LOS ANGELES • Comic book giant Marvel has added a Native American and a Korean-American teen- ager to its list of superheroes, pushing forward with its bid to diversify and smash racial boundaries.

"The Marvel Universe's American South-west now has a superhero to call its very own - the mysterious new hero, Red Wolf," the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"An outsider and an honest man, Red Wolf is going to need all his wits, and both his fists, to serve and protect this new world from the corrupt organisations that want to control... the gritty and harsh American South-west."

The company also revealed last week that Amadeus Cho, a Korean American, would become the new Hulk, replacing Bruce Banner.

Red Wolf and Amadeus Cho will debut in December.

A black superhero, Black Panther, is set to come to life on the big screen in 2018 with actor Chadwick Boseman in the lead role. It will be the first time a black superhero gets his own film. "That's what's awesome about it: You have all these characters of different nationalities and ethnicities, but it's not all about their culture," said Jeffrey Veregge, the artist for the Red Wolf character who is himself a Native American."It's about them being a hero."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE