In a time when Marvel is doing its best to make more modern storylines for our beloved characters, this new revelation that one of the X-Men is gay shouldn’t be too much of a shock.
[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]his week’s issue of All-New X-Men #40, a comic that depicts the X-Men in their teenage years, will reveal that Bobby Drake AKA Iceman is gay. In the comic, the X-Men, thanks to some scientific magic from Hank McCoy (Beast), are brought to the future to see what their lives become. Angered by what they see, they all decide to stay in the future until they are able to repair everything that has gone wrong.
As the young X-Men face new challenges involving fate and predestination, young Bobby Drake is coming to the grips with the fact that even if his older self identifies as straight, he’s definitely gay. During a conversation with Jean Grey, he starts to accept the idea of being gay, and then decides to keep it between the two of them until he feels more comfortable. On the bright side, he’s now in a time where homosexuality is much more accepted than the time period he is originally from.
Here is a preview page from All-New X-Men #40 that includes part of the Iceman revelation:
This surely isn’t the first time that a character has been outed in a comic, but it’s definitely interesting to have a so-called “mutant” coming to grips with their sexuality. In some respect we can see how one could relate to what Iceman is going through.
Marvel originally lifted its editorial ban on homosexual characters during the 90s, making the mutant Northstar its first openly gay superhero. Now Iceman gets a chance to finally be himself as well rather than the closeted version he felt forced to be in the past. You go, Iceman!
All-New X-Men #40 hit comic book stores and most digital outlets on April 22.
