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Greatest Bisexual Superheroes

There are many bisexual superheroes that, for one reason or another, are lurking right under your nose.

By Anthony GramugliaPublished 7 years ago 10 min read
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In recent years, there have been tons of gay and lesbian superheroes coming out of the closet, but bisexual superheroes seem to be less common. In fact, you can even be excused into believing that they simply do not exist. We're not talking about characters who will kiss someone of the same sex. We're talking about genuine bisexuality; being attracted to members of both sexes.

Sadly, bi-erasure is a real thing in social media. There are so few bisexual characters in comics that it is kind of stunning. Thankfully, in recent years, more and more have been appearing. In fact, there are many bisexual superheroes that, for one reason or another, are lurking right under your nose... and you just don't know that they are bi...

Deadpool

Image via gami91

Let's start off with one of the most biggest superheroes around right now, Deadpool. Wade Wilson is experiencing a popularity boom with his successful film and upcoming sequel. Gone are the days where studios would be so embarrassed of Deadpool that they'd sew his mouth shut.

So, I wonder how long it will be before Wade's bisexuality makes it to film.

Deadpool's sexuality depends on who is writing him. Some writers use his sexuality as a joke, while others approach it more seriously. Deadpool has expressed sexual interest in Bea Arthur, Vanessa Carlyle, Big Bertha... and the living embodiment of Death.

On the other hand, he's also expressed sexual interest in long-time partner Cable, the Mighty Thor, and, yes, Spider-Man. Of all of Deadpool's crushes, Spidey seems to be the one writers love to bring up again and again. The crush is entirely one-sided, and how seriously you are meant to take it depends, once again, on the writer.

Wonder Woman

Image by Pronon1990

Wonder Woman is something of an icon in the field of superheroes. The first major female superhero, more than just being an incredible icon for feminism, is also something of an LGBTQA+ icon as well.

While early years left it ambiguous, yes, Diana Prince is bisexual. While she has many male lovers (Steve Trevor being the most famous, and Superman being an oddly popular choice in the New 52 and Frank Miller timelines), Diana hails from Themyscira, the island of the Amazons - a race of warrior women.

On Themyscira, they hold marriages. There are only women. Therefore, all marriages on Themyscira are between women. Of course, coming from this culture, Wonder Woman is highly accepting of same-sex marriages and love in general.

But it wasn't until later that concrete proof of Wonder Woman's bisexuality emerged. But, then again, long before the official statement from DC, there was proof of this. It is clear that the writers, in particular Gail Simone, seemed very eager to assure readers that, yes, Wonder Woman is queer and here to stay that way.

...I apologize for that awful pun.

Catwoman

Image by JohnYandall

Another icon from the beginning of comic books, Selina Kyle is the ultimate femme fatale. In almost every adaptation, Catwoman is perhaps the ideal mate for Batman, as the two of them share a potent sexual tension. In every adaptation, Catwoman is there. She is as important to Gotham's lore as the Joker.

That being said, there were always people who speculated she might be bisexual. Of course, some writers who brushed with this idea were known for being...sexist. We're looking at you, Frank Miller.

But it wasn't until the New 52, following a series of increasingly sexist comics featuring Catwoman in sexually compromising situations, that Catwoman became openly queer - and, more than that, in a healthy, tender relationship with a woman. Eiko Hasigaway.

...Okay, maybe healthy is an over-exaggeration.

Ultimately, Selina Kyle will always be in an on-again, off-again relationship with Batman. It's intrinsic to her character. However, being in love (or lust, depending on the canon) with a man does not make Selina Kyle any less bi.

Prodigy

Image by tapwater86

Young Avengers remains one of Marvel's most diverse comic series around. Tons of characters of different races, sexual orientations - it's terrific. While both Prodigy and Loki are overtly bisexual, Loki is more known for being a straight-up villain than a hero - unlike the other characters on this list who are either anti-heroes or villains-turned-heroes.

Prodigy, though, is a straight up hero. He once was a mutant, but later unlocked new abilities thanks to the Stepford Cuckoos. They're weird. Point is that Prodigy is super intelligent, and uses his intelligence to kick all sorts of ass. He's also an African-American, resentful toward the X-Men for manipulating him...

Oh, and he's definitely bi.

His bisexuality has played only a minor role in establishing him as a character, which, in many ways, is a good thing. It is sloppy writing when a relatively minor character is defined purely by their sexual orientation, and not them as a human being. Prodigy is a step in the right direction, but not enough.

Harper Row

Image by bhavbhav

Don't know who Harper Row is? Then you probably haven't been reading Batman comics lately. Harper, AKA Bluebird, is one of the newest members of the Bat Family, and a huge contender for a future Robin. She is an explosives expert, engineering expert...

Oh, and once again, she's bi.

This is, again, a bisexual character who is not defined by her sexuality, which is a very good thing. Sadly, like Prodigy, Bluebird's sexuality infrequently comes up, so it's hard to bring up a list of lovers she has embraced in her arms.

But she is bi.

Mystique

Image by aleciarodriguez

It might be hard to categorize Mystique as a superhero. She has served on both sides of the law in both the films and the comics. While casual audiences more familiar with the films may assume she has a relationship with Magneto, the truth is that in the comics Mystique and Magneto seldom work together.

Mystique was introduced as a Ms Marvel villain, but only became intertwined with X-Men during her role in the famous arc Days of Future Past, where she appears with her own Brotherhood of Mutants (face lifted from Magneto's gang). One of the members? Destiny. A blind mutant... who was also Mystique's lover.

While Mystique and Destiny (Irene Adler) shared a relationship of an ambiguous nature, later comics did indeed confirm that they were lovers at some point. They even adopted Rogue as their child, whom they raised like a daughter.

After Irene's death, Mystique would later form a relationship with mutant Forge, and, in the past, it is indicated that she might have had a fling with Logan. She certainly had a fling with Sabretooth and the demon Azazel, which resulted in two of her offspring, Graydon Creed and Kurt Wagner (aka Nightcrawler).

John Constantine

Art by Ming Doyle

John Constantine isn't much of a superhero in terms of physical strength. He's more an intellectual powerhouse, able to outsmart demons and monsters of all sorts. He is the emblem of DC's darker line of supernatural superheroes.

Oh, and he's bi.

Perhaps it's part of the Vertigo imprint's desire to be realistic, but Constantine has had numerous lovers over his decades spanning career, in particularly in the original Hellblazer run. Most of these are flings more than anything else. A man like John Constantine can't maintain a lasting relationship without someone getting condemned to Hell. And Constantine's relationships to both men and women are equally meaningful.

Constantine's sexuality, sadly, has not earned much attention in the various adaptations of his work. Then again, considering the film Constantine makes the British blonde into Keanu Reeves... it seems the film adaptation didn't really care about accuracy. And the television show's producers, despite Matt Ryan being open to depicting a bisexual Constantine, didn't think being bi was an important aspect of John Constantine's character. Because erasing a positive bisexual male in genre fiction is such a good idea, yes?

Harley Quinn

Image by batchix

Harley Quinn is bi. She is very, very, very bi.

Let's just start off by saying that Harley Quinn pushed boundaries in mainstream animation when the Batman the Animated Series episode "Harley and Ivy" came out. Before this, Harley was established as the Joker's girlfriend, and it was clear that their relationship was less than healthy ("Mad Love" would later go into this in painful detail).

So Harley moved in with her new gal-pal Poison Ivy. And, from there, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy became lovers.

When the character of Harley Quinn was brought over to the comics, this relationship only became more explicit. Very, very explicit.

The important thing with Harley Quinn's relationship with Pamela Isley, however, is that it's healthy. Sure, they are two super-villains who sometimes do good, but they genuinely care for one another and bring each other up when the other is down. It is in part thanks to Ivy's positive influence that Harley recognizes her toxic relationship with the Joker, and, ultimately, leaves him.

Sailor Moon

Ha! And you thought there would only be Western superheroes on this list, didn't you?

Usagi Tsukino is the power of love embodied. Fewer superheroes have channeled the power of warmth and light as effectively as a little fourteen-year-old girl. Though she is most famously in an extensive relationship with Tuxedo Mask, Usagi has expressed crushes on tons--and I mean tons--of different people.

Of every gender.

Of course, not everyone seems to understand that Usagi is bi. Some fans fiercely oppose the idea. These people are in denial.

Let's start with the basics. Usagi expresses a crush on just about every Sailor Scout before they join. This is more overt in the manga, where she blushes while commenting how attractive the girl is (she actually returns multiple times to Rei Hino's shrine before she becomes Sailor Mars in part to catch a glimpse of Rei).

Then, there's Haruka, or Sailor Uranus. Uranus is an open lesbian who flirts with Usagi, and Usagi responds in kind. Or, at least, doesn't seem opposed to kissing Haruka on the lips.

And then there's Seiya. Seiya disguises herself as a male in both the original anime and manga, though, in the anime, she actually transforms into a male physically using magic. Both cases, Usagi forms a crush on Seiya. Both cases, she still has a crush on her when it's revealed Seiya is really female.

But here's the thing. When you're the defender of love and justice, with love so potent you can detonate planets by the end of your first story arc... yeah, you're gonna be the kind of person who loves everyone, regardless of gender.

Rose Quartz

Image by ME-B

Steven Universe has never hidden the fact it draws inspiration from Sailor Moon. Hell, Steven is a Sailor Moon fan. So it makes sense that they'd incorporate the anime's LGBTQA+ friendly themes into it.

But here's the thing... are the Crystal Gems really queer if they're just rock people?

Well, yes. Because they assume female forms, take female pronouns, and all that. Therefore, yes, the Crystal Gems are female.

And, yes, Rose Quartz has expressed romantic interest in both men and women.

Let's start with the basics: it's pretty well established that Rose is Steven's mom, which meant that she definitely had sex with Steven's dad, Greg. The two have a very intense romance, one so intense that it led Rose to literally give up her physical form to bring Steven to life (alien biology is weird).

But then there's Pearl. Oh God, Pearl.

Let's get this one thing clear: Pearl and Rose's relationship may not have been the healthiest of relationships, especially for Pearl. Not that either were abusive or anything like that, but Pearl was clearly more into Rose than Rose was into her. This establishes the question... is Rose really bi, or was she just humoring Pearl?

And the truth is... that's hard to answer.

Yes, Rose Quartz is powered by the power of love, much like Sailor Moon. Yes, Rose does fuse with Pearl, which in Steven Universe only occurs if one is willing to open yourself up physically and emotionally to another person (often seen as a metaphor for sex by some fans). But is she attracted to Pearl?

Well, Pearl seems to think so. And from what the show has until now shown in flashbacks, it seems reasonable to assume that, yes, the relationship between them was romantic.

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About the Creator

Anthony Gramuglia

Obsessive writer fueled by espresso and drive. Into speculative fiction, old books, and long walks. Follow me at twitter.com/AGramuglia

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