Happy Pride Month Comic fans!
For many LGBTQ+ fans, the X-Men hold a special place in their heart. That said, it can be a struggle for queer fans to see themselves in more than themes and subtext. So much that I’ve found many of the more casual fans I’ve spoken to don’t know what queer X-Men there are. To make things easier here is the first installment of the explicitly queer X-Men.
- Darkveil
- First appearance: Iceman Vol 4 #4 (February 2019)
- Came out: Iceman Vol 4 #4 (February 20019)
Darnell Wade, aka Shade, made a splash on their first appearance as Marvel’s first mutant drag queen. While never an official X-Men, Darkveil’s appearance though brief and little more than cameo caused enough of a stir to earn them a place on this list.
2. Pyro
- First appearance: X-Men: Gold Vol 2 #1 (June 2017)
- Came out: X-Men Gold Vol 2 #32 (July 20018)
NOT the Pyro winning hearts with his face tattoo and drunken antics over in Marauders, Simon Lasker took the mantle. At the same time, the original was dead (or undead?). Simon went from villain to X-Men first when he earned Iceman’s trust enough to join an ad-hoc team and then stuck on the roster until the series ended. Sadly between the shake-ups of Age of X-Man and Krakoa, Simon has fallen through the cracks, and the original Pyro has taken the spotlight.
3. Hindsight
- First appearance: Generation X Vol 2 #1 (May 2017)
- Came out: Generation X Vol 2 #9 (January 2018)
Nathaniel Carter was introduced in what may be the queerest X-Team we’ve received so far. But sadly, once his slow-burn story line with our next entry reached its conclusion. He hasn’t been seen much since.
4. Morph
- First appearance: All-New X-Men #3 (February 2013)
- Came out: Uncanny X-Men #14 (January 2014)
First recruited into Cyclops’s revolutionary X-Men, Benjamin Deeds was the shrinking violet of the group. Despite Emma’s attempts to groom him to use his shapeshifting abilities as a spy, Morph found himself in Generation X’s team of “mutants who will never be X-Men.” Like Hindsight, he’s not really been around after the series cancelation.
5. Cluster
- First appearance: Uncanny X-Force Vol 1 #35 (February 2013)
- Came out: Uncanny X-Force Vol 2 #7 (August 2013)
A brief and confusing character. Charlie Cluster 7 is one of Fantomex’s brains (he had 3)who, after getting her own body, had a storyline of romance, betrayal, and love triangles between Cluster/Psylocke/Fantomex before she left to remerge with Fantomex off-panel, which seemingly never happened.
6. Graymalkin
- First appearance: Young X-Men #1 (April 2008)
- Came out: X-Men Manifest Destiny #3 (January 2009)
Jonas Greymalkin is a mutant who was buried underground for 200 years for being gay. He only survived due to his mutant ability to gather strength from darkness. After Young X-Men canceled, Graymalkin has been such a background character that he could be replaced with a lively fern.
7. Daken
- First appearance: Wolverine Origins #10 (March 2007)
- Came out: Wolverine Origins #11 (April 2007)?
Daken is one of the more prominent (and most problematic) queer X-Men and the first active mutant on this list. Pegging down Daken’s “coming out” was difficult since it’s not really clear if he has any romantic or sexual attraction at all. Daken uses his sexuality like any other tool for manipulation or cruelty regardless of gender (including one fade to black implied sexual assault). He is also Wolverine’s son, whose favorite past time is being brutally murdered by his father. Despite this, Daken is as hard to keep dead as his old man and keeps coming back. He was last seen stabbing himself in the head for family bonding and will be back on the panel in X-Factor.
8. Bling!
- First appearance: X-Men Vol 2 # 171 (August 2005)
- Came out: X-Men Vol 2 #172 (September 2005)
Making her appearance as a teenage 4th (or maybe 5th?) wheel in Bizarre Triangle, Roxy Washington has remained mostly background. She popped forward for some supporting roles in X-Men: Legacy and X-Men Vol 4 before finally landing a spot in Generation X. There, her determination to be a hero was able to shine. Sadly, like Morph and Hindsight, she’s been shoved in the corner when title ended.
9. Prodigy
- First appearance: New Mutants Vol 2 #4 (October 2003)
- Came out: Young Avengers Vol 2 #8 (September 2013)
David Alleyne is unique in that almost every appearance he’s made since coming out has been in non-X-titles (Young Avengers Vol 2 and America). Despite a significant role in New X-Men Vol 2, he didn’t come out until an awkward lip-lock with a taken Hulkling. The conversation the following issue was remarkably well done, focusing on how his former powers to know everything people around him know helped him realize his bisexuality. With his role on Krakoa, spot on the upcoming X-Factor title, and the potential for regaining his mutant abilities through the Crucible, Prodigy may finally get a chance to shine as an out X-Men.
10. Anole
- First appearance: New Mutants vol 2 #2 (August 2003)
- Came out: The X-Men: The 198 Files (January 2006)
Victor Borkowski has spent most of his time on the fringe of the X-Men. While gaining some spotlight in titles such as New X-Men and Young X-Men, he is often quickly cast aside. While hints of Anole’s sexuality have been around as long as he has, his “coming out” first occurred in the data pages of The 198 Files. Though considering how the initial plan for Anole was for him to be rejected by friends and family resulting in his suicide, a handbook style blurb is much more preferable
11. Christian Frost
- First appearance: New X-Men #139 (June 2003)
- Came out: Emma Frost #4 (Dec 2003)
Christian Frost is the elder brother of the X-Men Emma Frost. When their father discovered Christian was gay, he made it his mission to teach his son “traditional family values.” After being stripped of his job, money, and fortune, Christian refused to hide who he was. But after his family got his boyfriend deported back to Cuba, Christian cracked. After a suicide attempt and a spiraling addiction, he was carted away to a mental hospital. Only recently in the pages of Iceman and Marauders has Christian Frost returned to the panel as an ally (or enemy?) of the X-Men with his title of White Bishop of the Hellfire Club.
12. Bloke
- First appearance: X-Force Vol 1 #117 (August 2001)
- Came out: X-Force Vol 1 #118 (September 2001)
Mickey Tork was a member of X-Force, briefly, before the rebrand as X-Statix. A pink mutant with the ability to camouflage, his sexuality was hinted when on his first page when he was protecting his hometown of San Francisco as The Rainbow. It was then confirmed the follow issue during a scene with his boyfriend. Sadly Bloke got no further development though as he died that same issue, a not uncommon occurrence for the team.
13. (and 14) Vivisector, Phat,
- First appearance: X-Force Vol 1 #117 (August 2001)
- Came out: X-Force Vol 1 #128
Myles Alfred and Billy Bob Reilly were both members of X-Force/X-Statix. Dissatisfied with the amount of attention the two paired up for stunts to build a bigger following, eventually deciding to fake being gay. This later turned into a legitimate relationship as they both had to come to terms with their sexuality. Phat died, as so many X-Statix members did. Myles managed to survive but has only appeared in Giant-Size X-Statix #1 since the original series ended.
15. Doop
- First appearance: X-Force Vol 1 #116
- Came out: I Heart Marvel Vol 1 #3 (April 2006)
I almost didn’t include Doop in this list because it seems that even fans of the character cannot decide on what Doop is. Doop is truly a character that seems to defy all labels in terms of gender or sexual identity (or even species), but in the pages of a short valentine story, Doop left a woman for the private investigator her husband hired so Doop is clearly not straight.