# Existing "major" DC superhero to come out of the closet - Who will it be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794 "2012-05-23T05:24:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/81 "2012-05-23T21:08:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Do I have to be the one who points out it’d be kind of tacky to have as your gay superhero a guy named Queen? You may be giving DC a wee bit too much credit for subtlety. After all, if Black Lightning is black and Speedy was a drug addict… ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/82 "2012-05-23T21:50:31Z")
Commissioner Gordon? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/83 "2012-05-23T21:55:51Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I read that as \*\*Gardner Guy \*\*and thought "man, they really are running out of superhero themes aren’t they? With his Magic Hoe of Justice, planting the Flowers of Righteousness in the Rocky Soil of Crime!! Sounds like something from The Tick, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/84 "2012-05-23T22:12:38Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Commissioner Gordon? Again, there are 8 books set in Gotham, one of which is headlined by his daughter. He’s appeared a lot. (He hasn’t appeared in Batwoman\* or Birds of Prey, and if he’s appeared in Catwoman, it’s after I stopped reading, but the 4 Batman books and Batgirl have given him more than a few appearances.) - This despite the major presence of the GCPD - Kate’s dating Maggie Sawyer, and through Maggie, we’re getting a look at the GCPD’s investigation of the same case Kate’s following. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/85 "2012-05-23T22:20:48Z")
Bullock ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/86 "2012-05-23T22:58:47Z")
Once again: An iconic male character _that has not yet been reintroduced to this recent universe reformatting._ Unless your guess fits all three of these criteria, it’s wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/87 "2012-05-23T22:59:02Z")
If it were Batman, it would probably go [something like this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARoCpelSF70). ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/88 "2012-05-23T23:20:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > It won’t be one of the male characters (don’t want to alienate the fanboys), and Wonder Woman is too prominent. ALL the female characters are drawn “prominently”. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/89 "2012-05-23T23:24:53Z")
It’s been like 4-5 years since I read any DC, and I know there’s been a reboot or two since then, but naming guys like Wally West (married (to a woman) with twins last I knew) and Alan Scott (like 80 years old (though artificially deaged a few decades) married to an 80 year old woman (not deaged)) seems utterly bizarre to me. Wow the last reboot must’ve been a doozy for them to be considered candidates for this cheap ploy. Before they started offering up more clues, my guesses were Dick Grayson (some hack writer tried to turn him bi once before, but they wouldn’t let her) or Wonder Woman (comes from an island with no men, after all). I have no idea who has or hasn’t appeared post-most recent reboot. Has the Legion of Superheroes been around? Could it be someone like Mon-El? Not really iconic real world-wise, but in at least some reboots he was somewhat of an inspiration for the Legion (depending on Superboy’s existence or not at the time). ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/90 "2012-05-23T23:35:00Z")
Will he be Top Man or Bottom Man? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/91 "2012-05-23T23:52:42Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Once again: An iconic male character _that has not yet been reintroduced to this recent universe reformatting._ Unless your guess fits all three of these criteria, it’s wrong. Well, I haven’t been reading the latest issues, so you’ll have to keep reminding people like me who has appeared and who hasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/92 "2012-05-24T00:22:11Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Once again: An iconic male character _that has not yet been reintroduced to this recent universe reformatting._ Unless your guess fits all three of these criteria, it’s wrong. They couldn’t possibly make Mister Terrific a three-fer, could they? _“Sure, we have a prominent black superhero. And a prominent atheist superhero. And a prominent gay superhero.”_ Just swap out Paula for Paul and you’re all set for an origin story… ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/93 "2012-05-24T02:15:27Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > It’s been like 4-5 years since I read any DC, and I know there’s been a reboot or two since then, but naming guys like Wally West (married (to a woman) with twins last I knew) and Alan Scott (like 80 years old (though artificially deaged a few decades) married to an 80 year old woman (not deaged)) seems utterly bizarre to me. Wow the last reboot must’ve been a doozy for them to be considered candidates for this cheap ploy. It was. It was substantially more “severe” than the Crisis on Infinite Earths, in terms the rebooted characters. And the JSA characters are roughly the same ages as the JLA characters–maybe 10 years older. So none of them fought in WWII. Wally’s no longer married (and IIRC hasn’t been reintroduced), Barry’s no longer married to Iris, Clark is no longer married to Lois and the Kents are long dead. It was a near complete\*, total reboot. Sadly, (IMO) except for the fringe books (Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Jonah Hex, Dial H for Hero, a few others, and as an exception to the ‘fringe’ label Wonder Woman) I don’t find it very good, or very entertaining. The premise seems to be “What if all the characters were just boring and/or angry douches who have absolutely no joy in their lives, but grimace a lot.” Justice League is just sad. It’s like someone read The Ultimates and didn’t get that what made it interesting is that there was a crap-ton of character interaction and very few fight-scenes and they’ve made Billy Batson into a joyless sullen, troubled _boring_ kid. Plus, because they let Jim Lee redesign all the costumes, there’s this really bland sameness to all the outfits. \*Except Batman or Green Lantern which continued on, largely untouched despite the fact that this means Batman went through 5 Robins in 5 years and somehow Dick Grayson had time to grow from an 8 or 9 year old to a 20-something guy in that same 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/94 "2012-05-24T02:55:03Z")
How about Apache Chief? Has he shown up yet? Zan? Cyborg? (anyone on Superfriends could be considered “Iconic” to someone in the right generation. OK, except for Marvin, maybe. He’s just lame.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/95 "2012-05-24T03:07:41Z")
Enemy Ace ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/96 "2012-05-24T08:26:07Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > \*Except Batman or Green Lantern which continued on, largely untouched despite the fact that this means Batman went through 5 Robins in 5 years and somehow Dick Grayson had time to grow from an 8 or 9 year old to a 20-something guy in that same 5 years. Is that true though? I haven’t been able to keep up with all the DC titles for the last few months, but my understanding was that, although costumed heroes first appeared publicly “five years ago”, Batman had been operating under the radar for some time before that. That was the word when they launched the new 52, anyway – they haven’t contradicted that already, surely? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/97 "2012-05-24T11:41:04Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I’d argue that Atom is far, FAR more iconic than Orion. Not the Ryan Choi version. And while Orion may seem a little obscure, he was arguably the central protagonist for the **New Gods/Fourth World** titles. After Darkseid, he’s Kirby’s most iconic character from the early 70s; unlike Darkseid, he has yet to appear in the “New 52.” And on Kirby’s watch, his closest companion was Lightray; no girls allowed in that clubhouse! ---
**Author:** ![Slade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Slade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slade)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/98 "2012-05-24T12:38:57Z")
_"thread_\*_t"_ I’m assuming you have a rude word in mind here, but I’m darned if I can think what it is. Unless “threadshit” or “threadcunt” have recently entered the lexicon, I’m baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/99 "2012-05-24T12:57:41Z")
> [@Slade](#): > > _"thread_\*_t"_ > > I’m assuming you have a rude word in mind here, but I’m darned if I can think what it is. > > Unless “threadshit” or “threadcunt” have recently entered the lexicon, I’m baffled. Try a Google search for “threadshitting.” It’s not all that recent. ---
**Author:** ![Slade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Slade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slade)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/100 "2012-05-24T16:29:54Z")
Google, Google, Google… “Thread-shitting: Posting off topic messages to a discussion forum. Usually, but not always, with purposeful intent to derail the discussion.” - the Urban Dictionary. Fair enough. Thanks, Krokodil - I have learned something today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794.md?page=6)