Food for Thought Series
Asian American Superheroes and the Importance of Representation, Legacies, and Action

Join the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) for a special talk with Dr. Mark R. Martell, Director of the Asian American Resource and Cultural Center at UIC. In this session, Dr. Martell will explore how Asian American superheroes highlight the importance of representation, cultural legacies, and social action in comics, film, and popular media. Discover how these stories shape identity, visibility, and empowerment in Asian American communities.

📅 Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026
⏰ Time: 12 PM – 1 PM
📍 Location: Asian American Cultural Center (AACC)

About the Speaker
Dr. Mark R. Martell has served as Director of the UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center since January 2015. He earned his PhD in Educational Policy Studies at UIC, where his research explored the racialized experiences of Asian American students and their impact on student success. He is also co–principal investigator for the UIC Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Initiative. Dr. Martell teaches courses in the UIC Honors College such as Superheroes and Cultural Mythology and Comics & Society, and leads the Global Asian Studies summer faculty-led study abroad program in Tokyo, Pow! Zap! Bam!: Superheroes in Anime, Manga, Movies, and Comics. He is a 1.5-generation Filipino American who grew up in Miami, Florida, and uses he/him pronouns as well as the gender-neutral Filipino pronouns siya and kanya.