Ava DuVernay’s ‘Naomi’ Series Aims To Inspire A New Generation of Black Girl Superheroes

Black girl superhero magic!

Ava DuVernay’s new Naomi series aims to inspire a new generation of Black girl superheroes, Black Enterprise reports. 

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay recently released her new CW series Naomi, which follows the story of a Black girl who discovers she has super powers. Naomi, played by actress Kaci Walfall, is a high school student and Superman fanatic, running one of the largest fan sites dedicated to the fantasy hero. Her interest in the DC character takes her on an adventure to uncover a rumor surrounding an encounter with the superhero. While investigating the mystery, Naomi discovers she too has special abilities that may not fall in line with the traditional notions of what a superhero looks like. 

DuVernay took to social media to explain the inspiration behind the series, tweeting, “I was asked why I’m doing a show on the CW about a Black girl learning that she’s actually a superhero. Because I want there to be a show about a Black girl learning that she’s actually a superhero. And then being a great one…So proud.”

Unlike other superheroes, Naomi lives in her own universe and is not attached to any other comic book or superhero storyline outside of her love for Superman. DuVernay spoke recently to reporters about the importance of creating a new universe for a Black girl superhero.

“I want this to be an autonomous story about Naomi. One of the things I really wanted was for her to live in her own universe…We call it the ‘Naomi-verse.’ And she’s not tethered to and she does not have to speak to the other stories that are going on now. It would just be too complicated, taking on too much legacy of the other shows, and doesn’t give the character the freedom to live her own life,” explained DuVernay. 

Naomi airs Tuesdays on The CW. 

Photo Courtesy of The CW