5 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stream it: The best queer superheroes to inspire and entertain this Pride Month
All over the country, state legislators, school boards and federal agencies are endeavoring to diminish LGBTQ people — both in fiction and everyday life. It's times like this you might wish for a queer person with super-strength and lasers to swoop in and save the day. As we fight on the ground, here are some of the best superheroes with whom to celebrate Pride Month.
Rather than have this list be dominated by characters from the two mega-titans of spandex, DC and Marvel, here's a general overview of what each universe has to offer in the way of LGBTQ representation:
DC Extended Universe
For DC, the animated 'Harley Quinn' series features one of comics' most iconic lesbian relationships, finally done right on television. 'Doom Patrol,' featuring gay hero Negative Man, remains a surrealist masterpiece. Finally, there's 'Peacemaker,' which showrunner James Gunn and star John Cena reimagined as a bisexual antihero.
Watch it: All available on Max.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The MCU has definitely been getting queerer in recent years. The underrated movie 'Eternals' showed an immortal hero living a quiet life with his husband and son. Cunning antihero Loki is canonically bisexual and genderfluid as well as the best time-travelling hero this side of 'Doctor Who' in the titular series. Then there's 'Agatha All Along,' which gave us the iconic line 'if you want a straight answer, ask a straight lady.'
'Miraculous' (2015)
The French animated series 'Miraculous,' about Parisian teens who use magical jewels to fight crime as costumed heroes, is both a cult hit and a fantastic example of queer representation. From the rainbow-powered character Wishmaker to the unrequited crush of Vesperia on main character Ladybug, the show manages to competently contain a full gamut of real-world queer experiences in an affirming way.
Watch it: Streaming on Disney+.
'Code Name: Dynastud' (2018)
Not everything needs to be family-friendly and inspirational. In this raunchy comedy directed by Richard Griffin, a radical right-wing government has outlawed homosexuality. Luckily, a farm boy with some unprintable superpowers is off to save the day with jokes and an intolerance for intolerance. This film is pure schlock, but as a combination of revenge fantasy and satire of toxic machismo, it's definitely a fun time.
Watch it: Steaming on Tubi.
'Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes' (2004)
The entire ' Surge of Power ' franchise is a gift to the genre of camp. Real-life corporate attorney Vincent J. Roth plays fictional corporate attorney Gavin Lucas, the alter-ego of openly gay superhero Surge, who battles both crime and homophobia. This was a groundbreaking indie film in 2004, made after the rebirth of the genre but long before the media juggernaut of the MCU. It would be 13 years before 'Power Rangers' would put the first queer hero on the big screen, but Roth kept making 'Surge of Power' sequels and pop culture crossovers with other franchises.
