Whatever Happened to Rictor and Shatterstar?

In the closing scene of X-Factor #45 (and yes, that’s a spoiler warning if I’ve ever written one), Shatterstar is freed from the mental control of Cortex moments before killing Strong Guy and Rictor.  Emotionally relieved, Rictor and Shatterstar embrace and kiss.  Guido Carosella, aka Strong Guy, reacts by saying, “Uh-kay.  Didn’t see that one coming.”  

Guido may not have seen it coming but the same can’t be said about the fans.  That kiss fulfilled years of sub-text and speculation.  In a recent interview with Comic Book Resources, X-Factor scribe Peter David mentioned that most fans seemed to share the reaction “Finally.”  You can count me in that number, though my reaction was more of a “Yes, finally.”  In honor of that kiss, I’d now like to share my list of the best gay couples and characters in comic books, in no particular order.

 Rictor and Shatterstar (X-Force/X-Factor): They’re finally out of the closet, though Peter David promises the relationship won’t completely define their story.  It’s certainly been a part of their story so far.  Shatterstar was never shown to be interested in women.  Even his arranged marriage was something he honored only as an obligation.  Plus, the loyalty that Ric and ‘Star showed to each other went beyond simple friendship.  There are reasons why fans have been speculating about the two of them as a couple for almost 17 years, since they first met in X-Force #14 (Sept. 1992).

Atom Smasher and Obsidian (Justice League America): The other closeted couple from the early ‘90s.  Gerard Jones toyed with gay themes during his JLA run, having Ice II openly flirt with Fire and playing coy with a potential relationship between Atom Smasher and Obsidian.  However, in the era of “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell,” the relationship was never official and now DC seems to be back-tracking from it.  Obsidian is apparently out of the closet, but Atom Smasher was recently shown to be interested in Star Girl.  That leaves the possibility that the romantic interest was, at the least, one-sided. But I prefer to think that they are both gay and were a couple at the time, whatever the current stance may be.

Mystique and Destiny (X-Men): The mother of all closeted couples.  Mystique and Destiny were shown living together in the early ‘80s.  Chris Claremont left himself plausible deniability- they could have only been roommates- but it seems pretty clear that he meant for their relationship to be more than that.  Mystique, as a shape-shifter, was a natural as a bi-sexual.  And others picked up on the vibe as well.  A later relationship between Mystique and Forge in X-Factor was written in such a way as to highlight Mystique’s former relationship with Destiny. 

Maggie Sawyer (Superman): Arguably the first supporting character to come out of the closet, though DC bent over backwards to avoid using controversial words like “gay” and “lesbian” at the time (1988).  Maggie is the no-nonsense captain of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit.  Over twenty years, she has been known more for her job than her orientation (which I’m sure she would approve of).  She also had a gay partner in the Superman animated series. 

Northstar (Alpha Flight/X-Men): It was big news at the time- “Marvel Comics character comes out of the closet!” It was also derided as a publicity stunt by a good percentage of fans.  Yet I applaud the move, both then and now.  The revelation makes Northstar a richer, deeper character.  It explains some of his bitterness.  And it works very well as a ret-con.  For example, in X-Men/Alpha Flight: The  Gift, Rogue absorbs Northstar’s powers and memories.  When Northstar gets upset with her, Rogue quickly reassures him that she will keep his secret.  The secret was never identified at the time, but it makes sense now.  That scene is more meaningful now than it was when it was first written, nine years before Northstar’s big outing.

Ken Clarkson (X-O Manowar): Ken Clarkson was a back-stabbing jerk who feigned friendship with X-O Manowar while trying to steal Manowar’s company for himself.  He also happened to be gay.  Some fans complained about this negative depiction of an openly gay character.  Jim Shooter responded to the complaints in the letters page of issue 6.  Yes, Ken was gay.  And yes, Ken was a villain.  That didn’t make all gay people villains or all villains gay.  It meant that Ken was as complex a character as any they tried to create at Valiant.  And it showed that gay people are real people, as capable of good or evil, of self-sacrifice or selfishness as anyone else.  By avoiding the clichés and the propaganda, Shooter created one of the most interesting gay characters in comics.

Rick (Static): Rick didn’t come out of the closet until issue 16, but it was part of the series plan since issue 1 (as hinted at in an editorial at the end of the first issue).  Several of Rick’s friends, including Virgil Hawkins (aka Static), had a habit of making gay jokes about Rick.  They called him “the pink prince” while role-playing, and things like that.  When Rick is attacked in issue 16, he tells Static that he was beaten up for being gay.  Static replies, “Because they thought you were gay.”  “No,” Rick replies, “because I am gay.”   Suddenly, Virgil had a choice: betray his friendship or confront his own prejudices.  “What Are Little Boys Made Of?” was a shrewd tale, willingly casting its hero in a bad light in order to shine a brighter light on a serious issue, without becoming overly dogmatic.

Rainmaker (Gen 13): I still remember the revelation.  Roxy was sitting beside the pool, complaining to Sarah that the boys were ignoring her and ogling Fairchild.  Sarah replied by commenting on Fairchild’s fine feminine form, surprising Roxy and the fans alike.  Sarah Rainmaker dismissed Roxy’s surprise with a “What, didn’t you know?”  Sarah was sure of herself and sure of her sexuality- even moreso than the heterosexual characters who were still trying to figure things out.  Unfortunately, she also presaged a trend in which lesbian characters were written more for the, um, enjoyment of young male fans.

Josiah Power (The Power Company): Independent comics had been treating homosexuality as a normal part of life for nearly a decade.  Josiah Power was at the vanguard of a similar, though later, movement at the major publishers.  Josiah Power was a lawyer.  He was a superhuman.  And he had the grand idea of a superhero team modeled along the lines of a law firm- with paying clients and pro bono cases.  And, oh yeah, he also happened to be gay, with a male partner of many years.  It wasn’t treated as a big deal.  There was no shocking revelation scene.  It was simply part of his back-story. 

Anole (New X-Men: Academy X): Anole started out as a background character, literally.  He was a visually interesting character who filled out the student body at Xavier’s School in hallways and group shots.  At first, he didn’t even have a name.  But he was too visually interesting.  He eventually got a name, then a few lines in a couple of scenes, and eventually a place on a school squad.  That squad just happened to be Alpha Squadron, led by Northstar.  When Northstar was killed (don’t worry, he got better), Anole revealed that he looked up to Northstar not just because he was a teacher and a mentor, but also because he was a role model for young gay men like himself. 

Jetman and Wulf (Top Ten): Jetman, the precinct captain, was shown to be gay near the end of the initial Top Ten series.  No big deal, and not especially noteworthy.  He wasn’t even one of the major characters in the series at the time.  At least, not until Alan Moore and Gene Ha came out with The Forty-Niners in 2005.  Though there are supervillains to be defeated and plots to destroy the world to be thwarted, the real story is the meeting and developing relationship of Jetboy and Wulf.  It was the first time I could ever remember a gay romance being the heart of a story.  And it also happened to be an incredibly well-written tale from one of the masters of the field. 

Wiccan and Hulkling (Young Avengers): Until 2005, gay characters could flirt surreptitiously or come out of the closet but they couldn’t date openly (Northstar still hasn’t had an actual boyfriend).  That changed with the introduction of Wiccan and Hulkling, who have been a couple since they were first introduced.  They haven’t broken every taboo (reportedly, they’ve never kissed on panel), but their parents love them and accept them.  Actually, their parents are more worried about the dangers of being a superhero than about their respective son’s sexual orientation.

Batwoman (52/Detective Comics): In some ways, it’s a little early to include Batwoman on this list.  As far as I’m concerned, she’s a cool costume but not yet a character.  Even so, I felt like she deserved a place.  She’s not the sole gay member of a team or part of an ensemble cast.  She’s the star of the book, a solo heroine.  That’s pretty rare.   And that means she’s breaking down barriers, even if we don’t really know what she’s like yet.

So that’s my list of some of the best gay characters and couples in comics.  There are others who didn’t make the list.  Some, I’m sure I simply forgot about it.  But a few, I intentionally left out.  Not every gay character is interesting, not every gay storyline is compelling, and not every gay revelation fits with what was previously known about the character.  So here a few others that I wouldn’t include:

Renee Montoya/The Question (52/Batman): A lot of coming outs seek to redress an imbalance.  Montoya’s coming out created one.  Suddenly, it seemed like every DC cop was gay.  That doesn’t break stereotypes.  It creates and enforces them: “all lady cops are gay.”  Furthermore, part of the idea behind the revelation was to give the new Batwoman a connection to an existing character as Montoya’s former lover.  But the relationship seemed to be shoe-horned in, instead of being the natural outgrowth of Montoya as a character.  It hasn’t added much to either of them: Batwoman could have been introduced just as easily without it and it’s over-shadowed by other, more important, relationships in Renee’s life, including those with former mentors Harvey Bullock and the first Question. 

Karolina and Xavin (Runaways): This relationship has never felt right.  I’m willing to admit that could be intentional on the part of the writers.  Xavin is a shape-shifter and could ostensibly be bisexual.  But it’s clear that he conceives of himself as male considering that’s his default body type and takes a female form mostly to placate Karolina.  As it is, you’re left with the feeling that Katrina is being strung along and lied to.  Again, that could be an intentional character point on behalf of the writers.  Not every relationship is good- straight or gay.  But whether or not it’s intentional, it’s a sufficient reason to dismiss them from any list of the best couples. 

Terry Berg (Green Lantern):  I earlier applauded Jim Shooter for introducing Ken Clarkson and reminding us that “gay people are people, too- good, bad and indifferent.”  I wish more writers would take that view when introducing minority characters- whether they’re gay, Muslim or Puerto Rican.  Instead, too many gay characters are introduced as propaganda pieces: “gay people are good people.”  Judd Winick is particularly guilty of this.  All his gay people are good people; all his heroes are tolerant and understanding; and all his stories on this subject are clearly defined in black and white.  For this reason, I’ve never found Terry Berg to be all that interesting.  He’s not a character, he’s propaganda. 

Celeste Noble and Dawn Blackthorne (Noble Causes): I’m a big Jay Faerber and Noble Causes fan, but I have to admit that I find fault with this relationship.  Celeste had a history of dating men, both before and after this relationship. This affair seemed to be more of a walk on the wild side for her than an actual bisexual relationship.  Admittedly, Jay Faerber addressed those concerns in-story by having Dawn question Celeste on that point.  But it only served to raise questions for the reader, rather than answer them.  Plus, many of the scenes between the two seemed to be more about titillation than tolerance.

And that’s my list.  Agree?  Disagree?  Remember somebody else I missed or forgot?  Feel free to add your own comments.  And, if you’re in the mood, go ahead and pick up the latest issue of X-Factor as a reward to Peter David, Rictor and Shatterstar for getting the discussion going. 

Comments

[C Lue Disharoon]

While I like how you are willing to discuss things critically, that is, the bad with the good, overall it's the things that you like about comics and characters that predominates the discussions. A lot of the comics blogs depend on a kind of smart-alecky snarling that focuses on denigrating and name-calling---what you can term, "snark". That's fine. But unabashed enjoyment and celebration of the comics is refreshing. This article, like many, busied my mind with what goes into believable, interesting stories, and it's not just rainbow-type diversity: it's having a sometimes-contrasting range of responses and emotional values at hand in every cast.

[Chris]

Thanks again, C Lue. I'm glad that you appreciate my positive-minded approach to comics. While I won't shy away from criticizing a comic I didn't enjoy, I'd much rather discuss the comics I do enjoy.