The subtext of the new Tomb Raider video game series almost became text with the Inferno comic book miniseries.
Co-writer Jackson Lanzing confirmed that Lara Croft was supposed to be gay in a Twitter exchange with Gail Simone. Simone, who is no stranger to the Tomb Raider universe and wrote the first volume of the ongoing series, theorized that Lara and her friend Sam Nishimura were "1000% gay for each other" after playing first installment of the new trilogy.
"Gail, we tried so hard to make it canon," Lanzing wrote in response. "We had an entire issue in TR: INFERNO dedicated to Lara going through a toxic drug trip and finally, fully understanding her feelings for Sam."
Lanzing said that the issue would have also featured a kiss between Sam and Lara, but the final product only featured a hug between the two. He wouldn't specify the reason for this change.
Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly, with art from Phillip Sevy, Tomb Raider: Inferno is currently on sale from Dark Horse Comics.