Marvel Comics To Feature The First 'X-Men' Same-Sex Marriage
It will be a match made by Marvel.
With the political impact still being felt from President Barack Obama's public endorsement of same-sex marriage's legalization across America, the team behind Marvel Comics' Astonishing X-Men's 50th issue have orchestrated the Marvel Universe's first gay marriage, USA Today reports.
The issue, hitting stands tomorrow, will feature same-sex hero Northstar proposing to his boyfriend, Kyle. Marvel putting together such a timely arc only makes perfect sense, since many of their titles are set against a New York backdrop, where the state's legislature approved gay marriage for realsies this past June. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso claims that though the comic is being released amid a swell of debate following Obama's "Good Morning America" interview with Robin Roberts earlier this month, touching upon this hot button started coming together in discussions when the New York legislature took its landmark stand nearly a year ago.
"Whenever you tell a story that touches upon an issue people are passionate about, you open yourself up to controversy and some very heated comments, both supportive and critical," Alonso said. "But as long as we continue to tell good stories, with nuanced characters from different walks of life, we feel that we're making our comics accessible to the widest possible audience."
Expect it also to be lumped in during "progressive" discussions about fiction properties with last year's introduction of Miles Morales, the half-black, half-hispanic successor to Peter Parker as Spider-Man.
Obviously, the staff hasn't taken anything for granted. Nuance is apparently treated with as much importance here as it would be amid any other type of arc. Writer Marjorie Liu elaborated on how everything was given weight. She claims that the "camera" for panels during Northstar's proposal - as well as whether or not he'd pop the question in Bryant Park in or out of costume - was debated from a standpoint of how effectively each detail would tell the story.
For the record, it will happen with Northstar out of costume. That decision took six drafts, Liu said.
"Relationships reveal character, and so does conflict," Liu said. "Let's just say that there's a lot of owrk that can be done in this situation, which is no different than what you'd see with a real-life couple where one spouse is a police officer or solddier - or works in any profession that puts him or her in danger on a regular basis. How does that affect the relationship?
"Marvel Comics in general have always smartly utilized the drama and relationships of their stable of characters and, due to that ramped-up drama, the situations lead to a shattering of bonds or a fulcrum of attachment."
