Talk:LGBT themes in comics/Character list

This is a list of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) characters in comics. The portrayal of LGBT characters in comics has been limited in the past by censorship and the belief that such characters are inappropriate in media perceived to be aimed at juveniles. Gay characters were typically only found in underground or "adult" comics. In recent years, the number of gay characters in mainstream comics has increased dramatically.

For much of the 20th century, gay relationships were discouraged from being shown in comics, which were seen mainly as directed towards children. Until 1989 the Comics Code Authority (CCA), which imposed de facto censorship on comics sold through news-stands in the United States, forbade any suggestion of homosexuality. Artists had to drop subtle hints while not stating directly a character's orientation. Overt gay and lesbian themes were first found in underground and alternative titles which did not carry the CCA's seal of approval.

In recent years the number of LGBT characters has increased greatly in mainstream superhero comics, and mainstream comic book publishers have portrayed more of their characters, both protagonists and supporting, as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Both male and female gay comic book characters are represented, as are imaginary persons from all walks of life; economic, social, and ethnic. However LGBT characters continue to be relegated to supporting roles, and receive criticism for the treatment gay characters receive.

Lesbian characters
A
 * Chelle Archer - Jane's World, Jane's former lover, a mysterious and potentially dangerous former spy? cop? secret agent?

B


 * Bambi - The Invisibles; member of the "Poison Pussies" cell.
 * Barb - Swamp Thing; lesbian lover of Liz Tremayne.
 * Batwoman (Kathy "Kate" Kane) - the fourth lesbian character to act as a lead in a DC Universe title. Debuts in 52.


 * Bobby - The Invisibles; member of the "Poison Pussies" cell.

C
 * Catwoman (Holly Robinson) - Currently sharing the Catwoman identity with Selina Kyle, is a former prostitute who operates in the DC Comics One Year Later continuity, is in a relationship with another woman.
 * Amy Chen - Silver Sable; former mercenary and assassin, now a member of Silver Sable's Wild Pack.
 * Clarice Clifton - Dykes To Watch Out For

F


 * Fauna - Outsiders; Fauna Faust, daughter of Felix Faust and lover of Syonide II. A member of Strike Force Kobra, later killed by her father.
 * The Flying Fox - Astro City Featured in a story in "Local Heroes", she's out in her private life.
 * Foxglove AKA Donna Cavanagh - The Sandman and the Death comics; writer turned poet turned pop star. Lover of Hazel McNamara and Judy. She has a non-biological son with Hazel.

H
 * Hothead Paisan - Hothead Paisan; the "homicidal lesbian terrorist".

J


 * Jolly Roger - The Invisibles; leader of the "Poison Pussies" cell. Real name unknown.
 * Ginger Jordan - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Judy - The Sandman; former lover of Foxglove - they split up because Judy hit her. She is killed in a diner, and Foxglove later writes a song about her.
 * June - ''Dykes To Watch Out For.

K
 * Kaiou Michiru - Kent S. Subong from Sailor Moon, in relationship with Tenou Haruka in both manga and anime version.
 * Kaiou Michiru - Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon, in relationship with Tenou Haruka in both manga and anime version.
 * Karma (Xi'an Coy Manh) Marvel Comics' X-Men.
 * Karolina Dean - Teenaged alien runaway in Marvel Comics's Runaways. She marries Xavin, a male Skrull, in order to end the fighting between their races after Xavin shapeshifts into a female form.
 * Kennedy - Character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. In love with Willow Rosenberg.
 * Jackie "Jack Phantom" Kowalski - Top Ten; police detective, has the power to phase in and out of reality.
 * Sydney Krukowski - Dykes To Watch Out For

L


 * Lucielle - Marv's parole officer in Sin City. Lover, Claire is a psychiatrist.

M


 * Lois McGiver - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Hazel McNamara - The Sandman and the Death comics; chef and mother. Lover of Foxglove.
 * Tara Maclay - Scooby and witch from Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series as well as assorted Buffy comics brought out during the run of the show. In love with Willow, but killed during the TV series.
 * Toy Molto - The Ballad of Halo Jones; secretly in love with Halo, although Halo has no idea.
 * Renee Montoya - Gotham Central and other Batman comic books. First DC Comics character to actually say she is a lesbian. Now currently The Question (comics).

O


 * Toni Ortiz - Dykes To Watch Out For

P


 * '''Paifu - The Third
 * Phyla-Vell - Marvel Comics Associates with Moondragon
 * Purgatori - Chaos! Comics

R


 * Jezanna Ramzay - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Riot - Punk member of Marvel Comics's Skrull Kill Krew
 * Holly Robinson - Protégé and later successor of Catwoman.
 * Willow Rosenberg- Witch from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. In love with Kennedy.
 * Rush - Winged Canadian superheroine who is a corrupt "replacement" of the Authority's Swift. Appeared during the Transfer of Power storyline.

S


 * Sailor Neptune - Kaiou Michiru from Sailor Moon
 * Sailor Uranus - Tenou Haruka from Sailor Moon
 * Sally Starr - Sandman Mystery Theatre
 * Samia - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Satsu - Character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. In love with and had sex with Buffy Summers.
 * Scandal Savage - Villains United
 * Inspector Maggie Sawyer - DC Comics' Superman, Batman and Gotham Central
 * Amanda Shane - Image Comics; Sci-fi character from Amanda & Gunn and self-published, CyberZone
 * Silhouette - Watchmen, Ursula Zandt was expelled from the Minute Men after it was revealed she was a lesbian.
 * Izzy Sinclair - Doctor Who Magazine comic strip
 * Spider-Woman (Mary Jane Watson) - Alternate reality Marvel Comics' Exiles, lover of Sunfire.
 * Sunfire (Mariko Yashida) - Marvel Comics' Exiles
 * Suravi - Pride High
 * Carol Swanson - Sandman Mystery Theatre; closeted, although she secretly has relationships with Madeline Giles (The Vamp) and an unnamed woman.
 * Syonide II - Outsiders; An assassin for the 100 and lover of Fauna Faust. Killed in action as a member of Strike Force Kobra.

T


 * Tenou Haruka - Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon, in relationship with Kaiou Michiru in both manga and anime version.
 * Monica "Mo" Testa - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Thea - Dykes To Watch Out For
 * Fey Truscott-Sade - (a.k.a. Shayde) Doctor Who Magazine character. (implied lesbian)

V


 * The Vamp (Madeline Giles)- Sandman Mystery Theatre

W


 * Jane Wyatt - Hapless newspaper editor who has many strange adventures with a large group of friends Jane's World

Z


 * Zaina - Swamp Thing, currently the lesbian girlfriend of the bisexual Tefé Holland.

Gay characters
A
 * Freddie Allen - Preacher; Sexual Investigator and small-time drug trafficker. Partners with Bob Glover (see below)
 * Anole - Marvel Comics' New X-Men; student at the Xavier Institute.
 * Apollo - Wildstorm Comics' The Authority (Married to husband Midnighter)
 * Seth Appleby - 9 Chickweed Lane comic strip.
 * Condo Arlik - DC Comics' - of the Legion of Super-Heroes - in post-Zero Hour continuity had a relationship with Invisible Kid.

B

C
 * Captain Metropolis - Watchmen, outed by Silk Spectre in a magazine interview.
 * Captain Stingaree - DC Comics' supervillain.
 * Cavalier - DC Comics' supervillain.
 * Cluracan - A wine loving, swash buckling faerie in the world of Neil Gaiman's Sandman
 * Si Coltrane - Preacher; investigative reporter looking into the "Reaver-Cleaver" killings.
 * Colossus - Although most versions of Colossus are straight, the Ultimate X-Men version agrees to go out with Northstar.
 * John Constantine - Known to have participated in several sexual relationships with members of the same sex, including but not limited to filming a sex tape with the Fermin brothers, becoming a member of a pansexual BDSM club, and seducing billionaire Stanley Manor.
 * Brody Coyote - The Suburban Jungle
 * Creote - Birds of Prey ("Of Like Minds"), a mercenary for Savant, he has an unrequited crush on his boss.

D
 * Dewey and Luellen – two gay men who threatened to rape Bruce Banner in a YMCA shower in an issue of Rampaging Hulk.
 * Katman Du – GrimJack supporting character. Openly gay leonine humanoid. Has a lover named Tyger.

E
 * Element Lad - DC Comics' Legion of Superheroes (gay, original continuity - had a relationship with m2f transsexual Sean/Shvaughn Erin, saying "anything we've ever shared physically...was in spite of" the sex change, not because of it)
 * The Enigma - Enigma; apparently a comic book character come to life. Lover of Michael Smith.
 * Larry Evans - Co-lead character in the comic strip "Leonard & Larry", created by Tim Barela.
 * Extraño - member of DC Comics' New Guardians; an effeminate man from Peru, he made references to himself as gay several times, and even references a former lover who had died from AIDS.

F
 * Flatman - Superhero member of Great Lakes Avengers.

G
 * Jafaar Garfield - Fullmetal Alchemist, automail mechanic in the manga version
 * Bob Glover - Preacher; Sexual Investigator and small-time drug trafficker. Partners with Freddie Allen (see above)
 * Harlequinn (Harley) Goldman - Boy Meets Boy.
 * Ethan Green - Appears in a series of humorous books about his openly gay life and loves (long and short term), and his struggles in this journey.

H


 * Bryan Hand - Ms. Tree; In "Skeleton in the Closet", Hand, tutor and bodyguard to Ms. Tree's step-son Mike, comes out to Mike in the course of the investigation of the murder of a student journalist threatening to falsely out Ms. Tree.
 * Hector - The Incredible Hulk; member of the Pantheon, his sexuality is an occasional topic among his colleagues, and one of his brothers disapproves of his homosexuality. During a wedding party, Hector is observed chatting with another gay character, Northstar..
 * Hooded Justice - Watchmen; super-hero.
 * Michael Bernard "Mikey" Hopkins - The Class Menagerie, The Suburban Jungle.
 * Hulkling - Marvel Comics' Young Avengers - Confirmed as being in a relationship with fellow Young Avenger, Wiccan.

I


 * Invisible Kid of the Legion of Super-Heroes - in post-Zero Hour continuity had a relationship with Condo Arlik.

K


 * Alistair Katt - Newshounds
 * Kid Mischief - Pride High

L


 * Andy Lippincott - Doonesbury comic strip.
 * Living Lightning - Superhero and former member of the Avengers

thumb|200px|right|[[Damon Matthews and Todd Rice (Obsidian) share a kiss in the pages of Manhunter]]

M


 * Machinesmith - A supervillain robotics genius. Has expressed a sexual interest in both Tony Stark and the Vision.
 * Monsieur Mallah - A genius gorilla supervillain who after developing human-level sapience and articulation, fell in love with "the Brain".
 * Stanley Wayne Manor - Hellblazer; billionaire infatuated with John Constantine. Insane.
 * Tony Mantegna - Secret Six; deaf former reporter who was member of the second incarnation of Secret Six.
 * Damon Matthews - Manhunter; coworker and friend of Kate Spencer and lover of Obsidian.
 * Paul McGuire - The Sandman; lover and personal assistant to Alex Burgess.
 * Midnighter - Wildstorm Comics The Authority (Married to husband Apollo.)
 * Mindsweeper - Pride High
 * Yoshi Mishima - Starfleet cadet and best friend of Matt Decker in Paramount Comics' Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
 * Ray Monde - Hellblazer; Antiques and curiosities dealer with an interest in the supernatural. In mourning for his lover, who died during a war.

N


 * Nigel - Newshounds
 * Northstar (Jean-Paul Beaubier)  - Marvel Comics' X-Men. The first major Marvel character to come out.

O


 * Obsidian (Todd Rice) - DC Comics' Infinity Inc. (gay; it took him a long time to accept it)
 * Off-Ramp (George Sloan) of DC Comics' Young Heroes in Love

P
 * Phat (William Robert Reilly) - Marvel Comics' X-Statix - Superhero and Rap Star. Began a "fake" homosexual relationship with Vivisector. It is later revealed that both characters are gay but are not in love with each other.
 * Reverend Phelps – Sonic Disruptors; The reverend publicly railed against "evils" including homosexuality but carried on an affair with a male member of his church.
 * Lawrence Poirier - For Better or For Worse comic strip
 * Josiah Power - DC Comics' Power Company; He and his partner Rupert were portrayed as a social unit in Power Company, and Josiah was officially outed in Manhunter.

R


 * Mikhael (Mik) Rasputin - Boy Meets Boy.
 * Hartley Rathaway a.k.a. The Pied Piper - DC Comics' The Flash
 * Timothy Ravenwind - Swamp Thing, Seven Soldiers: Zatanna. Last in his family bloodline of the Ravenwind Witches. He survives the same terminal cancer that killed his older sister Rebecca Ravenwind. Takes a gay lover and has no interest in having children.
 * Rawhide Kid - Marvel Comics' first gay comic-book cowboy, at least in Marvel's Max adult-line title of the same name.
 * Pat Reynolds - Achewood
 * Wally Roo - The Suburban Jungle
 * Arnold "Arnie" Roth - The childhood friend of Steve Rogers. Though in his teenage years he was something of a "Romeo", when he and Steve reunite in Captain America #270, he reveals that he has been living with another man for ten years.
 * RT-5478 (Artie) - Narbonic (gay, at least in human form)
 * Russian - Assassin from the Punisher comic.

S


 * Collin Sri'vastra - originally a secondary character in Boy Meets Boy, later one of the lead characters of Friendly Hostility. Lover of Fox Maharassa.
 * Mark Slackmeyer - ''Doonesbury comic strip
 * Michael Smith - The Enigma; lover of The Enigma.
 * Spectral (Dave Castiglone) - Strangers (Malibu Comics)
 * Brad Steele - Closeted pro baseball player character in the syndicated gay comic strip about a gay B&B, Kyle's Bed & Breakfast, by Greg Fox
 * Richard "Rick" Stone - Static; Static's best friend in the Milestone Comics comic book whom Gear is based upon.

T


 * Chase Talbott III - Doonesbury comic strip
 * Tasmanian Devil - DC Comics' Justice League International
 * Justin Tolkiberry - El Goonish Shive
 * Steven "Jetlad/Jetman" Traynor - Top Ten; police captain and brilliant pilot; in a lifelong relationship with Wulf.

U


 * Utahraptor - Dinosaur Comics

V


 * Vivisector (Myles Alfred) - Marvel Comics' X-Statix - Superhero, Role model, Harvard Undergraduate. Began a "fake" homosexual relationship with Phat. It is later revealed that both characters are gay but are not in love with each other. He then went on to date various movie stars.

W


 * Detective Paulie Walters - Preacher; supercop. Investigating the "Reaver-Cleaver" killings.
 * Wallace Wells - Scott Pilgrim; Scott Pilgrim's Gay Roommate.
 * Wiccan - Marvel Comics' Young Avengers - Confirmed as being in a relationship with fellow Young Avenger, Hulkling.
 * Drezzer Wolf - The Suburban Jungle
 * Wulf - Top Ten; expert pilot and former member of the Skysharks squadron. In a lifelong relationship with Steve Traynor.
 * Devlin Waugh - The first openly gay hero in mainstream British comics was Devlin Waugh, who first appeared in 2000AD in 1992. He was created by writer John Smith and artist Sean Phillips. The character's homosexuality is frequently referenced in the strip, and in his first story he attempts to seduce one of the men he is rescuing.

Z


 * Pedro Zamora - the life story of AIDS activist and The Real World: San Francisco housemate Zamora was told in comic book form by Judd Winick in Pedro and Me.

Bisexual characters
A


 * Anima - Anima
 * Aya Brea - Parasite Eve DIVA

B
 * Black Cat - (Spider-Girl continuity), left her former husband Eugene "Flash" Thompson for a relationship with the woman Diana.Additionally, in a scene from the Spiderman/Black Cat mini-series, she mentioned "It's been so long since I've had a boyfriend … or a girlfriend".
 * Bunchh - Wendy Pini's Masque of the Red Death

C
 * Zoe Carter - Venus Envy. (bisexual, MTF transgender)
 * Margarita Luisa "Maggie" Chascarrillo - Locas, Has had a long relationship with the woman Hopey, as well as with several different men.
 * Chelsea Chattan - Clan of the Cats. Witch and werepanther (and possibly, the avatar of the 'Queen of the Netherworld'); her sexuality is at least in part influenced by the duality of her part-animal nature. It is implied that her sister, Corrine (Melpomene) is bisexual as well.
 * Cherry Poptart - Comedic/pornographic character.
 * Katina "Katchoo" Choovanski - Strangers in Paradise.
 * Cobweb-America's Best Comics. Relationship with male Greyshirt and implied relationship with her female driver.
 * John Constantine - In issue 51 of Hellblazer ("Counting to Ten"), John reveals that he's had "the occasional boyfriend", whilst in issues 170-174 ("Ashes and Dust in the City of Angels" 1-5), he has a homosexual relationship with billionaire Stanley Manor, albeit as part of an elaborate revenge scheme.

D
 * Desire - The Sandman; whoever sees Desire sees him/her as the perfect man or woman, depending on their sexual preference. (nongendered, bisexual)
 * Destiny - Marvel Comics's X-Men (bisexual, prefers females)
 * Doop - Marvel Comics's X-Statix is recognized by self and others as male; involved with both female and male characters.
 * Ellen Dunkel - El Goonish Shive

E


 * The Engineer- Predominantly heterosexual, Angela Spica of the Authority made mention of a lesbian fling in college. (bisexual or bi-curious)

G


 * Esperanza Leticia "Hopey" Glass - Locas, Has had a long relationship with the woman Maggie, as well as with other women and men.
 * Kate Godwin AKA Coagula - Superheroine from Doom Patrol is both a transsexual and bisexual.

H


 * Tefé Holland - Swamp Thing; daughter of Swamp Thing, John Constantine and Abigail Arcane Cable Holland. (Swamp Thing possessed John to use his body for the conception.) Formerly a flesh elemental, now just a human teenage girl. (bisexual, first experiments in lesbianism with Zaina after meeting at a party, forms relationship)

I


 * Icemaiden - Occasional member of the Justice League (bisexual; dislikes labels)

J


 * Marlo Chandler Jones - Incredible Hulk, Captain Marvel


 * Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Jekyll/Hyde is introduced as preying on and murdering female prostitutes, but, during the adventure based on The War of the Worlds, Hyde captures and sexually assaults the Invisible Man. Later, over dinner, he claims that Jekyll "played with himself, sometimes while he thought about other men".

K


 * Steffan Kabala - Wendy Pini's Masque of the Red Death
 * Jennifer Kale - Marvel Comics witch
 * Knockout - Superboy and Villains United

L


 * Lightning Lass - DC Comics' Legion of Superheroes (original continuity)

M


 * Kailen (Fox) Maharassa - originally a secondary character in Boy Meets Boy, later one of the lead characters of Friendly Hostility. Lover of Collin Sri'vastra.
 * Lady Edith Manning - The Invisibles; 1920s flapper with an interest in the occult. Fights on the side of chaos. Lover of Beryl Wyndham.
 * Marj - Hellblazer; former lover of John Constantine and  Zed.
 * Mazikeen - Lucifer and The Sandman; demon. In love with Lucifer.
 * Moondragon - Marvel Comics; Associates with Phyla-Vell


 * Mystique - Marvel Comics' X-Men

N


 * Nioi - El Goonish Shive.

O


 * Omaha - Omaha the Cat Dancer has had sexual relations with women.

P


 * Paradox (Mark Esterhase), Marvel Preview and Bizarre Adventures
 * Francine Peters - Strangers in Paradise
 * Sparrow Pidgeon - Dykes To Watch Out For (bisexual - identifies as "bisexual lesbian")
 * Anton Prosper - Wendy Pini's Masque of the Red Death

R


 * Sarah Rainmaker - Wildstorm's Gen¹³
 * Drip Rat - Jack''

S


 * Scotch Bonnet - Pride High
 * Shinobi Shaw - Decadent son of Marvel Comics' Sebastian Shaw
 * Jenny Sparks - Wildstorm Comics - former member of Stormwatch and The Authority
 * Shrinking Violet - DC Comics' Legion of Superheroes (original continuity)
 * Swift - Wildstorm Comics - former member of Stormwatch and current member of The Authority

T


 * Elizabeth "Liz" Tremayne - Swamp Thing, former celebrity television journalist and famous writer, suffers abusive relationship with fellow company fugitive Dr. Dennis Barclay, later recovers from recurring post-traumatic stress disorder, begins a sexual relationship with Chester Williams, but breaks up with him when she deeply falls in love with volunteer rape crisis support worker Barb, who is a lesbian.

W


 * Legs Weaver
 * Beatrice Wechsler - Lucifer; waitress at Lucifer's piano bar. Primarily heterosexual but is in love with Mazikeen.
 * Alisin Worthington - Fans!
 * Beryl Wyndham - The Invisibles; occultist from the 1920s, lover of Edith Manning.

V

Z


 * "Zed", AKA Mary - Hellblazer; former girlfriend of John Constantine and Marj. She was raised to become a vessel for a new Christ-child, but rebels and runs a pagan travelling group instead.
 * Zig Zag - Sabrina Online, Badly Drawn Kitties, Supermegatopia, and others.

Transgender characters
C


 * Coagula - Kate Godwin. Male-to-female transsexual superhero, member of the Doom Patrol; has the ability to coagulate liquids and dissolve solids at will.

L
 * Lord Fanny - The Invisibles; glamorous shaman and occult terrorist (male-to-female transgender).

M


 * Mindmeld - Former associate of Shinobi Shaw (transgender)

S


 * Carrie Seitz - male-to-female transgender, appeared in GrimJack #41 (December 1987).

W


 * Wanda - Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (Vertigo); male-to-female transsexual. Though not a major character, she is an integral part of the storyline.

Other
B


 * Bueno Excellente - Section 8 (apparently pansexual)

C


 * Cutter - Elfquest Confirmed sexual relationship with Skywise (another male elf). According to the creators of Elfquest, Wendy and Richard Pini, all the Elfquest elves are "omnisexual."

D


 * Danny the Street - Doom Patrol; a sentient, transvestite street, usually illustrated by the presence of pink curtains in building. Later transformed into Danny the World. (transvestite)
 * Desire (DC Comics) - In The Sandman series; can appear as either a man or a woman, and does so regularly.

S


 * Shapeshifter – Elementals; As the name indicates, a shapeshifter who generally manifested as female when in human form. She assumed male form and began a relationship with the female Elemental Morningstar, eventually revealing herself in an effort to crush Morningstar emotionally. In an issue set in the far future, which chronicles events that may or may not come to pass, Morningstar and Shapeshifter, in female form, are lovers.
 * Skywise - Elfquest Confirmed sexual relationship with Cutter. (omnisexual)

Z


 * Zsazsa Zaturnnah - Biologically female, whose alter ego, Ada, is a homosexual male. (homosexual, transgender)