To my deep irritation I found out today that Courtney Simmons senior vice-president of publicity for DC comics, told ABC News that “One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June.”
This is important because the world is divided into people who prefer DC comics characters or Marvel characters.
This is going to be a problem for characters with a strong back story. Superman has his Lois Lane, for example. And I think that stupid choice would simply irritate the whole world.
Okay, we had better have a poll:
What DC character will wind up being homosexual?
- Robin (39%, 624 Votes)
- Batman (13%, 208 Votes)
- Wonder Woman (11%, 170 Votes)
- Aquaman (10%, 155 Votes)
- A Villain (e.g., Lex Luther) (6%, 91 Votes)
- Flash (6%, 88 Votes)
- Green Lantern (4%, 71 Votes)
- Superman (3%, 54 Votes)
- Martian Manhunter (2%, 33 Votes)
- Other (2%, 31 Votes)
- Booster Gold (2%, 28 Votes)
- Cyborg (1%, 14 Votes)
- Black Canary (1%, 13 Votes)
- Hawkman (0%, 5 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,585
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I don’t follow comic books but I picked “Flash”. I figure the name says it all!
It would make it a tad amusing if it were a villain. Just a tad.
I’d vote “all of the above” if it were an option.
I’m thinking about this from a writer’s perspective, and it’s ridiculous to try changing a character who’s been shown as straight for a long comic book run. There’s going to be past stories, sexual glances at the opposite gender or even pickup lines (let alone if the character dated anyone), whereas not any actual same-sex attraction in the previous storyline, and possibly story lines that if retconned for the homosexual factor suddenly become extremely icky. Plus, there’s the issue of who this character’s partner is, since they love to play soap opera in these comic series. In other words, the can’t be just one gay character; there’ve got to be two.
In other words, if you just say, “Surprise! Superman was really gay all along!” it’s going to look like the slapped-together, pasted-on storyline. If they wanted to put this kind of storyline together, they should have started with a new character.
I voted Robin as I always had my suspicions as a kid…
Well, Wonder Woman is not a “he” so I ruled her out, unless they’re going to go for transvestite as well.
I wouldn’t think they’d mess with Batman or Robin, since they said only one character would be gay and Ace and Gary has already been done by Saturday Night Live.
If they chose a villian, the gay activists would protest.
So I thought probably a popular but “2nd-tier” iconic character, like Aquaman, whose popularity might be flagging anyway.
I just enlarged the picture of the Super Heroes.
None of them look like good guys anymore. They all look like villians with good guy costumes.
Very Dark
I’m thinking they’re going to do this to both Batman and Robin. The Superman/Lois Lane story is too ingrained for them to mess with the Man of Steel, but I don’t recall Batman having anything more than occasional flirtations with Catwoman — as with so much of this, a lot depends on which Batman we’re talking about. Since they’ve decided to do this to a major character, I don’t think Robin, the Flash, the Martian Manhunter, etc., fit the bill.
I was never much into comic books, but I hate to see them pull this kind of crap.
….And they wonder why I have little interest in comic books……
I was going to vote Robin (I see he’s ahead at this point) but I figured if it was him, it was Batman that led him into it.
They all look pretty gay to me.
Robin. It has to be Robin.
Fascinating although the subject of a gay comic character was explored at length in the early 2000’s critically acclaimed series Queer as Folk.
I think Batman and Robin would be too easy and they would probably stay away from that because of the age difference.
I would go with Aquaman – that’s my vote!
I suspect that this is part of an effort by the entertainment industry to provide positive role models to youth, so I doubt that it will be a criminal. (BTW, don’t think there is any hard data yet to determine the effectiveness of these efforts.)
I voted for Robin. His tights, short shorts, and color scheme always seemed very wrong to me. Incidently, I’m a Marvel fan. Go X-Men. And if Marvel tried doing this with someone like Wolverine he’d come out the page and slice’em.
Don’t care. I haven’t pick up a comic errr… “graphic novel” since the Dark Knight series in the early 80’s? At least, that had some sense to it. Older Batman -angst wanting to get back in to crime fighting because that was all he knew, living with the death of the second “Robin”. And, the horrific psychological symbiois between Batman and the Joker.
Making a gay character just seems like another attmept by the media to mainstream homosexual lifestyles. Doesnt matter whether it’s TV, Movies, Print, etc.
Please tell me a Catholic priest didn’t just advertise familiarity with “the early 2000s critically-acclaimed series Queer as Folk” in a public forum [Should priests not keep track, at least to some extent, of what is going on in the popular culture with which their parishioners are being bombarded?]
I feel like they’d take a lot of heat if it was a villain…. I mean, doesnt being gay make you the good guy by definition to these people? [Ahhhh… yes. Good point.]
@Ezra
Maybe not.
I voted wonder woman I don’t remember her having any gentleman callers. Plus she’s not the scary butch type so making her a lesbian would not be as off-putting to the general public as say making superman a homosexual and lois lane was just his beard all these years. [Didn’t WW come from some island of amazons where there are no men?]
No disrespect intended but … who really cares !
pax et bonum
I did not mean for my former comment to seem curt BUT it is a comic strip !
Well, Martian Manhunter is an alien, and Red Tornado is a robot, so human ethics wouldn’t necessarily apply to them I suppose. Wonder Woman comes from a race of all women, so she seems an obvious choice, despite some back story with Major Steve Trevor and (at least in animation) Batman. Robin would be an obvious choice as well. Hawkman and Superman seem least likely, due to their very well known relationships. Green Lantern also has a long time girlfriend, even if not well known outside the comic world.
By the way, if I recall correctly, Black Canary is supposed to be Catholic (at least nominally). That might be the most problematic if they go down that avenue. [Not if she ever worked closely with the LCWR.]
Sorry folks. DC already did this years ago – though admittedly with a less well known set of characters. The characters were “The Brain” and “Monsieur Mallah” of the Brotherhood of Evil – perennial antagonists of “The Doom Patrol”. I suppose though that since Mallah is a super-intelligent Gorilla and the Brain (occasionally) is harbored in a robot body it is not quite homosexuality but cybernetic-homosexual-beastiality.
Did I really write this on this blog? Well, it’s Father Z’s fault for bringing it up.
Of course when I was reading comics in the sixties they didn’t quite have story lines like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_(comics)
I’m thinking Wonder Woman would be a sort-of twofer in that she would have both the “strong woman” plus the “socially contributing great lesbian” themes.
Thank you.
I voted Robin. And I hope it won’t be Batman too – I imagine Robin hanging out in those trendy bars but not Batman.
And I faint. There are people out there that don’t take this seriously?? I read comics as a kid and am delighted that hubby takes me to or at least buys all the comic book movies. He knows all the storylines for all of them and really appreciates the faithfulness to the comic-book storylines. Stan Lee’s Marvel seem to be the best.
It better not be the Green Lantern – that movie promoted using the Will and the Intellect throughout, overcoming weakness and emotions. I reveled in its anti-Calvinist spin.
Won’t be Robin. Too much backlash on the age difference thing as mentioned earlier.
My money’s on Wonder Woman. Female homosexuality is more palatable to the general public and Gertrude Stein, and the name of the game is selling comics.
So let me get this straight: Batman and Robin aren’t already gay?
If you say so.
I’m not following what the problem would be with Robin would be, especially age-wise?
We haven’t seen anything related to whom his alleged partner would be, so Batman isn’t an inherent choice. If they DID go with Robin, it wouldn’t be that much different from Xena’s sidekick on TV being an open lesbian on the show. Granted, Xena’s creators didn’t go that route that I know of, but I learned about the homosexual references that Gabrielle makes a few years after I’d seen the show. Hmph: Amazing what I’ll watch when I’m overseas, bored, and have only one English-speaking channel.
They even got me to watch (WWF, er WWE) SMACKDOWN once…..
I’d say the Silver Surfer, but he’s Marvel, not DC.
Hi, Centristian. LOL, you remind me of the “Ambiguously Gay Duo” on SNL. Some were cute/funny but sometimes a little too gross for my taste.
Don’t think the Batman comics had that spin, whereas the TV series was super campy.
Wikipedia’s “Homosexuality in the Batman Franchise” is a very interesting read.
Well, whoever it is, we must remember that the entire DC universe is being “rebooted”. That is, unlike earlier attempts to reconcile different time lines/plot holes of earlier comics (like the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ story arc tried to do), they are simply starting from scratch and are virtually free to re-write any of the characters’ origin stories. So while there may be pressure from fans to not change certain characters like Batman or Superman, I could totally imagine a reboot universe where Batman’s heterosexuality is just as much a facade as the rest of Bruce Wayne’s personality.
I would just like to add that I prefer the ‘traditional’ DC universe, and am suspicious of this new “hermeneutic of rupture”.
I voted Wonder Woman, but then I saw the “he” pronoun. I can’t imagine…
Who cares?
I don’t like DC. Marvel rules and there is NO WAY Marvel would mess with their characters like this.
I doubt it would be a first tier or , even 2nd tier character. More then likely, a former member of the Justice League from back when they were slapstick.
I voted for Doomsday….
Fr Z,
Not if it means watching sewage like this, no. I appreciate the need to be aware that there is toxic stuff out there, but a non-judgemental reference to an explicit homosexual propaganda drama series as “critically acclaimed” – and an apparent familiarity with plot details – is just disturbing. Anyway, sorry if I seemed to be derailing the discussion.
I voted for Flash Gordon in the end.
Uh-oh. I just realised Flash and Flash Gordon are not one and the same. *facepalm*
Know thy enemy, huh?
“Gay” activism needs attention – it craves it. It needs to be a shocking revelation. If you need to reexplain or ignore history – so much the better. So it must be a major character – not a Martian Manhunter or a Black Canary.
It can’t be Superman – or else it would be an “alien” origin for something “you’re born with” (their words, not mine).
It can’t be someone you can say “Oh, I always knew that” or else it loses it’s propaganda value.
As such, it can’t be “Wonder Woman” (some of the early comics were, well, a bit odd in this regard).
Not a villian – for they don’t want people to say that being “gay” is the same as being evil (but of course they have been playing around with what is really evil too – but I’d say not yet. Perhaps for a second person “outed”.
Batman has always had a bit of questionable sanity to him – But he’s been re-imaged recently and his movies are blockbusters. I’d expect them to rework Batman.
Notice, I don’t say “I’d vote for”, for this is definitely an evil undertaking.
This was in “pewsitter” I guess those that voted “other” got it right.
I haven’t read comics for ages so didn’t recognize the new ones Northstar??? who was that?
From “Pewsitter”:
PHILADELPHIA – Wedding bells will ring this summer for Marvel Comics’ first openly gay hero, super speedster Northstar.
The New York-based publisher said Tuesday that Canadian character Jean-Paul Beaubier will marry his beau, Kyle Jinadu, in the pages of “Astonishing X-Men” No. 51. That’s due out June 20.
Ezra:
I can see Fr.Z’s point of view totally. What is the man in the pew being bombarded with? Much as priests and we should be “not of this world” we have to know the enemy.
Okay folks, who remembers when the question was raised of Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street being gay, and the official answer was something like: “They’re puppets. They don’t have a gender.” ? Seriously, come on…
I have to say who cares?? The “New 52” are HORRIBLE ATROCITIES! [I had to go look that up.] Yuck…..My FIL sent some over, as I married into comic geekdom, and they were destroyed. There doesn’t seem to much hope unless kids are clamoring for the old re-issues. Someone above mentioned that the DC characters look like bad guys in good guy costumes. They pretty much are evil clones of familiar characters. Sad…..
I hope Marvel never messes with Deadpool this way…..or Wolverine
I’m just curious…what are the ages of those who read comic books these days? I suspect that many such ‘superhero’ stories are enjoyed by children as well as some adults.
Parents should be well aware of things that are going on in comic books. As should anyone interested in how pop culture shapes the viewpoints of people.
Making superheroes gay isn’t new. DC already did it with Batwoman. Marvel has too. In fact one of Marvel’s writers when speaking on the ‘Death of Ultimate Spider-Man’ arc, where they kill Peter Parker (In the Ultimate Universe, not in the traditional Spidey universe, there are two alternate reality series running), they replaced Peter Parker with a new ethnic person to take up the Spider-Man mantle. But anyway one of the things that was toyed around with but ultimately didn’t make it in, was that the new Ultimate Spider-Man be a homosexual.
In any case, Marvel in particular, and no doubt DC are very open about where their allegiances lie. Barack Obama received a lot of positive support from Marvel in particular with an appearance in a Spider-Man comic. In fact I’ve noticed a lot of support for homosexuality etc. in the comics themselves, one in particular I read recently was where a team of heroes scold Bucky (Captain America’s sidekick) for using the term ‘pansy’ in a derogatory manner to refer to Hydra Agents, arguing how he could be so insensitive, and that a lot of their friends are ‘pansies’, heck up to this time I had no idea that ‘pansy’ was now a word co-opted by homosexuals/transgendered, effeminate men…
Also of note is that the DC Universe has been ‘reset’… There was a cross-over storyline called Flashpoint, where the Flash changed the entire history of the universe, and thus this is what prompted an entire reboot of the entire DC comics universe, now referred to as the ‘New 52’, basically all 52 mainline comic franchises in print had their numbers reset to Issue #1, and a lot of things have been changed, it’s no longer the same old heroes you know… Not completely… So don’t be surprised in light of this that they ignore previous ‘relationships’ such as that of Super-Man and Lois for example… Those don’t apply anymore. Food for thought…
Anyway I’m not taking part in this poll. Just seems like something to feed the homosexual propaganda machine. As someone who enjoys comics and manga, I do not like this trend and much of what I see happening nowadays…
Andreas
– Both children and adults read comics. There’s a variety of stuff appropriate for every age. Most mainstream comics on store shelves I’d say are more suitable for teens and up than for young children, but there is certainly plenty of stuff available for them as well. The primary market however are teens and adults.
Good grief! Does everything have to be turned homosexual for these perverts? Cartoon characters, Burt & Ernie, and now comic book heroes. Does the world have a fixation on this or what?
I’ll spare you the lengthy analysis.
Voted “other”, but reconsidering.
Green Lantern (assuming this refers to Hal Jordan) is sufficiently major. Portrayed for decades as heterosexual, but few significant developments from that. They could swap out for a new direction with few ripples.
Father Z, this post is weird. I cannot tell it was written by a priest; it could be any article on HuffPo. A casual reader of your blog may need some context, here… Apparently this is only important because “because the world is divided into people who prefer DC comics characters or Marvel characters.” Is that really the reason this is irritating and important? :) Lovingly, –SoM [Gosh, I dunno. Waddya you think?]
I agree with JohnE’s analysis: 2nd tier that needs a popularity boost. Aquaman may fit the bill, along with many others. Of course DC already has a lesbian lead with Batgirl, and Marvel has Northstar’s wedding this summer.
All of this is symptomatic of the malaise in our culture, well behind the pace of eve broadcast TV.
There’s a great entry on wikipedia tracking all this craziness in comics. Up until 1989, the comics code forbid portrayals of homosexuality. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_themes_in_comics#Censorship_and_criticism
This is fundamentally really disturbing. My 7 year old son just discovered some of my old comics and is reading through them. He wants to start collecting, which I was fine with. (He reads a LOT, and I see this as a playful distraction.) I brought home a few Avengers, Superman, etc. for him and a Wonder Woman for my 9 year old daughter. What could go wrong?
Oh, a lot. My 9 year old daughter came to me and was very upset that there was a “woman dressed immodestly” in the comic book. (We aren’t prudes – and we don’t force her to live in skirts. In fact, she’s kind of tomboyish sometimes.) It really was inappropriate.
Solution?
Most of the 70’s and 80’s comics can be procured for about $1 a piece (Better than today’s $2.99 price) because they were overproduced. I have just been buying those in bulk (2 lbs for $7.95) off the web. They are MUCH better, and the kid like them just as much.
If it’s Batman, what did Alfred know, and when did he know it?
Maybe the comics are just like Hollywood, they’re all gay…..
I said Robin. I’ve always thought there was something about him…
But actually thinking about it, it probably won’t be because it seems as though he’s been like that along. *eye roll* It’ll be someone who is “manly” to make seems that being gay a “manly” thing.
But it wouldn’t be Superman, because they’ll want it to be someone who is “human”, in the accepted sense of the word, “It’s only human to be gay.”
Clinton R, same sentiments exactly! It’s sick!
“Once upon a time, there lived a king and a king.” New fairy-tales. Lovely, huh? Next thing we’ll be hearing that the Grimm brothers were gay.
I’ve even heard that Sponge Bob has made gay comments.
“One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June.”
Barack Obama!
I agree with those who said that it probably won’t be a villain; the homosexual activists wouldn’t let them get away with that, because it would send the “wrong message”. After all, they insist on claiming Abraham Lincoln as a homosexual president. They’re not interested in claiming James Buchanan, who might well have been homosexual; no, it has to be one of the *good* presidents.
As for Robin, it’s been awhile since I followed comic books, but aren’t they on at least their 3rd Robin now, if not their 4th? What I mean is that Dick Grayson isn’t Robin anymore; the characters have aged, to an extent, and the kid now wearing the Robin costume in the comic books is at least the 3rd or 4th character to serve as Robin.
But if they decide on Batman and Robin, it would mean that the guy who wrote “Seduction of the Innocent” back in the 50s was right all along.
I already thought Batman and Robin were gay.
So I’ll go with Aquaman.
This is another fine example of the problem. Years back, we as society conned into becoming too politically correct and stopped calling things what they are. We caved to the “don’t hurt anyones feelings” and the result is the celebration of a disorder – same sex attraction. A generation ago, everyone would be flabbergasted at this, now those same folks are simply discussing this as though it is fine and normal – has satan won??
If the powers that be at the comics and hollywood were to show a character that is suffering from this disorder, showed the harassment and hatred, but how they sought help and “overcame” the disorder and once again integrated back into society as a healed heterosexual, then that person would BE a hero (along with the ones who helped them overcome the disorder) and the ones who celebrated the disorder as normal would rightly be the villains.
Instead – this disorder is now celebrated and called normal to the detriment of those who suffer it, and those who call it what it is, are vilified. Same with abortion – it is murder, plain and simple. It needs to be called what it is. Instead, we tip toe around these evils and use the language that the enemy gives us (because to call it what it is puts us in the crosshairs and we become targets and called intolerant.) So instead we just simply go along with it, not makes waves, and become accessories to the evil. When we do not speak up and call these evils what they are, we assist in keeping the unknowledgeable ignorant, and then soon society as a whole is fooled into thinking abortion is good and same sex attraction is perfectly fine and normal – and then babies are murdered, and those suffering from the homosexual disorder are not treated. If we do not lead society back from the brink by calling evil “evil”, who will?
I think Robin is the logical choice for a couple of reasons (and BTW, starting with the third Robin, he has worn long pants (or tights.. which is the super hero equivalent :)).
1. The Current Robin (There have been 5) is Batman’s son. To some extent this limits the how creepiness factor and it also gives them a dramatic sub-plot to play with as Batman has to come to terms with it.
2. He is also young; I am not sure exactly, but I think he is still a pre-teen or an early teen. As a result, his back story doesn’t include lots of romantic relationships with women.
3. Because Robin, of all the Major DC characters is the most weakly identified with an actual character, it gives writers the freedom to move the actual character into a secondary role (or out of the book entirely) and replace him with another Robin.
BTW, I am going to point out that Comic Book characters are important right now because they have taken such an important spot in media. Every year seems to have multiple Super Hero movies and of course there have been a number of TV shows. There influence can some times be huge (One Japanese Comic Book, Hikaru no Go, was popular for a major resurgence of interest in the game of Go).
Has anyone ever really thought of Robin as a superhero?
Right after I voted for a villain, the numbers were 6%, 66 votes – I guess there’s your answer. 666 It must be a villain.
If I were a crazy gay activist, I’d have sued Marvel long ago about their stupid Northstar character. The more they lean on him being ooh so edgy and homosexual, the more they turn him into a stereotype and not an actual character. With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Making a girly-looking male Canadian figure skater character be the flagship mutant homosexual? Making him dress in pastels? And then stuffing him into storage every five minutes when the agenda got boring? Yeah, that was showing respect for homosexuality, hoo yeah. And now a conveniently topical gay marriage with some guy named “Jinadu”? Seriously???
And it’s not just Marvel. Comics writers overwhelmingly tend to do this to all their edgy, poster-child-for-liberal characters. They end up being cartoony stereotypes to a man and a woman, ones far worse than the worse bigot’s caricature. Maybe there are independent comics that treat such characters as people, but I’ve never seen it.
Nothing against people of Nigerian heritage with the last name of Jinadu. But they always have to do something weird with poor Northstar. And let’s not even get into his sister, who is a classic example of “let’s torture the female characters and give them horrible backgrounds, so that we can have an excuse to draw them in demeaning ways while still pretending to be feminist.”
Yeah, some Marvel writers love the characters, but others just love to tear them down and slap them around. And Alpha Flight was pretty much all a “slap around the Canadian superheroes” team.
You guys are killing me…our 7 year old son’s name is Robin!! I vote Wonder Woman.
So, we might be looking at a complete re-invention of the Marvel (or DC?) comics, eh?
Let’s see, in the 90’s, we saw the Hardy Boys “re-invented”, along with Nancy Drew. Both focused too much on teen dating, not detective work, so I gave up after 4 books. But both have apparently seen subsequent series and changes of characters.
Then, while I was in college, George Lucas felt compelled to re-create his Star Wars films, give us three survivable, not fabulous, prequels, and supposedly has plans for successive films dealing with the New Republic.
A few years ago, JJ Abrams and friends began re-creating Star Trek. Decent movie, really, but it’d play havoc on the storyline, unless they start a completely new universe.
Then there was Indiana Jones a few years ago, though he seemed to be compelled to get Area 51 and nuclear testing messed together, which they never were to my knowledge.
Oh, by the way, most of the country acts that I hear on the radio..sound like a somewhat recycled version of what I heard 20 years ago.
Now, it seems someone needs to re-invent comic book characters.
Am I the only one to be wondering if the entertainment industry might be running out of gas?
I voted Superman. After all, he’s the man with the “American ideal” and the “American dream.” (sarcasm alert!)
frjim4321:
Like you, I couldn’t help but call to mind the famed Ambiguously Gay Duo as I read this post.
I’m shaking my head in bemusement over the sheer number of responses to this post…and over how few of these many responses reveal that familiar righteous indignation over the derangement of our modern culture that one might have justifiably anticipated.
In the immortal words of Kurt Cobain, “what else can I say…”
@Centristian
and over how few of these many responses reveal that familiar righteous indignation over the derangement of our modern culture that one might have justifiably anticipated.
I think this is because it is neither a surprise nor a subculture with which many readers closely identify. At least that’s how I see the situation. I would have expected comic books to have been replaced by some other technology, or at least the main characters to have become so awkward that they finally stop trying to come up with new stories about Superman and Batman, for example.
Even Homer Simpson mixed up the deity with a superhero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MILArKLKUEk
“I’m not normally a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman!”
I’ve a book reccomendation in response to the discussion on this topic. A Landscape With Dragons by Michael OBrien. It is about literature and the battle for your child’s mind. It is apt to realize the culture pervades and perverts. It is apt to realize a responsibility to review what our kids read. It is boring and dull to never have fun! O’Brian’s take will surprise you! Thanks for the laugh Fr Z!