Korean superhero Taegukgi is latest edition to Marvel’s superhero roster

Flag-based heroes are nothing new. 

From Marvel comics alone, we have Captain America donning the Star-Spangled Banner, the Canadian Guardian dressed in the Maple Leaf Flag and the British Union Jack donning… well, you guessed it – the Union Jack. 

In fact, some countries even have multiple heroes based on their flag!

This month, South Korea has seen the entrance of its first flag-inspired superhero, Taegukgi, which also happens to be the name of the South-Korean flag.

Bursting onto the scene in the third issue of Marvel’s Taskmaster comic, Taegukgi made his debut by showing off his impressive punch-deflecting skills against villains. 

Shown to be able to simply shrug off a punch thrown by someone wielding the strength of 10 men, it is clear that one of his abilities appears to be his durability. Unfortunately, the extent of his powers have yet to be seen and will likely be revealed as the series progresses.

While his superhero power is still up for guessing, it won’t be a surprise if it ends up being Taekwondo-based. After all, the martial art hails from South Korea. 

While Marvel may have introduced Taegukgi as a way to capitalise on the K-Wave, this new character seems to have rubbed some the wrong way.

There have been criticisms on the design of the character, with some calling it lazy. 

Some South Korean netizens were also upset with the name of the character, as they felt like it was Marvel’s way of pandering to them.

For those interested, the latest Taskmaster comic can be previewed here.