upon her by the literal life force of the universe. Pretty freaking cool! And throughout it all she remains humble and kind. Jean Grey is a nurturing figure to many of the other X-Men, being one of the first students of Charles Xavier and older than many students at the academy. Jean’s red hair plays a major part in her character design, which is simpler than other members of the team. Green is heavily featured in her design, as well as the classic X-Men yellow. These are fashion tips for the redheads out there, because she looks GOOD.
Mystique: Blue and Red for Redhead Day
This may be a controversial entry, as Mystique has shapeshifting ability. She could easily change her hair from orange to blonde, no bleach required! A very enviable skill. The anti-heroine’s background is shrouded in mystery, but her natural state appears to be scaly blue skin and bright blood orange hair. And she’s very proud of how she looks! Mutants are often made to feel that they need to change themselves to fit in, but Mystique holds her head high. And for good reason, redheads always stand out but the addition of blue skin definitely takes things over the top, making her one of the coolest looking X-Men.
Mary Jane Watson: Spider-Man’s Favorite Redhead
She’s much more than just Spider-Man’s love interest! One of the comics oldest characters, Mary Jane’s wild red ‘do makes its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #25, competing for Peter Parker’s affections. Women have taken a more pivotal role in Spider-Man comics since that initial run. Mary Jane is quite a complex character. She’s portrayed as having a spunky personality from the very beginning, displayed perfectly in this iconic panel. A fiery personality to match her locks! But she’s also a kind and nurturing soul who functions as a backbone for Peter Parker in his darkest moments. She’s exceptionally beautiful (in no small part due to her unique natural hair color) but make no mistake, she has beauty AND brains. Throughout the years she’s been a successful actress, a business woman, a wife and mother, and even a hero herself! In a recent run of The Amazing Spider-Man written by Celeste Bronfman, she takes on the super persona of “Jackpot”. Peter really did hit the lottery!
Ant-Man: The Unexpected Redhead Avenger
Scott Lang has quite the resume. He’s a former burglar and ex-con, having served 4 years in prison. He’s also a genius electrical engineer, being hired by Stark Industries to work in their design department. And eventually he takes up the mantle of Ant-Man, the incredible shrinking superhero! While his history of Ant-Man suit ownership is a little rocky (he stole it ok, he stole the suit) he only ever used his power for good, saving his daughter’s life and going on to save many more as a member of the Avengers. Often wearing his metallic Ant-Man mask, and being portrayed by a brunette on screen, you may have forgotten that Scott Lang is also a natural redhead.
Red-haired people have gotten a bad rap in the past. We all remember the infamous “gingers have no souls” bit from a certain edgy early 2000s cartoon. But there are plenty of positive representations of redheads in the media! On this National Redhead Day, hopefully, you remind your ginger friends and family how special they are, perhaps with a unique gift from Your Custom Comic?
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