InWonder Woman: Earth One, Vol.
1, the fierce Amazon warrior princess is bisexual.
InBlack Panther#1, two young lesbians rebel against a repressive system.
Credit: DC Comics (2); Diyah Pera/The CW
Minus the LGBT characters and plotlines, of course.
This isnt just a superhero problem.
Will there ever be a gay superhero on the big screen?
Heck, will any superheroes even talk to gay people in a movie?
Studios dont want to lose a single ticket buyer.
Any risk is scary, explains a top studio executive.
Every single decision has to become narrow.
But only one of the major superhero movie franchises even toyed with those complex themes.
In 2003sX2, Icemancomes out as a mutant, a scene hailed for its symbolism.
[Mutants] discover their powers at adolescence.
They are alone in their community and in their families.
Television has proved much more progressive about addressing sexual identity.
To Berlanti, the lack of LGBT characters on the silver screen is partially a simple problem of quantity.
That applies to why there havent been more female characters [also].
Representation is a problem in superhero stories for everyone who isnt white, straight, and male.
And progress on the big screen has been slow.
Wonder Womanfinally gets her own movie next year, andBlack Pantherarrives in early 2018.
Marvel chief Kevin Feige recently said that his company is creatively and emotionally committed to aBlack Widowstand-alone.
In a post-Deadpoolworld, the parameters are changing, says the studio exec of Ryan Reynolds wiseass vigilante.
you’re free to have a profane, sexualized, R-rated superhero character?
It broke every traditional rule, and its going to make more money domestically than Batman v Superman.
Could Warner Bros. introduce a lesbian Batwoman, based on the most recent comic-book series?
Might Deadpool explore his characters avowed pansexuality in the upcoming sequel?
People are comfortable with gay characters in television and movies now much more than ever before, Singer says.
The world is changing in a very good way.
A version of this story appeared inEntertainment Weeklyissue #1415, availablehere.
