Comics Corner – Is the future of the DC Universe a gay superhero utopia?

This article was originally published on our sister site, Gayming Magazine.

In recent months, there’s been a subtle but interesting trend going on at DC –- its universe is getting overtly but undeniably queerer.

It might be argued that this has been happening for a while –- after all, the publisher has built a significant roster of LGBTQ+ characters inhabiting its superhero multiverse since the 1990s, enough to recently introduce an entire Justice League of queer heroes. However, many –- though far from all –- of these have been fringe characters.

What’s happening lately is different though. DC is building an entire generation of characters tied to major heroes who are in some way queer. Rather than extremely niche characters such as Tasmanian Devil or Shining Knight, fantastic though they are, we’re now seeing the successors to Batman, Superman, Aquaman, and more coming out, setting the stage for a future that is far more out and proud than what’s come before.

Even more promising is that some are already being promoted from sidekick territory to headline heroes. Currently, Jackson Hyde -– better known as Aqualad, and an openly gay man -– is headlining his own miniseries. However, unlike Garth, the original Aqualad whose own 1996 miniseries used his identity of Tempest, Jackson’s series is titled Aquaman: The Becoming.

With only one issue published at time of writing, it remains to be seen whether the series will actually see Jackson become Aquaman, or if it’s some sort of bait and switch, but just having him be the headline star of a book with the main hero’s name on is a major step forwards. The recent Future State: Aquaman also set the precedent for Jackson taking on the mantle of defender of the deep, albeit in a possible future, and this could be the start of how he takes on that core role.

Then there’s Robin, or rather the third Robin, Tim Drake. As previously discussed here on Gayming Magazine, a recent comic established that Tim is interested in men to some extent, and although the storyline is still ongoing, DC seems to be edging towards defining him as bisexual.

In some potential timelines, Tim goes on to become Batman, so in a roundabout way we’ve technically seen a bisexual Batman, though we’d be loathe to count that in retrospect. However, having Tim come out is an important moment, and we’ve no doubt we’ll see some future story where he takes up the cowl again. Whether that ends up being another alternate future or in the core DC Universe is entirely speculative, but Bruce Wayne has frequently been replaced as Batman, and the next time he takes a break, having an openly bi Tim Drake take on the identity would be groundbreaking.

Tim isn’t the only character queering the Batcave though -– Batwoman is and remains arguably DC’s most prominent out hero. While the Kate Kane version of the character recently appeared in the DC Pride special, the publisher finally seems to be edging towards properly introducing the Ryan Wilder incarnation into the comics. An original character created for the Batwoman TV show, Ryan had a solitary, one-page comic appearance in 2020, then nothing. However, July 2021’s Batman: Urban Legends #5 saw the character reappear, with a tease of further appearances to come. Whether this version of Ryan will take on the Batwoman role in the comics remains to be seen, though.

The biggest reveal may still be yet to come though, with Jon Kent, Superman’s son, recently stepping into the family business with his own solo comic, Superman: Son of Kal-El –- and there are hints of LGBTQ+ twists on the way.

Like Jackson Hyde headlining an Aquaman –- rather than Aqualad –- series, Son of Kal-El ‘promotes’ Jon to the main identity, despite him having been known as Superboy until recently. While most of the series so far has focussed on how Jon approaches the responsibility of being Superman while his father is offworld, it has also introduced a new supporting character, Jay Nakamura. While not confirmed to be LGBTQ+ himself yet, Jay is undeniably queer-coded -– pink hair and an ‘alternative’ aesthetic, and is shown to be more a fan of Lois Lane than Superman –- while dialogue between him and Jon has left some fans online speculating that there might be mutual interest beyond simple friendship.

While neither Jon nor Jay have had their sexuality explicily stated, having the son of the original Superman, and the current headliner of a Superman comic, be revealed to be anything not-entirely-straight would be an absolutely seismic moment for LGBTQ+ characters and readers alike. Of course, it could end up that Jay is queer, and Jon ends up presented as merely an ally, though this would be disappointing.

The other stalwarts of the Justice League are tougher to pin queer successors to. There’s a non-binary version of The Flash, Jess Chambers, but they’re not directly linked to either of the ‘main’ DC Flashes (Wally West or Barry Allen) and they come from an alternate universe, while Green Lantern is a job role –- cosmic cop, rather than traditional superhero –- and so far has only one notable LGBTQ+ character, Jo Mullein, has been made a prominent member of the Green Lantern Corps. Wonder Woman, meanwhile, is an inherently queer character, coming from an all-female society and possessed of love and compassion for all, but for decades DC was afraid to confirm it. Still, the queerness of all-woman Themiscyran culture is generally more overt these days, and there are hints that the new Wonder Girl, Yara Flor – who, again, goes on to claim the main heroic moniker in a future timeline –- may be bi or pansexual.

Still, even discounting the ‘maybes’ DC’s current boldness in presenting  a mighty roster of big name queer heroes opens the door to a future where a core Justice League could comprise of an Aquaman, Batwoman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and possibly even Superman who are all representative of the LGBTQ+ community. Even the idea of it barely seemed possible just a few short years ago, yet right now at least one of those characters are already taking up core identities while being openly queer.

Of course, there’s the sad reality that mainstream comic books -– especially superhero books –- rarely see genuine, lasting, generational change. All the good work being done to establish a queer generation of A-Lister superheroes stumbles when corporate reality means DC is unlikely to ever let Bruce Wayne retire as Batman in the main continuity, or to have Clark Kent permanently pass the mantle of Superman on to Jon. Yet just entrenching this new wave of major LGBTQ+ superheroes is a momentous shift, and giving queer readers, especially younger ones, greater representation with big-name characters is nothing to be sniffed at –- even if this new breed of queer heroes may stay sidekicks for a while yet.