I love doing the Minority Movie Heroes lists because it’s challenging. It’s easy to find movies where the minority is the villain, but the hero? That requires a lot of searching and combing of movies. As a minority myself I love finding minority movie heroes and including them on the list here. This is the third part in “Our Top 10 Minority Movie Heroes” lists that I had a great time compiling, and what better time to feature part three than Black History Month? You can catch part one and part two of the list, and these are five more that I downright love.
Do you have any favorites? Let us know in the comments!
Yvonne Miller – A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Yvonne is the classmate and best friend to main character Alice Johnson who slowly comes to realize the terror that Freddy Krueger is wreaking on her friends. Originally introduced as a skeptic who thinks Alice is merely traumatized, she almost fall victim to Krueger’s dream powers, but manages to evade him at the last moment and act as a powerful voice of encouragement when Alice has to take on Freddy and save her unborn child. Yvonne is one of the only surviving African American heroines of the “Nightmare” series and when we leave her, she’s taken on the guardian role with Alice and her newborn son.
Agent Luke Hobbs – “Fast and the Furious” Movie Series, Hobbs & Shaw
Luke Hobbs is originally introduced as an adversary to Dominic Toretto and his crew, assigned to taking them down once and for all. If anyone could do it, it was Luke Hobbs. An agent for the Diplomatic Security Service, he’s a single dad who simply doesn’t fool around when it comes to getting the job done. He proves to be a force to be reckoned with for Toretto, Mia and Brian, and is eventually pulled in to Toretto’s clan when he’s forced to help them bring down the vengeful Deckard Shaw. Hobbs is a great anti-hero filled with a code of morality and is like a bull charging in to anyone that dares step in his way. He lends some dynamic variety in an already diverse series, and promises to bash some more heads in “Hobbs & Shaw.”
Jake Phillips – The Principal
Jake Phillips is one of my favorite aspects of “The Principal.” He’s the enforcer, the law keeper, and the security guard superior of Brandel High. Without Jake, would Principal Rick Latimer have been able to take down Victor Duncan and his gang? I think not. Phillips manages to get a great bit of glory in a movie mainly reserved for James Belushi. He’s an ex-football player who came back to look after the school he originally came from, and he devotes his life to keep safety at the school. He kicks some major ass in the finale, and helps Latimer big time in the big siege in the climax. He’s an underrated hero who saves Latimer more times than anyone realizes, and Brandel High is better with him roaming the halls.
Roland Kincaid – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Master
Roland Kincaid was always one of my favorite dream warriors; he manages to survive a whole “Nightmare” film, and about twenty minutes of the following sequel, so that speaks waves about his heroism and ability to take on Freddy Krueger. In “Dream Warriors” Kincaid is a man prone to fits of rage and anger, and is not subtle about voicing his opinion. When he’s dreaming he’s basically like the Hulk, and gives Freddy Krueger a run for his money. Roland Kincaid is a fun adversary for Krueger, and he goes down fighting like a champ.
Winston Zeddemore – The “Ghostbusters” Movie Series
Winston Zeddemore is just a guy looking for a paycheck when we meet him, but he progressively becomes one of the best unlikely heroes of New York City in “Ghostbusters.” His story arc was apparently minimized after Ivan Reitman decided to expand Bill Murray’s character. While we never get a completely in depth picture of the character of Winston, Zeddemore always seemed a bit savvier than the other guys in the group. Egon was the believer, Ray the scientist, Venkman the skeptic, and Zeddemore seemed fit to introduce the mystic and religious aspect of ghosts and specters. His speech about the apocalypse seemed like it had potential to be realized in the sequel, and I love how his character originally was a demolitions expert. In either case, he’s a head strong and quick witted hero just like his ghost hunting allies, and it just wouldn’t be the Ghostbusters without him.