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Should Comic Book writers change the sexuality of existing characters or create new LGBTQ characters?

During the past couple years, Comic Book writers for both Marvel and DC have tried to make their characters more accessible to minority audiences, such as members of the LGBTQ community. In doing so, some writers have changed the sexuality of existing characters; while others have invented new characters. Discuss the pros and cons of both sides and suggest your own solution to this ongoing issue in comics.

  • I believe that there was at least one gender-swapped universe in the DC universe. The only con that I (personally) can think of is that it messes with tradition and if they were to do something like a gender swap then the entirety of a universe would make more sense than just a couple of characters. Another slightly pedantic con would be what to call these "new" heroes: Batman to Batwoman and vice versa would be incredibly confusing for example. As for inventing new character that are part of the LGBT community, this should be the way to go. Every community and social circle needs role models and even if some don't agree with it, times are changing, it is happening and it is good that it is. Sidenote: Could also mention the recent legalisation of same sex marriage in the US. – Jamie 9 years ago
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  • I don't think it's okay to gender or race swap a character, because like Jamie said it messes with tradition. Sure, minorities might get a new role model but who are the ones who dedicate themselves to going to see movie adaptations of comic books in the first place? The die hard fans who read them, those who are going for the tradition. I'm not one of those people but I know some who are, and when my friend found out they were making the Human Torch black and adopted in their next movie, he was really upset. Not only does it messes with who the entire character was (him and his sister being biologically related, blonde, white, and blue eyes) it takes away the role model other non-minorities used to love (no matter how many they may already have to choose from). Rather than change certain popular characters to fit into a more racially diverse world, why don't the production companies just choose to make entire movies focused on the minority heroes they already have? I'd love to see a live action movie of Cyborg from DC, he was my favourite. That being said, the Human Torch is a much more drastic change than Nick Fury was, because in that instance they chose a character I didn't know beforehand. Maybe it's a balance of how integrated their race is with the character's identity and how well known they already are to casual fans? – Slaidey 9 years ago
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  • I don't think they should. I'd love to see some more LGBQT characters, but I think changing the sexuality of preexisting characters can make some fans feel alienated. The point is to make people feel like there are heroes that relate the their personal struggles, and changing that narrative can take away from someone who related to the previous character as they were. Instead I think it would be more effective to make new characters. It would feel more genuine and add more layers to the comic universe as a whole. – SomeOtherAmazon 9 years ago
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