DC announces The Green Lantern is gay! Thoughts?

This smacks of desperation, because his movie stunk so bad, they had to do something big.

All in all, I will reserve judgment until I find out who his boyfriend is. Like the Flash? Aqua-man?

They needed a new dramatic arc to mess around with.

Well, duh. Maybe it’s just me, but I always kind of subconsciously saw him as gay. I never actually read the comics, though, so that’s just based on the general understanding I have of the character. Regardless, it seems fitting, to me. Ryan Reynolds probably didn’t help the character’s case, either- let’s face it, he’s pretty effeminate. (Sorry, Blake Lively, but it had to be said.)

P.S. Love that last tag. ;)

You thought all of DC Comics characters were AC?

I agree with @Imadethisupwithnoforethought that it was an act of desperation.

His powers I almost 100% positive won’t change, but we know now that instead of creating women, he’ll be manifesting men for pleasure every now and then.

Ditto @Fly. I thought everyone figued this out on their own.

@ Pretty much everyone in this thread: This is an important distinction.

It’s not the same Green Lantern as the one Reynolds played, aka Hal Jordan. It’s a different character, from the 1940’s and Earth-2 versions, the first Green Lantern, Alan Scott.

I think a lot of people forget that “Green Lantern” isn’t one character: There have been seven completely different Green Lantern characters.

To judge the motivation for making Alan Scott gay, it’s contrary to point to take into account Hal Jordan’s character. The success (or lack of) of the Green Lantern brand is fair game, but we must realize they are different branches.

Hal Jordan has had an ENORMOUS amount of romantic interaction with women. To be fair, I’m not aware if this is also true of Alan Scott, or if he was less involved with them.

And I am curious about the motivations of making him gay. I doubt the original writer (being from the 1940’s) wrote him intentionally as being gay, but did the newer writer honestly interpret the original character as gay? Did he naturally come to the realization that the new character was gay when he was creating him? Is it, like others in this thread suggest, a publicity ploy? A combination of the above?

So, let’s say it is out of desperation, a publicity ploy. Is there something wrong with that? Does diversity in media always have to come from the goodness of The Powers That Be’s hearts?

How appropriate that Sheldon Cooper likes playing the Green Lantern at parties, since Jim Parsons (who plays Sheldon on Big Bang Theory) “came out” this week too (although it wasn’t really much of a secret).

@Aethelflaed No, but the character’s not going to promoting diversity if it’s not a real, developed character: It doesn’t do any good if the whole comic is half about Alan Scott’s stereotypical gay love life and half about normal, run-of-the-mill Green Lantern action. There’s no depth or roundness of the character, and it doesn’t improve the public’s perspective of what it’s really like to be gay. It’s like putting in a token African-American person in a TV and making him only have lines about what it’s like to live in da hood or how much he loves chicken or her say things like “Oh girl nuh uh he did not say dat!”

He is an abomination to our lord and savior, George Clooney.

@ETpro – I got it and thought it was great!

@rooeytoo I didn’t think anybody was going to. :-)

Doesn’t bother me a bit. Even if it is an act of desperation or a token gay character. I mean, it has to start somewhere.

Good on them. Now where to the lesbian superheroes!

To add to @Philosophile‘s point and to shed some light on DC’s possible motivation…

A few weeks prior to DC’s announcement, Marvel Comics announced that their character Northstar would be getting married to his boyfriend this Summer.

• Northstar has been openly gay in Marvel comics since the 90s.
• He’s had a boyfriend for a couple years now.
• He was originally in Alpha Flight (1980s) and is now an X-Man.
• After Marvel announced the wedding on The View, DC was asked what their reaction was.
• DC president Dan DiDeo said that a longtime DC character would be reintroduced into current continuity as gay.
• Later, they announce the original 1940s Green Lantern, Alan Scott will be gay on Earth 3.

It looks, to me, to simply be a game of one upmanship between rival companies.

Also, this is nothing new. Aside from Northstar, there are other gay characters at Marvel & DC.
• Shatterstar (Marvel)
• Rictor (Marvel)
• Hulkling (Marvel)
• Wican (Marvel)
• Bat Woman (DC)
And even more if you include other publishers like Dark Horse and Image.

Most superheroes are closet homosexuals, just look at their costumes!!
Kinky bondage sessions are commonplace, the penguin likes to dominate, Robin is his fave plaything.

I want GL and batman and Robin to get together in a threesome.

I love how any conversation about comic books takes a turn for the stupid.

It’s a shame that a valid storytelling form that has been around for over seventy years cannot garner the same amount of respect as novels, or short stories, or poems.

I’m sure the writers, artists, and editors that make a living in comics are thrilled to know that their work is routinely ridiculed by people who, most likely, don’t even read their books.

Just look at the stuff he wears.
Of course he likes the cock.
(so does every other “superhero” that wears such costumes)

^^ Wrong Green Lantern. That’s Hal Jordan not Alan Scott. Thank you for paying attention.

and?

@cprevite Maybe @ragingloli is saying Alan Scott wears Hal Jordan like a hat.

Well now that more people are accepting homosexuality it’s exploited on almost every “entertainment” tv show. Or reality show and so on. People even tried to make a petition for Bert and Ernie to be married. It’s the new trend apparently.

Ok….so?

@ragingloli: “and?” — the original question is referring to 1940s Green Lantern, Alan Scott (which has been clarified twice in the thread). You linked a photo of Hal Jordan (silver age green lantern). You know not of what you speak.

I have nothing against superhero comic books or their movie counterparts, it’s the overzealous fanboys that are irritating, often to the point of distraction.

I’m partial to the Alaskan Salmon

Green Lantern with his talented ring would really make one heck of a lover, gay or not!

HERE is a story and interview about Alan Scott’s reintroduction as a gay character, if anyone is interested in learning more.

@cprevite So, if the author is telling the truth, he just did it because it was how he chose to make the new character, and, like I mentioned earlier, it’s just going to be a part of his character, not a schtick. The author has also done things like this before (the first gay kiss).

@Philosophile: That appears to be the case, and I have no reason to doubt his word. Sounds good to me.