# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/101 "2012-05-24T16:47:40Z")
> [@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? This is the company that gave us [Extraño](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extra%C3%B1o). Yes. You have to point it out. > [@Krokodil](#): > > 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! Darn right, no girls allowed! woo! Ah, it won’t be Orion. DC’s “Second Wave” is their current, desperate push since they alienated so many readers with “the New 52” and immediately lost the mild readership bump _that_ stunt brought them. The “Second Wave” is somewhat focused on Earth 2, where the rebooted JSA is the focus. So it’ll probably be a JSAer. Maybe Starman. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/102 "2012-05-24T17:20:54Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Maybe Starman. Chocolate Starman? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/103 "2012-05-24T17:51:49Z")
A gay Starman has already appeared since the new 52 (albeit in a limited series that’s not considered one of the new 52 titles). ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/104 "2012-05-24T18:27:19Z")
Predicted in 1971 by one D. Bowie: > [@](#): > > There’s a Starman waiting in the sky/He’d like to come and meet us, but he thinks he’d blow our minds ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/105 "2012-05-25T04:07:52Z")
Apparently it’s Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern), a twice married man with two kids who was understandably (being from the 1940s) uncomfortable with his son’s homosexuality. If so, DC chose poorly. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/106 "2012-05-25T09:01:47Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Apparently it’s Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern), a twice married man with two kids who was understandably (being from the 1940s) uncomfortable with his son’s homosexuality. If so, DC chose poorly. According to [this](http://www.lakeshorelaments.com/?p=13397), it’s the Earth 2 version, which means he’s not the guy in the main universe. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/107 "2012-05-25T13:54:35Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > IMHO: it’s going to be Hawkgirl… I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**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 25, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/108 "2012-05-25T15:35:25Z")
Newsarama gave their top ten most probable: 10-The Spectre 9-Starman 8-Aqualad 7-The Atom(Ryan Choi) 6-Black Lightning 5-Wally West 4-Eel O’Brian 3-Shazam 2-Earth 2 Flash(Jay Garrick) 1-Earth 2 Green Lantern(Alan Scott) ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/109 "2012-05-25T16:58:14Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Newsarama gave their top ten most probable: > > 10-The Spectre > 9-Starman > 8-Aqualad > 7-The Atom(Ryan Choi) > 6-Black Lightning > 5-Wally West > 4-Eel O’Brian > 3-Shazam > 2-Earth 2 Flash(Jay Garrick) > 1-Earth 2 Green Lantern(Alan Scott) So, the guy who’s powerless against wood? ---
**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 25, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/110 "2012-05-25T17:03:14Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > Apparently it’s Alan Scott (the original Green Lantern), a twice married man with two kids who was understandably (being from the 1940s) uncomfortable with his son’s homosexuality. If so, DC chose poorly. Remember, they rebooted. All the E2 characters are now contemporaries of their E1 counterparts, so he’s not from the '40s, he’s not twice-married and he has (as far as we know) no kids. He’s just another boring, generic Jim Lee-designed character. (On the other hand, I called it back in post 15. Who’s da nerd-man? I da nerd-man. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/111 "2012-05-25T17:17:56Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > He’s just another boring, generic Jim Lee-designed character. No, he’s not; he’s fabulous! ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/112 "2012-05-25T17:24:34Z")
The original Green Lantern is iconic only to comic book nerds. He’s right up there with Wild Cat as somebody historic, well known, and even beloved to the nerd community. The whole entire rest of the world doesn’t know who he is and this is a meaningless gesture on DC’s part. Iconic would be characters that have had their own movies or were at least a character on Super Friends. You aren’t iconic until even people who don’t read comics know who you are. DC would have been better served to create a sympathetic, non-fabulous gay hero than to do something this half-assed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/113 "2012-05-25T20:01:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The original Green Lantern is iconic only to comic book nerds. He’s right up there with Wild Cat as somebody historic, well known, and even beloved to the nerd community. The whole entire rest of the world doesn’t know who he is and this is a meaningless gesture on DC’s part. Iconic would be characters that have had their own movies or were at least a character on Super Friends. Which gets back to what I said about the Green Lanterns. If DC were to say in a press release that Alan Scott is gay, most folks would scratch their heads and say “Who?”. But if they say in a press release that Green Lantern is gay, folks will say “Oh, yeah, I think I remember him. He was in (Superfriends/Justice League/that recent movie), right?”. Even though, of course, this particular Green Lantern wasn’t. So by going with a Green Lantern, they can pick someone who’s fairly low-profile, but believably pretend that he’s high-profile. So, yes, this is a cop-out, but I think it’s a cleverly-engineered cop-out. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/114 "2012-05-25T20:05:05Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > (On the other hand, I called it back in post 15. Who’s da nerd-man? I da nerd-man. Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh. 😃 ) My gay bar prediction wasn’t far off either. And am I the only one picturing a Southern Bapist dad frantically checking the DVR for any “Super Friends” recordings or timers? ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/115 "2012-05-25T20:18:15Z")
> [@Trion](#): > > So, the guy who’s powerless against wood? Well done. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/116 "2012-05-25T22:02:24Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > The original Green Lantern is iconic only to comic book nerds. He’s right up there with Wild Cat as somebody historic, well known, and even beloved to the nerd community. The whole entire rest of the world doesn’t know who he is and this is a meaningless gesture on DC’s part. Iconic would be characters that have had their own movies or were at least a character on Super Friends. Super-Friend Wonder Woman is already a well-known Bondage & Discipline afficianado with several SM master/slave inspired “super weapons” (her magical lassio that forces anyone encircled with it to “submit” to her, for example.) And she came from a suspiciously all-female colony of warriors, and has even been known to exclaim “Sufferin’ Sappho!” from time to time. AND she was very out about it way back in 1941. ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/117 "2012-05-26T19:25:42Z")
Clearly it’s going to be Superman after he’s exposed to some rainbow kryptonite (which was funnier until I discovered there really was a story with pink kryptonite in it that did the same thing). I really like the idea that it may be Captain Marvel/Shazam. That’s just asking for a headline like “DC Comics announces Marvel is gay.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/118 "2012-05-26T20:08:38Z")
> [@Dan\_Norder](#): > > I really like the idea that it may be Captain Marvel/Shazam. The Gomer Pyle/Jim Nabors jokes just write themselves, don’t they? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/119 "2012-05-26T22:33:05Z")
Who read the Daily Mail? Since when is\* Speculation: Some Twitter users assume Batman will come out as gay\* considered journalism? I vote a girl or one of the Robins. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794/120 "2012-05-27T01:57:55Z")
Batgirl (Batwoman?) came out gay years ago. They will simply re-announce this old news to much manufactured excitement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/existing-major-dc-superhero-to-come-out-of-the-closet-who-will-it-be/622794.md?page=7)