Jimmy Olsen.
Okay, no, we don’t know for a fact that it’s Jimmy, but all the information DC has leaked since co-publisher Dan DiDio revealed an established character would be coming out points to the redheaded cub reporter/photographer.
At the Kapow comic-book convention in London, DiDio teased that an existing character would be “switching” their established sexuality and coming out as gay. It was also revealed that the character, though well-known, hasn’t reemerged since the entire DC comic-book universe relaunched last year.
Since then, Courtney Simmons, DC’s senior vice president of publicity, told ABC News that it’s a guy: “One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June.”
(June, by the way, is when Marvel will be publishing Astonishing X-Men #51, when gay mutant super-hero Northstar will be marrying his boyfriend. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the Big Two publishers has tried to one-up the other.)
All the official references have been to a “character”—not a villain or super-hero—indicating it’s someone in a non-powered supporting role.
Well, Lois Lane and Alfred the Butler have already appeared since DC’s reboot, and the list of iconic comics sidekicks known to the general public is pretty short.
Hence, Jimmy Olsen.
Think about it: He’s always more concerned with chasing after the Man of Steel like a puppy than bedding all the chicks being Superman’s Pal surely affords him.
His one long-term relationship was with Lucy Lane, Lois’ little sister. That’s totally a Single White Female stalker move to pull on the object of his true affection, the Man of Steel.
And Olsen was even played by out actor Jack Larson in the 1950s TV show.
If it is everyone’s favorite bowtie-wearing ginger, we’re all for it. In fact we’d love to see him and Robin go on a date in Metropolis’ gayborhood.
Mike Fourth
Fail. This is why Marvel is lightyears ahead of DC when it comes to character developement. Marvel Characters have been come out since the 90’s. And they have been super heros not side kicks.
doug105
If so then they should have done it when smallville was still on the air but that would have taken some balls.
As for marvel I wasted good money buying a Northstar set off of ebay years ago when i could scrap it up screw them too, that money would have been better spent on porn or donated.
w.e.
Bowtie wearing ginger = asexual nerd. Not exactly inspirational or exciting.
Storm
Jimmy Olsen has already been introduced into the new DC-52 universe. He’s a regular in Action Comics. So if this new gay character is supposed to be someone we haven’t seen yet, it can’t be Olsen. Otherwise, he’d be perfect. In the past, he’s often been seen going undercover in drag. Not once, not twice, but often. And he was so good at it he often fooled his friends. See this:
http://superdickery.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=302:jimmy-in-drag&catid=32:seduction-index&Itemid=36
w.e.
@Storm: a penchant for crossdressing doesn’t necessarily signify being gay.
Storm
Yeah, I’m aware of that, w.e.
dee-dee
MTV Geek seem to think it’s a Green Lantern.
geek-news.mtv.com/2012/05/22/green-lantern-gay/
UsualPlayers
I think it will either be a Green Lantern or Shazam from reading the geek blogs.
FYI
“In Judd Winick’s first regular writing assignment on Green Lantern, he wrote a storyline in which an assistant of Kyle Rayner’s emerged as a gay character in Green Lantern #137 (June 2001). In Green Lantern #154 (November 2001) the story entitled “Hate Crime” gained media recognition when Terry was brutally beaten in a homophobic attack. Winick was interviewed on Phil Donahue’s show on MSNBC for that storyline on August 15, 2002[11] and received two GLAAD Media Awards for his Green Lantern work.[12] In May 2011, Green Lantern placed 7th on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern
———
“Judd Winick (born February 12, 1970) is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality. Winick first gained fame for his 1994 stint on MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco, before earning success for his work on comic books as Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Pedro and Me, his autobiographical graphic novel about his friendship with Real World castmate and AIDS educator Pedro Zamora. He also created the animated TV series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, which ran for three seasons on Cartoon Network.”
———————-
If any of you have a chance, read “Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper” — Judd Winick’s graphic novel about Green Lantern’s gay teenage friend who is gay-bashed and almost dies. Sometimes gay characters are actually put into graphic novels for more than just exploitation. Winick humanized Green Lantern like no other writer has done before.
Lefty
@FYI: Thanks for that.
Charlie
@Mike Fourth: Not true, Batwoman has been a lesbian for years.
tazz602
@Charlie – yeah – that’s what I don’t get about all this crap DC is getting – they have had out gay characters for a while. It’s nothing new for DC.
Jorval
From the interviews I have read, the gay character will be a male and will be iconic.
Jimmy Olsen has already appeared in the Superman titles.
If it’s going to be an iconic character that hasn’t appeared yet, the most likely candidates are the Earth 2 versions of Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman (Earth 2’s Superman and Batman are both dead).
The Earth 1 continuity (where most of the titles take place) – there aren’t many that haven’t been reintroduced that could also be considered Iconic. Shazam (Capt Marvel is sort of being reintroduced in Justice League). The Atom still hasn’t surfaced yet.
Whoever it is coming out, they won’t have their own title – there are no new DC universe continuity titles coming out that month, so it’s got to be a character in one of the group books – someone who hasn’t joined a team yet, and the Justice League still hasn’t added anyone since their relaunch…so it’ll probably be in there…
michael
If DC decides to opt out and make some bullshite character gay it will be the final nail in what used to be as great passion for them. Jimmy Olsen? Some whatever green lantern? An earth 2 character? Talk about moldy scraps.
Btw the hero Tasmanian Devil was gay decades ago so DC did this a while back. Ice was a lesbian too but they killed her off.
Let’s just say if DC has the balls to have it he a real character I will gladly start reading their titles again but if not they will lose this reader forever.
Camerado
I really hope not. Olsen’s a supporting character, hardly a ‘major’ DC character. This is what annoys me about DC and Marvel. Their gay characters are always these throw away superheroes whose presence in a title doesn’t determine the success of the title. There’s no risk. Make Batman or Green Lantern gay. LGBT persons have been fighting and sometimes dying in the real world very heroically for decades. The least DC could do is have us represented by a major superhero. I’m so sick of these token characters.
sam
Errr Marvel has a good few gay super heroes that are not just throw away’s like wiccan for example son of the scarlet witch who is also one of the most powerful heroes matching or even surpassing his mother who changed the entire marvel universe. then add his fiance hulkling who are major players in the marvel universe
Camerado
@sam: Yes, I shouldn’t have lumped all Marvel gay characters in my criticism. I was specifically thinking about the upcoming wedding of Northstar. Thanks for the correction.
sam
@Camerado: yea i agree about northstar he has become ‘the gay one’ but i hope that we get some good stuff with anole if he is at the wedding
Polyboy
Jimmy Olsen = FAIL.
JohnPae
Just read the new issue of The Flash, its The Pied Piper, formerly one of The Flash’s Rogues Gallery. He isn’t a villain in The New 52 and he’s in a relationship with Barry Allen’s boss who’s still in the closet.
Storm
But that’s no change for the Pied Piper. He’s been gay in the FLASH comic for years, and he also gave up villainy a long time ago.
Danny
It could be a villain.. since they said an established character. Doesn’t mean it is a hero.
OmiBasket
Has anyone seen The Incredibles movie?
Maybe they’re going to do a red-head turned bad, arch nemesis?
J Martell
The character may have been leaked already!? Someone as a strong source at the Phoenix Con let it slip…
http://martelljt.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/has-dcs-new-gay-character-been-outed-early/
Jason Melby
It could be a hero. They said ‘character’. That could be ANYONE. Heroes, villians and supporting characters are all characters. Although I would predict it will just be Apollo and Midnighter of Stormwatch since they were gay under the Wildstorm banner and have since been transported to the DC Universe.