Yes, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) confirmed he’s had “a bit of both” on his self-titled Disney+ series, but so far, the only canonically gay character in the MCU is Bryan Tyree Henry’s Phastos in “Eternals.” Marvel and DC may not have fully embraced queer characters, but a number of actors playing superheroes are part of the LGBTQ community.
Here’s some openly out thespians, including Oscar-nominated octogenarian Ian McKellen, who’ve donned a cape — and looked fabulous doing it.
Angelina Jolie, Thena in “Eternals”
Jolie became part of the MCU in this 2021 all-star film as the nearly invincible Thena. She was previously married to Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton and Brad Pitt, but has always been open about dating women as well, as she told Barbara Walters in 2003.
Tessa Thompson, Valkyrie in “Thor: Ragnarok”
Thompson rocked her role of Valkyrie so hard in “Thor: Ragnarok” that the character ended up becoming the King of Asgard. She came out as bisexual in 2018 and has been dating singer and “Glass Onion” star Janelle Monae.
Ian McKellen, Magneto in the “X-Men” films
The twice-Oscar nominated McKellen, who also memorably played Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, has been out since 1988. He brought gravitas and a wicked sense of humor to his portrayal of Holocaust survivor Erik Lehnsherr, aka the metal-manipulating Magneto.
Alan Cumming, Nightcrawler in “X2: X-Men United”
The Tony-winning Scottish actor, who gave a theatrical flair to his teleporting mutant in the second “X-Men” film, came out as bisexual in 1998.
Nicole Maines, Dreamer in “The Flash”
The trans actress, who appeared as Nia Nal aka Dreamer on “The Flash,” “Supergirl” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” also plays Lisa, a member of Lottie’s cult on “Yellowjackets.“
Colton Haynes as Roy Harper in “Arrow”
The “Arrow” star wrote an essay last year in which he said that coming out as gay in a 2016 EW interview did negatively affect his career. Roles “mostly dried up…. Now, the only auditions I get are for gay characters, which remain sparse. Is that because I’m not very good? Maybe. But that didn’t stop me from booking roles before.”
Elliot Page as Viktor Hargreeves in “The Umbrella Academy”
When Page transitioned in real life, so did his character Viktor, who is telekinetic and can manipulate sound and engery.
Ruby Rose as Kate Kane in “Batwoman”
In 2018, Rose, who uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, was cast as The CW’s Batwoman, the same year she filmed “John Wick 3.” By 2020, however, she was off the show, with WBTV saying that she’d been fired.
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in “The Flash”
The non-binary actor has dominated headlines for his erratic and sometimes criminal behavior, said they began “ongiong treatment” ahead of the movie’s premiere. They first played the lightning-fast Barry Allen in “Justice League.”
Matt Bomer as Negative Man in “Doom Patrol”
The former “White Collar” star played Larry Trainor, a test pilot who was accidentally exposed to a radioactive field that that turned him into Negative Man, who can walk through walls and cause objects to explode. After the accident, he is only seen wrapped in bandagesl like the Invisible Man, to protect others from his radioactivity.
In 2020, he said that coming out as gay in 2012 did hurt his career. “I came out at a time when it was very risky to do so: I had a studio film that was about to premiere, and a television series coming out. But to me it was more important to be my almost authentic self, both for my family, and for myself. I wasn’t trying to be a role model, nor am I now, but I thought if it could help just one person, then it would be worth it. But to say that didn’t cost me certain things in my career would be a lie. It did.”
Alexandra Shipp as Storm in “X:Men: Apocalypse”
Shipp, who took on the role of weather-wrecking Ororo Munroe in 2016’s “X:Men: Apocalypse,” revealed she was part of the LGBTQ community in a moving Instagram post in which she wrote, “It’s never too late to be you. If I don’t work because of a flawed, racist and homophobic system, then it was never the right thing for me.”
Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead in “Deadpool”
The actress, who shaved her head when she auditioned for the part, came out as “liking both boys and girls” when making the lesbian teen drama “First Girl” in 2017.
Halsey as Wonder Woman in “Teen Titans Go! to the Movies”
The Grammy-nominated singer, who has been open about being bi, voiced the Amazon superhero in this 2018 big-screen animated movie.
Kevin Conroy as Batman in “Batman: The Animated Series”
The late Kevin Conroy, who passed away of cancer in 2022, voiced Bruce Wayne/Batman in the “Batman: The Animated” series and many accompanying animated movies, TV series and video games. He came out in 2016.
Keiynan Lonsdale as Kid Flash
Lonsdale debuted on The CW’s “The Flash” as Wally West/Kid Flash before moving onto sister series “Legends of Tomorrow.” The Australian actor came out as gay in 2022, though he previously said he liked guys and girls on Instagram back in 2017.
