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Did you know that The X-Menâs Wolverine had a bisexual son named Daken? In addition to claws and a healing factor, heâs got special pheromones that can make anyone attracted to himâbut he basically sleeps with people to play mind games and gain access to secret files. Not exactly good boyfriend material.
Anyway, Marvel just announced his comic book, Daken: Dark Wolverine, is being canceled because it wasnât making enough money.
Did Marvel market him enough to the LGBT mutant community?
Readers bummed about Dakenâs exit (Februaryâs issue #21 is expected to be the seriesâ last) should know that heâll still pop up in other series. And in the meantime, you can still enjoy the greater universe of LGBT comic-book characters, including The X-Menâs bossy bottom, Northstar.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
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Image via Marvel Comics
GiggleSnort
Marvel has been canceling books left and right.
DJ Veno
I didn’t know about Daken.. I’m a huge Northstar fan tho but they really didntshow this guy off enough tbh. Then again everyone is head of heels for X-23.. I’m down for a bi/gay version of wolvie!
GaoGao
Marvel’s been cancelling so many books lately, mostly newer titles and minis. They even canceled Alpha Flight, Northstar’s first book, after announcing it would become a regular series again. Granted, while they don’t have a wonderful track record with LGBT characters, they’re worlds better than DC has ever been. Daken is sure to be back, one way or another.
Jeff
For those not in the know, Daken is a pill-popping murderer who spends his time alternating between trying to establish a criminal empire and murdering his dad. Not the best LGBT role model, but still a really interesting character.
steve
If it’s wasn’t for the movie deals surely Marvel would have gone out of business by now..
David
Daken was never originally intended to be bisexual. Any sexual contact with another
male or female to the character was seen as a tool in order to further his own goals.
Major comic book geek here XD
Saywhatnow?
Daken is one of my favorite characters and I’m so sad to hear that his book is being canceled. It was extremely gritty, but very well written. Most villains are straight so it was cool having a queer villain with his own book. Also, X-23 was cancelled as well. Totally hating on Marvel right now.
Allen D.
Never knew about him. I started reading X-Factor again to keep up on the (gay) relationship between Rictor & Shatterstar. Also knew about Northstar… but this Daken guy was news to me.
Kyle
Hopefully they cancel the Jew super-hero next. Because he’s a Jew.
Kyle
and the blacks. See ya, Storm.
Steven
DC rules…Marvel drools.
Marcus
@Kyle: Don’t worry storm does not have here own book and she is a nobody in the x books.marvel has more gay characters then black.
chuck
When Marvel makes a couple of hundred million from an action movie…the comics are simply ad campaigns to keep people going to the movies. If a comic book doesn’t sell by the hundreds of thousands…get rid of it…publish the more popular characters. Marvel would probably dump all of their publications if they could be assured that the movies would still make money.
missanthrope
NB4 Jason’s biphobic paranoid rant.
Eastwood
The fact that Bullseye was so surprised (shocked is the word) is pretty homophobic. I hope this isn’t the best that superhero comics can do to include gay kisses.
jason
They’ll always blame the gay and bisexual men when they’re not making enough money, won’t they?
Riker
@missanthrope: you called it!
Ray
@Marcus: Storm is an ex-leader of the X-men and has been give huge attention in the books at times. All of the characters rotate in and out and have story arches where at times they are one of the main characters or at other times not a main a character. Other black X-men include Bishop, Maggott, and Darwin. Also Dr. Cecilia Reese, who is half black was prominently featured in several issues. Those are just the actual X-men. The other black characters have appeared in the books too.
PilateError
Like Ray said, characters rotate in and out of the spotlight. My favorite GLBT Marvel character would have to be Mystique; she’s had sexual and romantic relations with both men and women as both a man and as a woman. In addition, she’s a popular character.
Andrew
@Eastwood: So it’s homophobic to be surprised when someone kisses you? So if a co-worker randomly kissed you with no sign of attraction you wouldn’t be a little taken aback?
Wesley
If you’re going to hate on the X-Men for not having enough “black” characters then you should also hate on them for not having enough red, green, purple, pink, blue, brown, white, yellow or orange characters too. As for Storm…she’s currently LEADING an X-Men squad, married to Black Panther where she’s the QUEEN of Wakanda and she’s the newest member of THE AVENGERS. I wouldn’t exactly call her a nobody. =P
Max the Communist
*sigh* Why do I only get to hear about the bi characters when their cancellation is announced?
X-Gays
We of the X-Gays wish this run could have kept going – however, it wasn’t the best story arc at the end. Daken also should have had sex with more of the straight characters because he has that power. đ
Nicotine Neko
I think Daken being bisexual has very little if anything to do with Marvel canceling the title.
The writers actually stated that Daken is as far from gay as he is from straight. the boy is a homicidal sociopath incapable of genuine human feeling or attraction and just used sex as as a means to an end regardless of whether it was with a man or a women.
The thing i like about marvel is that you might get the odd ‘gay plot line’, but the majority of gay characters are treated pretty much the same as their straight characters….or those characters in cross-species Alien/Anthropormorphic relationships. It’s just part of their character background, nuff said….lets get back to fighting the bad guys and saving the world.
Mark Moscow
@missanthrope: shut up, anti-gay busturd!
Mangina
After following the Daken character, I don’t he is gay, straight or bi. He’s simply a sociopath who would use anyone for sex simply to further his own goals. He’s a sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on others, gutting someone here, murdering an infant there, and torturing anyone in his way. The man gets off on killing others (hence the serial killer mentality)so he simply is incapable of feeling any attraction toward anyone unless it involves having them decapitated.
lookyloo
“Midnighter” was (is?) my favorite gay superhero. He’s part of a team called “The Authority” and had his own book for a while. He’s VERY bad-ass.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnighter
And here’s his husband Apollo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_(comics)