DC Characters You Might Not Have Known Are Queer

DC Comics made international headlines this week after Tim Drake’s Robin came out as bisexual in the latest issue of Batman: Urban Legends. The reveal – while being teased for years – made Drake a welcome new addition to the LGBTQ+ community and added another hero to the publisher’s growing list of queer characters. DC Comics has introduced several heroes over the years, some of whom you might not even have realized are queer.

Among DC’s long list of characters, there are some characters whose queerness has been consistently represented in the comics. For example, Kate Kane’s Batwoman and Midnighter are two LGBTQ+ heroes whose queerness has been a focal part of their stories, especially in modern stories. While being queer isn’t their entire identity, they have been important for representation in comic books. Meanwhile, some characters such as Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are finally being paired together in the main continuity after the couple had many romantic adventures together outside of DC’s interconnected comics. With that said, there’s still plenty of work to be done to ensure queer characters and romances are given the same care, time, and attention other romances are. More DC characters are queer than fans realize.

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman being queer shouldn’t be surprising, but when talking about such a legendary and important hero, her queerness has often been overlooked. Growing up on an island filled with incredibly beautiful, strong female Amazonian warriors should be the first tip-off that Wonder Woman is bisexual, but her sexuality was confirmed in 2016 by writer Greg Rucka. Rucka told Comicosity that the Wonder Woman they introduced in their Wonder Woman Rebirth arc was queer, admitting it wouldn’t make much sense that there were no relationships between warriors on Themiscyra. However, he added Amazonians don’t have a concept of “gay,” since there aren’t any men on the island.

While Wonder Woman often gets paired with Steve Trevor, it would be a lot of fun to see her in a romance with a fellow Themiscyran – as the concept has only lightly hinted at in past storylines and would be worth exploring further.

Savant

While Michael Rooker’s version of Savant in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad didn’t explore his romantic history, the character’s romance with a fellow villain, Creote, is an integral relationship in Gail Simone and Ed Benes’ Birds of Prey comic. Savant met Creote while both villains were members of the KGB. After Creote vied for Savant’s attention for a while, the pair eventually became a couple.

Considering Savant has a higher profile than ever following The Suicide Squad, now would be the perfect time to bring the couple back for mainstream audiences to get to know.

Jackson Hyde – Aqualad

Jackson Hyde has become more and more popular over the past few years, as the hero’s adventures in Aquaman, Teen Titans, and other comics – as well as being a starring hero in the Young Justice animated series – have made him a key member of the Aquaman-related family. Back in 2017, Jackson revealed he was gay in Teen Titans Rebirth, and since then, he’s been openly gay in the comics and is queer in the Young Justice series.

In the YA Graphic Novel You Brought Me The Ocean by Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh, Aqualad’s origin was retold where he learned what it was like to be a superhero while falling in love with his male classmate. As far as queer, coming-of-age stories go, few are better. DC Comics has seemingly fully embraced Hyde’s queerness – as he was previously shelved almost entirely during The New 52 era. The upcoming Aquaman: The Becoming by Brandon Thomas, Diego Olortegui, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Adriana Lucas will star Hyde in a six-issue series that is set to explore his life and queerness further.

Alan Scott – Green Lantern

Alan Scott is one of DC’s oldest characters, as the original Green Lantern has been around for more than 80 years in the comics. Throughout his history, Scott’s romantic life hadn’t been heavily explored, besides his marriage to the villain Rose and Thorn, which led to the birth of his twin children, Jade and Obsidian. In the Earth-2 comic series, Scott’s origin was changed so that he gained his powers after his male partner died in a traincrash. But, earlier this year, DC Comics confirmed that Scott is gay in the main canon in a beautifully touching moment from DC’s Infinite Frontier #0. His children’s reaction to his coming out is an emotional moment.

Considering Scott grew up when the public didn’t widely accept queer people, his story proved to be a heart-wrenching tale about being forced to hide who you are out of fear. DC Comics made the right call retconning Scott’s past, as it ultimately made him a more interesting character while adding layers to his storied past.

Renee Montoya – The Question

Renee Montoya is a familiar face in DC Comics canon, as she’s been a key part of different Bat-Family-related stories as both a detective and as the hero, the Question. However, the character’s queerness and relationship with Kate Kane’s Batwoman has become an important part of Montoya’s characterization – as she often comes into conflict with the vigilante.

Montoya was outed by Two-Face during Gotham Central and he tried to create a romance with her, despite her objections that she was gay. In the 52 series, it’s revealed Montoya was in a relationship with Kate Kane. That romance would be explored in future titles and would often see the characters at odds with each other outside of their on-again, off-again relationship- but in the end, the pairing led to one of DC’s best romances. Thankfully, DC Comics has embraced Montoya’s queerness in live-action depictions of the character as well as the comics, with Victoria Cartagena’s Renee Montoya being queer in Gotham, and likely being the same in her upcoming debut in Batwoman, despite playing a different version of the hero.

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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