While comic books have traditionally been defined by heroes that reflect the extremes of masculinity and femininity, and aimed at a primary straight-male audience, a notable shift has happened over the past 20 or so years. Where queer characters were once merely hinted at, or when included portrayed as grotesque stereotypes, since at least the 2000s comics have become increasingly more inclusive. Now it’s common for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual and other gender nonconforming characters to be featured in even the biggest comic-book franchises, and to even helm their own solo books. So join us for our 2025 Pride Month Special as the Great Pop Culture Debate attempts to name the Best LGBTQIA+ Super Hero.

Characters discussed: Batwoman, Black Cat, Midnighter, Wiccan, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Miss America (America Chavez), Northstar, John Constantine, Apollo, Deadpool, Mystique, Iceman, Dreamer, Superman (Jon Kent).

Join host Eric Rezsnyak, GPCD panelists Bob Erlenback and Brendan Hay, and special guest Steve Orlando, prolific comic-book writer for Marvel, DC Comics, and other publishers, as they discuss 16 of the most-popular out super-heroes in comics.

Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!

For more exclusive content, including the warm-up in which we discuss even more gay super-heroes that didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.

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