Taraji P Henson Wants To Play A Superhero And We Are So Here For It

Marvel, take note.

Fresh from her success in the Oscar-nominated ‘Hidden Figures’, Taraji P Henson now has her eye on a very different kind of role.

The actress, who starred as Katherine Johnson in the NASA-based drama, has revealed she’d like to play a superhero.

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Taraji P. Henson
Steve Granitz via Getty Images

“I would love to be a Marvel superhero,” she told The New York Times.

The 46-year-old, who is also well-known for playing Cookie Lyon in the hip-hop series ‘Empire’, added that she thinks she’s better at comedy than serious drama.

“I’m dying to get into some comedy,” she added.

“I think I’m a stronger comedic actress than a dramatic actress. You guys just fell for the drama side.”

We think she’s being rather modest.

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David Livingston via Getty Images

Taraji recently revealed how much less she was paid compared to Brad Pitt for her role as Queenie in ‘The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button’.

Despite being paid only 2 percent of what Brad was earning, the actress says she still took the role because of the lack of “meaningful” parts available.

“The math really is pretty simple,” she explained “There are way more talented black actresses than there are intelligent, meaningful roles for them, and we’re consistently charged with diving for the crumbs of the scraps, lest we starve.

“I knew the stakes: no matter how talented, no matter how many accolades my prior work had received, if I pushed for more money, I’d be replaced and no-one would so much as blink.”

9 Superheroes Who Need Movies
Batgirl(01 of09)
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Stephanie Brown began as a superhero called Spoiler in order to rebel against her father, a low-level supervillain. She had a stint as a Robin before taking the Batgirl mantle from Cassandra Cain. She’s quick-witted and fairly angst-free, a rarity among Batman’s supporting cast. (credit:DC)
Blue Beetle(02 of09)
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Jaime Reyes is a Texan teen and the third person to take the reins as the Blue Beetle. He can harness the power of a mystical scarab, which gives him armor, flight, and other powers. Dorky and good-hearted, his first ongoing comic featured one of the best supporting casts, whose members all know his secret identity. A movie about Jaime could show his evolution as he learns to use the Blue Beetle armor and improve his skills as a superhero. (credit:DC)
Birds of Prey(03 of09)
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Yes, the Birds of Prey had a short-lived TV series in 2002, but let’s not talk about that. The Birds of Prey started as a duo, with former Batgirl Barbara Gordon acting as mission control for field agent Black Canary. They were later joined by 3rd core member Huntress. They also have a rotating membership of the best female heroes DC has to offer, including Big Barda and Lady Blackhawk. Awesome ladies kicking ass. There is nothing bad about that. (credit:DC)
Guy Gardner(04 of09)
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Guy is a Green Lantern constantly in Hal Jordan’s shadow. He’s foul-mouthed, short-tempered, and not the smartest, but deep (very deep) down, he’s a decent guy who wants to do the right thing. He's notable for doing anything to get and keep a Lantern ring (once going into space to find one and somehow defying the need for oxygen) and for having the worst haircut in comics. (credit:DC)
Dazzler(05 of09)
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Dazzler’s power is converting sound vibrations into light, so naturally she went into a career in disco, along with joining the X-Men. If you say you don’t want to watch a campy movie about a disco superhero on roller skates, you are lying. (credit:Marvel)
Luke Cage(06 of09)
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The current Luke Cage is a tough guy/family man with no costume, but he’s not the incarnation I’m talking about here. Way back at his inception in the 1970s, he was a jive-talking stereotype whose fighting style consisted of smashing things. Short on brains but long on brawn, his best storyline involved him confronting Doctor Doom over $200 that he promised Luke and then flaked on. Luke was the first (and so far only) hero to find Doom's armor's only weakness: being punched repeatedly in the same spot. Oh, and eventually he got his $200. (credit:Marvel)
Power Pack(07 of09)
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Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie are four ordinary kids who get powers from a space horse and use them to go out and fight crime. Space horse. Crime fighting. If I was a kid, I’d love that movie. Who am I kidding, I would love that movie now. (credit:Marvel)
She-Hulk(08 of09)
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The Hulk’s calmer cousin, Jen Walters, is a lawyer/superhero. She got her powers by receiving a blood transfusion from Bruce Banner, and is one of the few superheroes who actually loves what she does. She’s also one of the strongest heroes, and can go toe-to-toe with Hercules. A She-Hulk movie could be part courtroom drama, part superhero movie. That could work, right? (credit:Marvel)
Spider-Girl(09 of09)
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The daughter of Spider-Man and Mary-Jane in another universe, Spider-Girl inherited her father's powers and quick wit. May “Mayday” Parker is a teenager who wants to use her powers for good. Sound familiar? Spider-Girl differs from Spider-Man in that her parents are fully aware of her abilities and more or less support her. She also has an excellent (and somewhat familiar) supporting cast, including the son of Spider-Man’s clone/partial Daredevil clone (or something, it’s confusing), Norman Osborne’s grandson, Felicia Hardy’s daughter, and J. Jonah Jameson’s grandson. This one has sequel magic written all over it. (credit:Marvel)