DC Comics has some of the most powerful–and most iconic–characters in the entire superhero genre. It also boasts quite a number of LGBTQ+ icons whose amazing powers and exploits are truly epic to behold.
Representation matters because different types of heroes bring their own experiences to the work they do. These heroes have each gone through their own journeys, and the comics they appear in show the full rainbow of experiences that color their perspectives and what they bring to the DC Universe.
10 Gotham Central Took Renee Montoya Out Of The Closet
Queer representation was something fans really had to fight for. One of the early victories of a mainstream DC comic having an open depiction of a lesbian character was Detective Renee Montoya’s coming out in the series Gotham Central.
Renee was harassed by her coworkers and even stalked by the villain Two-Face, who had developed a crush on her while she was still in the closet. However, she became liberated through the act of coming out and quickly reminded everyone just why she had earned a reputation as one of the GCPD’s best detectives.
9 Wonder Woman: Rebirth Celebrated The Amazons’ Sapphic Love
The character of Wonder Woman was created to champion such ideals as female empowerment, the pursuit of truth, and kink-positivity. Her early stories frequently featured queer subtext and BDSM-related plot elements.
In 2016, writer Greg Rucka partnered with artists Nicola Scott and Liam Sharp to reboot the character in Wonder Woman: Rebirth, a series that showcased everything great about the Amazon princess. The story Wonder Woman: Year One highlighted her time on Themyscira, including her many relationships with other Amazon women. After all, someone as strong-willed as Diana was not about to leave her home just because she’d met a man. The comic also showed that Diana was polyamorous and one of the major plot threads of the series involved a romantic relationship between Etta Candy and Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva.
8 The Authority Changed Superhero Comics Forever
The Authority was originally a WildStorm property, but DC acquired the rights to it. After several key members of the UN’s primary superhero team were killed, the group disbanded. However, a number of the surviving members formed a new team in secret, the Authority, under the leadership of Jenny Sparks.
Two members, Midnighter and Apollo, were an openly gay couple. Jenny and another character, Swift, also were both revealed to be bisexual and in a relationship. The Authority was a bold visionary series in many ways, and the comics industry was never the same afterward.
7 Midnighter Is A Leather-Clad Hero Whose Out And Proud
Steve Orlando and ACO’s Midnighter series was part of The New 52 and featured one of the heroes of the original Authority team. After breaking up with his long-time boyfriend Apollo, Midnighter set out on his own to delight in leather culture and ultraviolence.
The two volumes that collect this 12-issue series are entitled “Out” and “Hard,” making it clear that the protagonist pulls no punches about his sexuality (or anything else), and he will happily deck anyone who has a problem with it. In fact, the very first issue features Midnighter on a date discussing his Grindr profile.
6 Secret Six Was A Team Of Queer Anti-Heroes
The DC Universe is filled with multiple pantheons of gods, and fans everywhere should thank these deities for the existence of Gail Simone. There are so many ways Simone helped revolutionize the comics industry, not least of all was championing queer representation in all of her books.
A great example of this is in the critically-acclaimed series Secret Six, which she began writing with artists Brad Walker and Nicola Scott. The team (which Dale Eaglesham also helped create) was comprised of morally grey characters, all of whom were villains, albeit less villainous than the people they fought against. In addition to having several gay and bisexual characters, the Secret Six was among the first mainstream comics to have a non-binary character (though a gimmicky one). Its premise also served as a metaphor for the outlaw status many LGBTQ+ people were forced into and how they made their lives and communities living on the fringes.
5 The Movement Empowered Marginalized Voices Of The 99%
The Movement is an oft-overlooked masterpiece with a great premise: a team of heroes that represent the 99%. Written by Gail Simone and drawn by Freddie Williams II, this brilliant book showed how coalition-building, civil disobedience, and social media could be used to fight against real-world evils like police brutality and corruption. But the book somehow maintained humor and an upbeat tone.
The leader of the team, Virtue, began a same-sex relationship with the Apache activist Rainmaker. Other members of the team included a young man coming to terms with his own homosexuality after being raised in a repressive Christian fundamentalist home and another character who came out as ace.
4 The Demon Knights Is A Medieval Fantasy Adventure Series
While the majority of DC Comics focus on tales of superheroes, The Demon Knights by Paul Cornell and Diogenes Nenes was about a team of medieval champions. This book was all about high-stakes dark fantasy and had a story rooted in Arthurian legend.
Among the team’s members was the classic character Sir Ystin, the Shining Knight. This transmasculine Celtic warrior was heavily implied to have been intersex, but Cornell kept the details vague enough that fans of different backgrounds could relate to Sir Ystin. Another of the Demon Knights was an Amazon warrior, Exoristos, who had a preference for other women. She dated Sir Ystin for a while.
3 Batwoman Is A Lesbian Vigilante Who Takes Down Monsters
One of the most visible LGBTQ+ characters is Batwoman (AKA Kate Kane). She first debuted in the maxiseries 52 before going on to star in numerous series of her own.
Her backstory was explored in the story Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III, a comic that revealed how Kate became a superhero after West Point kicked her out for being gay. Later, Williams worked with W. Haden Blackman on an amazing Batwoman series as part of The New 52, where she was recruited to hunt down other heroes. Batwoman has no powers, nor does she need any. She has taken down monsters, gods, and madmen. Meanwhile, her 2016 series by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion III, and Steve Epting, Batwoman: Rebirth, showed the moral compromises her vigilantism forced her to make.
2 The Wild Storm Features A Superpowered Polycule
The Wild Storm was DC’s attempt to bring back the original WildStorm Universe. It was met with mixed results, as it tried to cram a lot of different ideas and groups into a 24-issue story. And it did a pretty incredible job considering how many moving parts it juggled.
The book reintroduced the classic WildStorm power couple, Midnighter and Apollo. It also brought back several other characters such as Jenny Sparks, Jack Harkness, Shen Li-Men and Angie Spica, all of whom formed a non-monogamous relationship. This polycule was adorable—and a force to be reckoned with.
1 Harley Quinn Has Become A Queer Icon
For a long time, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were DC’s “big three.” Now, Harley Quinn has joined them as one of the company’s best-selling and most beloved heroes.
Once, she was basically just the Joker’s girlfriend and henchwoman. Since she left him and set out on her own, she had been in a long-term relationship with Poison Ivy. Harley is the bisexual prankster that fans can’t get enough of, and any of her many books is a hilariously fun read.
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