Was Freedom Force mostly LGBTQ?

[BroHomo]

I hope they were. Would hade been awesome!

But whhhhy? Sure there could be so interesting retcons buuut why reward a buncha killers and sh!tty people with an identity most don't deserve??

[CGAR]

I just like the idea of bad guys or morally grey characters being portrayed by gay characters. We're not all perfect and sunshine.

And of course they'd be more pissed and jaded because theyre gay and mutants.

I dig it but thats just me.

[sunofdarkchild]

There is an issue of villains being portrayed as stereotypically homosexual specifically to highlight their villainy. A character acting queer-coded was a red flag that they were the villain. LGBT people can be just as good or bad as anyone else and each story should be judged on its own merits, but making an entire villains team LGBT seems pretty problematic to me.

[johnnysv75]

But whhhhy? Sure there could be so interesting retcons buuut why reward a buncha killers and sh!tty people with an identity most don't deserve??

Everything than CGAR wrote.

[johnnysv75]

There is an issue of villains being portrayed as stereotypically homosexual specifically to highlight their villainy. A character acting queer-coded was a red flag that they were the villain. LGBT people can be just as good or bad as anyone else and each story should be judged on its own merits, but making an entire villains team LGBT seems pretty problematic to me.

Oh, I haven’t seen villains like that. But when I was younger I was often a bit obtuse so I may have missed the queer-coding.

I remember Freedom Force as former villains who were first forced to do good and then found themselves more or less becoming heroes. I remember how upset I was for them when I read the Muir Isle story.

[Rift]

There is an issue of villains being portrayed as stereotypically homosexual specifically to highlight their villainy. A character acting queer-coded was a red flag that they were the villain. LGBT people can be just as good or bad as anyone else and each story should be judged on its own merits, but making an entire villains team LGBT seems pretty problematic to me.

Tbh at a certain point, you have to just disregard how "problematic" something is and just make what you enjoy. I know a lot of people wouldn't agree. But I, a bisexual man, would love a league of evil, flamboyant gay people committing crimes and being jerks to people. I don't think Freedom Force is that group, though.

[sunofdarkchild]

Oh, I haven’t seen villains like that. But when I was younger I was often a bit obtuse so I may have missed the queer-coding.

I remember Freedom Force as former villains who were first forced to do good and then found themselves more or less becoming heroes. I remember how upset I was for them when I read the Muir Isle story.

I recommend this video for an explanation.

[johnnysv75]

I recommend this video for an explanation.

Thanks. While I do see the problems with queer-coded villains, I also think it was a chance for queer filmmakers back then to be able to write a queer character - to be able to in a film give life to someone who shared a lot with themselves.

[danielsan52]

I recommend this video for an explanation.

Great video. That’s a retro thing though. And it did happen. But a defunct team of villains who 80% might be gay doesn’t seem to problematic.

Destiny and Mystique just dismembered someone. No one in modern times would say it’s because they’re lesbians.

[superjosh]

Freedom Force did give off a "chosen family" vibe. Never thought of Stonewall, Super Sabre, and or Crimson Commando being gay but now that I think about it, they did give off that older gay friends settling together vibe.

[Dermie]

Avalanche isn't gay. If anyone asks, Pyro is sleeping with Rictor.

Ha! Nice callback there.

I don't buy Avalanche having a daughter in her 20's. He's mid 30's at most.

Not a problem -- he IS a mutant, after all. Having time travelling children running around who appear to be the same age (or sometimes older) than their parents comes with the territory.

[Will Evans]

With the exception of a couple members (Blob, Julia) I wonder if most of the team were supposed to be LGBTQ:

Destiny and Mystique - confirmed

Avalanche - rumored

Pyro - rumored

Stonewall - named after Stonewall Inn/riots??

Crimson Commando - ?

Super Sabre - ?

Avalanche canonically has a wife. So I don’t think he’s gay.

[TimberWolf]

Avalanche canonically has a wife. So I don’t think he’s gay.

I'm not saying he's gay but I'm gay and I once had a wife. Some of us don't figure out who we are until later in life.

[Pumpkin King]

Avalanche canonically has a wife. So I don’t think he’s gay.

Does Avalanche still have a wife? I mean, he was dead for awhile, so presumably she's moved on, if they weren't already divorced. I don't think I've ever seen her actually mentioned in the comics themselves, only in his Marvel bio. I'm genuinely curious if Avalanche has ever talked about his wife in any of his comics appearances.

[Nyssane]

Does Avalanche still have a wife? I mean, he was dead for awhile, so presumably she's moved on, if they weren't already divorced. I don't think I've ever seen her actually mentioned in the comics themselves, only in his Marvel bio. I'm genuinely curious if Avalanche has ever talked about his wife in any of his comics appearances.

I'm 99% sure Avalanche has never referenced his wife on-panel. It was only mentioned briefly in an old Handbook where Mark Gruenwald added various little tidbits about random characters.