He is tired of waiting for "Holly-wouldn't" or "Hollywhite" to create a Latino hero, although we are easily turned into "villains." Since he was a child, he loved comic books despite not finding any character who looked like him, John Leguizamo has decided to create his own superhero. In fact, a superhero for all Latinos.

And, of course, he isn't going to do it alone.

The actor works closely with the popular artist Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, author of the comic series "La Boriqueña," and reported he is looking for an all-Latino team including illustrators, editors, and producers. He has also launched a crowdsource campaign that has raised $2K of $75K, through Seed and Spark. 

Sometimes, when power knocks you down, you have to transform and bring the system down with you. This is the premise that opens PhenomX's story. In other words, it's the story of a man called Max Gomez, who leaves prison after he finishes his sentence and helps FBI agents to capture other ex-cons with superpowers due to a Government's illegally failed rehab experiment.

"We’re going to be entrepreneurs together,” says Leguizamo on a video in front of the theatre in Chicago where he is performing "Latin History for Morons".

“I grew up loving comic books, Spiderman, Superman, The X-Men, Sub-Mariner, Thor, but there were no Latin people. What happened? We existed! Being Latin IS a superpower, y’all!” the actor states. And he also assures there will be Latino women heroes. 

“We are not waiting for Hollywood. Forget it! We are going to do it”.

 

After the great success of “Latin History for Morons,” it is undeniable that Leguizamo has become one of the best Pop ambassadors of  the "Latinidad" in the U.S.

However, Max Gomez, the hero he decided to bring to life, is an ex-con who's been given a superpower by the system to help to catch other ex-prisoners or "guinea pigs." That means that Gomez helps the same Government who put him in jail.

If we take a look at other superheroes' professions we could realize the bunch of topics that threat this future comic book: Peter Parker and Clark Kent (Spider-Man and Superman) are journalists, Robert Bruce Banner (Hulk) is a scientist, and Magneto, is a school director. PhenomX, on the contrary, is a criminal.

At least, “Blue Beetle,” the Latino superhero by DC Comics is a Mexican American student from El Paso who takes an Egyptian beetle's powers.