Who should be the next gay character?

[DDM]

Maggie Braddock.

[mugiwara]

Because Tony just seems so random to me and it seems like he's an option just because he sells well rather than having anything hinted at throughout the years.

Yes, my principal criteria for the list was "character who could hold a solo ongoing for at least 2 or 3 years". Because Northstar, any of the X-women, Lightning, Moondragon or even Yawn McBore & Hulkling would be cancelled after 12 issues (unless maybe they take the name of an iconic hero).
But I'm sure that if people want to see hints to explain that a characters is LGBT, they'll find hints. If Iceman is gay because all his relationship with women have been failures, one can also say that Tony is a womanizer because he's trying hard to convince himself he is straight.

Also I still don't understand why Marvel didn't try that with one of the legacy characters they are pushing. They could have decided to make Miles, Riri, Kamala or Gwen LGBT from day one. (or Robbie or Sam, but those two don't sell) (or Kate, Laura or Amadeus, but those were existing before the diversity push)

[Drops Of Venus]

This argument doesn't make much sense to me. Sure, we can't read people's thoughts, but we can ask them what their thoughts were. There are people who are gay who didn't realize they were gay just because their thoughts were that they should be like everyone else. Their internal monologue doesn't say that they should be anything other than what they're outwardly saying/doing.

As someone who is gay and came to terms with it relatively early, had you read my thoughts when I was teenager you wouldn't have known about me unless you were specifically looking for it. Denial is a more powerful state of mind then most people understand. I would literally be reading the Uncanny X-men issues of Northstar crushing on Iceman and think to myself "this is interesting but so weird, such an alien concept", even though by this point I was already attracted to guys, just not consciously. So I'm just saying that just because we've had thought bubbles from a character over the years, doesn't mean that character can't be gay. And even if we can read these character's thoughts, if said character would be in denial it wouldn't come up directly in their thoughts ever, in my experience at least. You do everything subconsciously to not think about it, and avoid situations where you would be forced to think about it.

As for the inner thoughts? It's not like people who continually think how much they like women aren't secretly gay, or women who marry men and have kids aren't secretly lesbians. Just ask some military people or reparative therapy "failures" how often they've talked about how hot the opposite sex are in their heads only to realize they'd been lying to themselves all their lives to fit the mold their families/jobs/societies needed them to. Though that doesn't mean people who do think that are gay, it just means that it's not a sure fire indicator.

I was about to point out several similar things in response to the ''we've seen their thoughts so they can't be gay'' argument, but yeah, this pretty much sums up my feelings, specially being a part of the LGBTQ community myself and witnessing its reality. It is not unrealistic for people to lie, even subconsciously, and convince themselves they are not LGBTQ. Denial is a very real and common thing among closeted people, and there is not a universal rule on how different people will deal with it. For some, it's harder to overcome than it is for others. And if we're talking about Iceman specifically, then let us not forget we're talking about a character who has an actual history of repression of his own feelings, to the point where we've seen that affecting his social life and even his own super powers. The idea that there was something deep inside him holding him back has been canon for a very long time. It didn't necessarily have to be a closeted homosexuality, but that's what they decided to go with and, while I had some issues with the initial coming out, I think it worked.

If Marvel decided to make Johnny bi, no one could legitimately say it came out of nowhere

Remember when Liu was writing closeted Iceman before gay Iceman was even a thing? Gotta love this queen of subtext. We should start a bet to see which character she's written for Marvel will come out next.

[whiterabbit]

A man makes breakfast for the man he's living with while he's practically naked - totally straight.

I make cakes for people I know and I'm in a towel half the time I have company in my house. I would hate to think they'd assume my sexual preferences.

[Dum Dum Dugan]

I make cakes for people I know and I'm in a towel half the time I have company in my house. I would hate to think they'd assume my sexual preferences.

You do both at the same time?

[Noek]

Doing whatever with what clothes you have and don't have doesn't measure or explains someones sexuality, all it does is explain how comfortable someone is with others, and in some cases measure their shame and/or pride.

[Kurolegacy]

How about none of the above? Leave the characters that they have alone and if they want more LGBT exposure, either create new LGBT characters or use the ones that they have rather than pretending none exist and they’re doing everyone such a service retconning the sexuality of established characters.

[Matternativ]

Remember when Liu was writing closeted Iceman before gay Iceman was even a thing? Gotta love this queen of subtext. We should start a bet to see which character she's written for Marvel will come out next.

Soooooo....

[Mike_Murdock]

People in relationships do.

But they're not in a sexual relationship in that issue, are they? Unless I badly misunderstood this, I thought the point was to figure out who might be gay but not out of the closet.

[Iron Maiden]

How about none of the above? Leave the characters that they have alone and if they want more LGBT exposure, either create new LGBT characters or use the ones that they have rather than pretending none exist and they’re doing everyone such a service retconning the sexuality of established characters.

I'm with none of the above also. That should always be an option in polls like this. It always annoys me when they bring up Johnny as a candidate when he has literally decades of stories with relationships with women: Dorrie Evans, a princess in the Microworld, Crystal (and now Medusa!), Alicia, Lyja, a one-nighter with some cos-players, etc. Pick a character with less of an established preference.

[Citizen Kane]

How about a new character entirely? Why make another pointless change to an established character?

[Triniking1234]

"Who should be the next gay character?"

Read Generation X.
Or Runaways.

Also this list is just for fan-w*nk.

C'mon, bruh.

[Dum Dum Dugan]

I'm with none of the above also. That should always be an option in polls like this. It always annoys me when they bring up Johnny as a candidate when he has literally decades of stories with relationships with women: Dorrie Evans, a princess in the Microworld, Crystal (and now Medusa!), Alicia, Lyja, a one-nighter with some cos-players, etc. Pick a character with less of an established preference.

I agree, it makes more sense for him to be bisexual than gay.

[9th.]

"Who should be the next gay character?"

Read Generation X.
Or Runaways.

Also this list is just for fan-w*nk.

C'mon, bruh.

I hope Hindsight and Morph dont disappear after Gen X is over but i'm sure they'll be wallpaper in no time.

[Abe]

He's not walking around in his underwear because he just got out of bed. He's wearing nothing but underwear and an apron while he's making his fully-dressed friend breakfast.

Well. The all point of the story was to show how, despite his efforts, Johnny was just an impossible roommate. Him being naked was more selfish than seductive. Or he wouldn't have allowed Annihilus to use the bathroom... A detail that shouldn't be forgotten!