LGBTQ representation has finally started to bleed through into mainstream pop culture. People who never got to see positive representations of themselves are finally getting to and it's changing pop culture for the better. In the comic world, Marvel has often been ahead of the curve on this sort of thing but in this particular case, they were beaten by DC, who had started featuring positive LGBTQ characters throughout the '80s and '90s.
However, in recent years, Marvel has made up for it, populating their line with more LGBTQ characters than ever— a huge step forward for a publisher not known for playing catch-up on social issues.
10 America Chavez's Two Solo Series Star The Lesbian Teen In Her Own Series
America Chavez would debut in Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's Young Avengers and in 2017 got her first solo series from writer Gabby Rivera. The teen from another dimension would have some amazing adventures, both on her own and with her Young Avenger friends before the book was cancelled.
Her upcoming role in the MCU has netted her another series, America Chavez: Made In The USA. America has always been an out and proud lesbian, living life on her own terms. Lesbian representation in comics, especially in a starring role, is sparse and America is an exemplar for the community.
9 Generation X Vol. 2 Had Several Queer Characters
Generation X has been an integral part of the X-Men universe since the team's '90s debut. When the book was brought back in 2017 by writer Christina Strain and artist Amilcar Pinna, it would reflect the world around it by including three queer characters: Gay teens Hindsight and Morph, and bisexual Quentin Quire.
Hindsight and Morph would start dating, and Quire would play spoiler, trying as always to make the whole thing about him and get everyone to love him. It was a breath of fresh air at a time when most Marvel books weren't focusing on these kinds of relationships.
8 X-Factor Vol. 3 Showcased A Relationship Between An Ace & A Gay Man
Peter David is responsible for many great X-Factor stories and his mid-2000s run on X-Factor is one of the team's most beloved incarnations. This iteration of the team contained Shatterstar and Rictor, two mutants who had been close as member of X-Force. There always seemed to be something more there, though, and David expanded on it.
Shatterstar was asexual but not aromantic, and he and Rictor started a relationship. The two mutants made the whole thing work and it was pretty groundbreaking at the time and still is today; asexual representation is pretty lax in pop culture as a whole.
7 Guardians Of The Galaxy Features Several LGBTQ Characters
The Guardians of the Galaxy have rocketed to stardom since their MCU debut, which is pretty apropos for folks that live and work in space. However, even in the pre-MCU days of the book, the team had LGBTQ members: Lesbians Quasar and Moondragon. The two ended up in a relationship and wouldn't be the last LGBTQ Guardians.
The newest incarnation of the team adds several more to the line-up, including Noh-Varr, Hulkling, and Hercules. Hulkling is married to Wiccan and Noh-Varr and Hercules are in a relationship, so the book is chock full of positive LGBTQ relationships.
6 Ultimate X-Men Saw Colossus & Northstar Get Together
Marvel's Ultimate Universe made changes to many characters but one of the biggest was to Colossus. In the regular Marvel Universe, he's straight but in the Ultimate one, it was revealed he was gay. Eventually, he would end up with Northstar, who was gay in both universes, and the two of them started up one of Marvel's earliest positive gay relationships.
It was a different view of Colossus but one that made sense. The two mutants would stay together until the end of the Ultimate Universe and their relationship was a bright spot in a universe that got really, really dark towards the end.
5 Marauders Stars Gay & Bisexual Characters
Since House Of X/Powers Of X, the X-Men have been expanding rapidly, especially in LGBT representation. The first example of that is Marauders. The book stars Kate Pryde as leader of the titular team and she has recently came out as bisexual, which isn't super surprising if one thinks about all of her relationships.
She is joined by Iceman, whose coming out wasn't exactly handled the best at the time but has since more than made up for it. Iceman is probably the most powerful gay character in the Marvel Universe and between him and Kate, Marauders is great for positive LGBTQ representation
4 New Mutants Vol. 4 Stars The Brightest LGBTQ Stars Of The Young X-Men
The New Mutants have always had a diverse line-up, but their most recent volume adds a lot more diversity to the whole thing. The team is full of LGBT characters, from lesbian Karma to bisexual Magik to gay Anole. On top of that, Mirage and Karma have been spending a lot of time together and are closer than ever.
As the young mutants of the Marvel Universe have gotten more diverse, so has the New Mutants and that diversity extends to current non-binary writer Vita Ayala as well. As always, the mutant books are Marvel's cutting edge.
3 The Cast Of Children Of The Atom Have Secrets, But Their Sexuality Isn't One Of Them
Writer Vita Ayala teams up with artist Bernard Chang on Children Of The Atom, a mutant book that isn't exactly what it seems. However, one thing the book doesn't keep a secret is its LGBT representation. The team's leader— Cyclops-Lass— is a gender fluid person, an AFAB who presents whatever strikes their fancy; and Gimmick, the team's tailor and tech expert, has a lesbian crush on them.
The gender fluid portions of the trans community are underrepresented in pop culture general, so having a gender fluid person in a leading role in a comic is a big step. Gimmick's crush on them is still developing but it just adds to the drama of an already intriguing book.
2 Young Avengers Was A Pioneer Of LGBTQ Representation For Marvel
Young Avengers' LGBTQ bona fides were there from the beginning; the book was created by gay writer Allan Heinberg and two of its characters, Hulkling and Wiccan, would come out of the closet and engage in a relationship. Wiccan's twin Speed would also come out as gay, dating mutant Prodigy.
The next incarnation of the team, written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Jaime McKelvie, introduced America Chavez and brought Noh-Varr onto the team, making it a majority LGBTQ team, a first at just about any publisher— with all of them being powerhouses.
1 X-Factor Vol. 4 Builds On The Book's LGBTQ Legacy
The newest incarnation of X-Factor is one of its most diverse line-ups ever, full of fan favorite LGBTQ characters. Starring Northstar, Marvel's first out gay character, it also includes Prodigy, Daken, and Prestige. Northstar's husband Kyle is also in the book and Prodigy's boyfriend Speed has made several appearances.
Written by Leah Thompson with art by David Baldeon, this is easily one of the best books currently on the market for positive LGBT representation and even though it's soon unfortunately ending, it's one of the most entertaining X-books in a crowded field.