Longtime boyfriends Wiccan and Hulkling–two members of the Marvel Comics superhero team the Young Avengers–just made a breakthrough: they became the first gay superhero couple to get married in the history of the publishing label.
Empyre #4, saw the couple rush off to Vegas for a quickie wedding. The pair wanted to tie the knot before shipping off to crown Hulkling as the Emperor of the Kree/Skrull Empire. We’re guessing that means they’ll have a great honeymoon, too.
Related: Finally, the X-Men just introduced their first ever drag queen superhero: Shade
Hulkling and Wiccan both made their debut in 2005 and quickly developed a devoted following of “shippers;” that is, fans who thing friends have a little bit more than just a friendship going on. Creator Allan Heinberg later confirmed as much to readers, though the pair wouldn’t come out in-universe for some time. Since then, the couple has become a fan favorite, and at least one storyline has hinted that the two will later have children together in the future.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to deliver this kind of ‘shock ending’ for readers,” “which hopefully lifts fans’ spirits a little rather than bringing them down.”
Here’s hoping Marvel avoids the common trope to superhero love interests: killing them off or incapacitating them at their happiest moment. Previously, a relationship between the Ultimate X-Men characters Northstar and Colossus ended with Northstar overdosing on drugs.
wownow
northstar in xmen got married in the comics in 2012…
QueerPunk
Which was an actual wedding. Hulkling and Wiccan just eloped.
Charlie in Charge
Is the “first” here that two superheroes got married? Northstar’s husband was a civilian? But yes my first thought was “That… happened years ago.”
jayceecook
@Charlie in Charge Yes, I do believe this is the first Marvel same-sex marriage between 2 male superheros. As you said, Northstar’s hubby wasn’t a superhero.
Toofie
Yes, like everyone said, this is the first gay Super Hero Couple to marry.
jayceecook
I haven’t kept up in a few years so I wasn’t aware these two had made it back onto the Marvel canvas. I sorely miss Young Avengers. Marvel really dropped the ball with that title.
And I’m still pissed at what they did when they brought Shatterstar back a few years ago. So much potential to explore with him and Rictor but they just side stepped it for…reasons.
Doctor Benway
It’s not really Marvel that drop the ball with this title. It’s just that Allan Heinberg was busy writing for the and didn’t have the time for Young Avengers.
Marvel tried to put some other writers on the title, waiting for Allan Heinberg to return but I guess he was too busy. Kieran Gillen run was…ok but it was somehow non-canon. I guess they waited to long for Heinberg and then people had kinda forgot about the heroes. And you know, Quesada was the editor in chief when YA started. Then it changed, maybe the successor wasn’t really fond of them.
I’d like to know the whole story.
Godabed
I have always hated this narrative in Marvel comics, because they pushed Wiccan and Hulking as the gay couple when Marvel has had several. And Technically Mystique and Destiny were together way before these two cis white male twinks and twunks were a thing. Rictor and Shatterstar, Caroline in the sky and her Skrull lesbian lover, Northstar and his Husband…Exiles Sunfire and Spider Girl, Anole was gay wayyyyy before these two characters even existed and was never given a storyline for a boyfriend which really pissed me off because he was a great character and xman. It still seems like marvel is trying to push gay white males agenda more so then anyone else.
Doctor Benway
You can be sure when there is the word “cis” in a comment, the author is a douchebag.
Anole was a secondary character, from a serie that never really worked (and he wasn’t that great). The difference with Hulkling and Wiccan is that it was the first teenagers gay couple.
It seems you, poor little black guy, has a problem of racism.
Ricanthony
Dear Queerty “reporters”,
Please, for the love of whatever God you believe in, do your research first.
Thanks
rarediel
its the first one where both are super heroes.