The announcement that DC Comics was going to take one of their formerly straight classic characters and bring them out of the closet as a gay hero, they unleashed a virtual storm of speculation and backlash.
Now the speculation is over and ScienceFiction.com’s own Jason Bowles called it. The DC superhero that has gone from straight to gay in the New 52 Universe… Alan Scott!
Wait… Alan Scott? If you’re not a long-time comic fan, you’re probably saying, “Alan Scott who?” Alan Scott was the original Golden Age Green Lantern who first appeared back in ‘All-American Comics’ #16 (1930). For reference, Hal Jordan (the Green Lantern that Ryan Reynolds played in the recent movie version) didn’t appear until nearly 20 years later.
Before DC Comics New 52 relaunch, Alan Scott was one of the founding members of the Justice Society of America, the team that predates the Justice League. He was a married man and father to fellow superheros Obsidian and Jade. (Interestingly, Scott’s son Obsidian was a gay man in the pre-New 52 universe.)
In the New 52 Universe, Alan Scott first appeared as the lead character in the pages of ‘Earth 2’ where he’s no longer a member of the classic Justice Society but rather exists in an alternate universe where the classic DC heroes exist in current continuity with the present DCU.
In ‘Earth 2’, Scott was introduced not as the aging Lantern of the old universe. Instead he is a young media mogul. Okay… the original Green Lantern was sort of a media guy (he owned a radio station) but nowhere near the level of his present incarnation.
In a recent interview with EW, ‘Earth 2’ writer James Robinson discussed what has, or rather hasn’t, changed about Alan Scott in the New 52:
He’s a giant of the media industry. By getting involved in communication, the news, and the Internet, he’s become a billionaire. He’s kind of a cross between Mark Zuckerberg and David Geffen. The original Alan Scott owned a radio station in the ’40s and ’50s, so he was a media giant then. He was this bold, heroic, brave man who took control, who would risk his life for you and be this emerald knight that was always there to protect the world. The Alan Scott I’m doing now is that same dynamic, brave, honorable man. A man that you’d want guarding your welfare, your children, your life, your home. He’s willing to give his life for the world. He’s everything you want in a hero. And he happens to be gay. So really, apart from his sexuality, there isn’t that much of a difference.
So, now that we know… what do you think about Alan Scott coming out as a gay man? I don’t mind it. I like diversity in my comics and other than a very few notable exceptions, a characters sexuality has little to now bearing on their role as a superhero. On the other hand, I can’t help but think that, since Scott’s gay, DC hasn’t really upped the number of gay characters since it would seemingly eliminate his pre-New 52 gay son Obsidian from existence (unless he’s adopted). Voice up in the comment section and let us know what you think about this reveal.
