Marvel comics has introduced an LGBTQ+ teenager character as a new Captain America.
According to Pink News, Marvel's upcoming Captain America series The United States of Captain America, is a crossover event that will feature the original Cap, Steve Rogers, teaming up with Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and John Walker on a road trip across the US to find his stolen shield.
On their journey, Rogers and his team are due to meet Aaron Fisher, also known as Captain America of the Railways.
According to a press release, the working-class character of Aaron was inspired by gay heroes and activists in the queer community fighting for civil rights across the country.
Fisher's issue will also be the first of the series to be hit shelves, with Marvel saying that the June 2 release date has been chosen to honor the "rise of this new LGBTQ+ hero" during Pride Month.
Marvel comics writer Christopher Cantwell has since spoken out about the new character, as well as the importance of the original Steve Rogers. In a tweet shared with his 8,000 followers, Cantwell wrote:
"The MCU Captain America is someone who helped me realize I was queer. For me it’s always a blurry line between being in love with a man and wanting to be like them as a man. That Cap means a lot to me.
"He also reminds me of a real Army Major in my life—who died by suicide—that I in retrospect deeply, deeply loved before I was married. And yes I also wanted to be like him as a man, a father, and husband. I miss him every day."
Meanwhile, Jan Bazaldua, an artist on the Fisher issue, stated per Pink News: "I really enjoyed designing him, and as a transgender person, I am happy to be able to present an openly gay person who admires Captain America and fights against evil to help those who are almost invisible to society."
Take a look at the trailer for Captain America and The Falcon in the video below:This news should be welcome to Marvel fans, who have been eagerly anticipating the release of the upcoming Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which sees Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson competing to take up the mantle of Captain American in the wake of the climactic events of Avengers: Endgame.
