NoScans: New CW Seed cartoon series to feature gay lead character

[icon_uk]

Comics Alliance is reporting that, after The Vixen, whose most recent iteration is moving from recent animated debut to live action version in Arrow, a new web series featuring a Golden Age hero will launch and also lead to live action

It's Freedom Fighters: The Ray!



Raymond “Ray” Terrill was a reporter who discovered a group of government scientists working on a secret project to turn light into a weapon of mass destruction. But before he could report on his findings, the project head exposed Ray to a “genetic light bomb.” The bomb failed to kill him and instead gifted Ray with light-based powers. With these abilities, Ray realized he could go beyond reporting on injustice – he could take action to help stop it. Calling himself The Ray, he was recruited by Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to fight violence and oppression wherever it exists.

And it is confirmed that he will be depicted as a gay man too.

Sounds promising!

Comments

[long_silence]

More cartoons with explicitly queer leads is always neat.

Though I think Legends of Tomorrow is the first CW Superhero show to have a queer lead, since Sara Lance is one of the main characters. It's different from being the title character but ignoring her isn't cool.

[icon_uk]

I don't see anything in the article which is claiming that The Ray will be the first DCTVU series with a queer lead, so I don't think Dinah is being overlooked, it's just this article is about the new series, not the existng ones.

[long_silence]

I was referring to the CBR article I read earlier which mentioned that the Ray would be the first gay superhero to lead his own series. Which is technically true but does gloss over just how important Sara has been in both Arrow and Legends, she may not be the title character in either series but she's been just as important as any other character. She gets very little respect.

[icon_uk]

Ah right, was not aware of the CBR article.

[monsieur_safior]

"More cartoons with explicitly queer leads is always neat."

Or not especially when the based character is not gay.

[icon_uk]

Except they are categorically saying that this version of the Ray IS gay, so I don't get your point.

[monsieur_safior]

Since Nick Fury jr, I'm against changing the race/sexuality/ect of a character.

And making like is a big deal then the lead character is gay is generaly the sign of lot of cliche.

I prefer like they did in the Loud house when we see the father of Clyde, they show them being a couple and that it, no painfull cliché aboot gay or how ground breaking this is, just two protective parent who happen to be gay.

[flint_marko]

The show hasn't aired yet, how do you know it will be treated like a big deal there?

[monsieur_safior]

The annonce, is generally not a good sign.

[flint_marko]

They announced it with Loud House, too.

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/loud-house-gay-couple-nickelodeon-1201816592/

[monsieur_safior]

And they specefy it was show like a normal people, so nothing grand breaking.


BTW the comment on the website you show are disgutting, how can you considere tolerant parent if you ban your kid to wacht a cartoon they like because they have gay couple in it?

[flint_marko]

They still made an announcement about it, even though the show itself didn't treat it like a big deal.

Furthermore, if the show is anything like Vixen's it's just going to be six five-minute episodes, so that doesn't leave a lot of time to focus on his sexuality. We're probably just going to see that he has a boyfriend or something.

[monsieur_safior]

Maybe but I'm still doubt and still hate when they change the oring of a character.

[icon_uk]

Good rule for life; Never read the comments on a news site or youtube... it will do your blood pressure no good at all.

[mrstatham]

Nick Fury Jr wasn't changing the race or sexuality of a character. It was creating a new one. This isn't changing the race or sexuality of the character in the comics, it's stating *this take* on the character is gay.

I also entirely disagree that making a lead character gay is 'cliched', implying they're overused or incredibly common. That say, the fans of the 100 tv show started tearing the writers and showrunner apart online after a rather fateful story choice there says a lot.

[monsieur_safior]

Nick Fury Jr is just a lame trick make by incompetent people who don't respect their product and customer.

I by saying cliché, I don't say oversused but bad handle.

[bruinsfan]

I'd prefer it if they were featuring a character who's been canonically gay in the main DC continuity, like Obsidian or Midnighter or Apollo. Or even Alan Scott, as the Nu52 revamp could be seen to reflect certain indications in the character's original nominally straight history.

[flint_marko]

Obsidian is showing up in Legends of Tomorrow, and that kind of rules out them making Alan Scott gay (if they can even use a Green Lantern).

I also can't really picture Midnighter or Apollo showing up in the Arrowverse, but who knows.

[icon_uk]

It doesn't rule it out per se.

They could either make Alan bisexual, or a gay man who came into his queerness after he'd been married and had kids... and it just hadn't worked out. It might make better story potential than "Alan keeps guilting out about not being there for kids he never even knew he had until they were in their 20's, thanks to his crazy ex wife faking her death before he knew she was pregnant"

[flint_marko]

Well, I just found out they cast Lance Henricksen as Obsidian, so unless Obsidian's CGI and they're just using his voice I don't know what they're thinking there, especially since all the other JSA members they've cast are younger. :/

http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/legends-of-tomorrow-casts-lance-henriksen-as-obsidian

[long_silence]

Well Legends of Tomorrow's premise is based on time travel

Henricksen could be playing Obsidian in the modern day and they could also cast a younger actor to play him in the past.

[monsieur_safior]

Ugh the changing of sexuallity of Alan Scoot was so pointless and cut him away for one who was great aboot this character, the fact he was a father, in a time when super parent was rare.

I think the worst thing is the reason for why they change it, just to spit on Marvel who have married Northstar month ago before new52 and making him the first gay character to be married in mainstream comics.

[flint_marko]

His being a father would have been erased anyway when they decided to reboot the JSA, making them younger and putting them on Earth 2. That's one of the reasons why they made him gay, to make up for Obsidian being gone.

http://www.newsarama.com/9595-alan-scott-is-gay-other-gender-race-changes-coming-to-dc.html

[bruinsfan]

Yeah, if Todd is around it'd probably be best for his dad to be presented with his original orientation if he shows up at all. Though I do recall thinking that when they re-imagined Alan as a gay man in the Nu52 there was a bit more wiggle room for that not violating the previous characterization than most heroes would have had. IIRC, he never had a real love interest from his introduction until the 60s, and his later marriage to Harlequin was presented as her having pursued him for years in Pepe le Pew fashion before she wore him down into saying yes. That didn't strike me as that unlikely a life course for a closeted gay man in the mid-20th century.

[dewinged]

I did see this news. Looking forward to it.

[bj_l]

I've only ever read hjs appearances in Young Justice which, honestly, I dont remember anything saying he was straight. The closest to that would be flirting for votes.