Marvel Voices: Pride #1: Prodigy in “Colossus”

In 2013 in the pages of Young Avengers Vol 2 #8, by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie & Mike Norton, David Aldyene, aka Prodigy, came out as bisexual in a conversation with Hulking, who he had just kissed. The conversation explained that due to the nature of his power, knowing what those around him know, he was able to recognize his bisexuality. For many fans, David’s identity became something that was a side effect of his power. Something that happened to him instead of part of who he was. In this short five-page story, Gillen throws that misconception out the window.

David is asked about his origin story – when he realized that he wasn’t straight. This conversation is something that I have seen countless variations of and participated in just as many. But that wording hits a way that is different than any before. “Origin Story.” A superhero’s origin story is what led them to their identity, evolving them to a new sense of self without changing who they are.  For many people, the realization that they aren’t straight does the same. They are still the same person, but if they are able to recognize and accept this part of themselves, they too are able to evolve into someone that is a more authentic version of who they are.

As an out queer person who is sometimes active on social media, there isn’t a week where I don’t see the validity of bisexual people being questioned by the internet. Their inclusion in the LGBTQ+ gets questioned based on their current relationship, their dating history, their sexual history. Their identity becomes boiled down to some unrevealed queer equation where their past actions are measured and frequently found lacking. # of “heterosexual” partners minus # of “homosexual” partners divided by their current relationship status equals judgment from all sides. When David tries to find answers to what he is feeling, this is the kind of environment waiting for him.

Young Avengers Vol 2 #9 Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Jamie McKelvie & Mike Norton. Colored by Matthew Wilson. Lettered by Clayton Cowles.

David’s identity is unambiguously explained to be who he is regardless of his power and its effects on him. Instead, his powers merely served to provide him validation. David’s power enables him to have a shortcut through the uncertainty that many bi people experience due to the narrative that is forced upon them by society and culture. He doesn’t need to fumble through arbitrary queer math to prove who he is because he knows his experience, and he knows the experience of others.

Gillen is able to tell this story in the five pages of “Colossus.” Despite the heavy subject matter, he is able to keep the retelling light through the commentary provided by David’s companion, Tommy Shepard, aka Speed. The humor added by the character, another bisexual, doesn’t cheapen the experience being shared. Tommy’s origin story is different but never portrayed as having more or less value than David’s. Just different.

The art by Jen Hickman and Brittany Peer provides a bridge that is crucial to this kind of story. They take the meaning behind Gillen’s words and put it on the panel. The attraction and realization as David begins to question his sexual identity. The turmoil and stress when David is forced to fit himself into the boxes that society says are the only options. The doubt. The anxiety. The relief. Every step of David’s journey is made clear in a way that doesn’t require the reader to have gone through the same journey as David.