Meet Ari Agbayani, Marvel's new Fil-Am heroine inspired by Captain America

A female Filipino-American hero in Marvel? She exists!

Marvel just unveiled Ari Agbayani, Captain America-inspired hero who seeks justice on her college campus.

Created by writer Alyssa Wong and Jodi Nishijima, Ari is a scholarship student at a small, private university. When her school turns a blind eye to fellow students behaving badly, she springs into action.

The new character is debuting in the comic "The United States of Captain America," which was created to "celebrate Captain America’s 80 anniversary with an action-packed adventure that explores the iconic hero’s incredible legacy and stars his greatest partners and villains," Marvel said in its website.

^{Photo courtesy of Marvel}

“When editor Alanna Smith approached me about creating a new, local Captain America for this series, I immediately knew I wanted to write a Filipino-American girl," Wong said.

"There just aren't very many of us in comics! I grew up without a Filipino-American community for the most part, so every time I see a Filipino character, I get excited. And getting to create one—a Captain America, even!—feels incredibly special," she added.

Ari wasn't inspired by Steve Rogers, Wong revealed, but rather Bucky Barnes.

She described the character as someone who "hates bullies as much as Steve does, but is willing to use sneakier, shadier tactics to deal with them."

"Ari's a vigilante, and she knows that you can't always win by playing by the rules. Bucky's influence is reflected in her costume, designed by the incredible Jodi Nishijima," she said.

"The United States of Captain America" is a limited series launching this June. The fourth issue, which includes Ari, is hitting the shelves on September 22. —JCB, GMA News