Marvel Introduces the First LGBTQ+ Captain America

Representation in any media is of the utmost importance, and it just makes sense. People want to see and read about people they can relate to: characters who act, look and think like they do and who speak to them as a person. Comic books are no exception, and Marvel Comics has been introducing new, inclusive characters regularly. Over the last 10 years, Marvel Comics has introduced popular characters Miles Morales (a Black/Puerto Rican Spider-Man, made popular in the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse,” which won the Oscar for best animated film); Kamala Kahn (a Muslim Pakistani-American teenager, who will debut on-screen in the upcoming Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel”); and America Chavez (a Latin-American lesbian) to name a few.

With June being Pride Month, Marvel Comics is adding to its list of diverse characters by creating the first LGBTQ+ character to carry the mantle of Captain America.

“The United States of Captain America” is a five-part limited series that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the iconic character. The series will follow the original Captain America, Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans in 10 films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU); along with Bucky Barnes (the Winter Soldier, played by Sebastian Stan in the MCU); Sam Wilson (Falcon, the first African-American superhero in mainstream comics, played by Anthony Mackie in the MCU); and John Walker (U.S. Agent, played by Wyatt Russell in the MCU); as they search for Captain America’s missing shield across America. On their journey, they meet “everyday people from all walks of life” who have taken up the mantle of Captain America to defend their communities.

Chris Evans as Captain America

Marvel Studios

The first issue introduces Aaron Fischer, an openly gay teen and the self-proclaimed "Captain America of the Railways." Aaron has made it his mission to protect runaways and people experiencing homelessness, even though he doesn't have the powers or resources of Steve Rogers. He was created by writer Joshua Trujillo and artist Jan Bazaldua.

“Aaron is inspired by heroes of the queer community: activists, leaders, and everyday folks pushing for a better life. He stands for the oppressed, and the forgotten,” Trujillo said in a press release.

Trujillo told Out Magazine, "I’m inspired by the people in my life, like my siblings who work for non-profits and in medicine. Or friends who are foster parents or teachers. These are people who take action every day to help each other, and Aaron is very much following their example."

Aaron Fischer

Marvel Comics

Trujillo wanted to make sure that Fischer resonated with the queer community and that he faced the adversity that reallife queer people face. He and Bazaldua decided to make the character unhoused, because of the alarming number of gay youth facing homelessness. According to non-profit True Colors United, it is estimated that about 7 percent of youth in the United States are LGBTQ, while 40 percent of youth experiencing homelessness are LGBTQ. True Colors United also says that LGBTQ youth are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness. "The housing crisis is something I’m confronted with every day in Los Angeles, and queer youth are among the most vulnerable. Only by drawing more attention to this can we hope to make a difference, and help the unhoused in our communities," Trujillo told Out Magazine.

Bazaldua was tasked with designing the character. “I want to thank Editor Alanna Smith and Joshua Trujillo very much for asking me to create Aaron,” she said in a press release. “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. While I was drawing him, I thought, well, ‘Cap fights against super-powerful beings and saves the world almost always, but Aaron helps those who walk alone in the street with problems that they face every day.’ I hope people like the end result!” Bazaldua came out as a trans woman on her Twitter account in May 2020, further displaying Marvel Comics’s commitment to diversity with their creative staff as well.

It is 2021, so it is inevitable that the character has already faced criticism before he has even debuted, mostly by conservative media outlets. Most notably, Newsmax host Grant

Stinchfield went on a tirade mocking the character live on air, with his co-host Grace Curley calling for a conservative superhero. With all of the positive changes, it isn't worthwhile to dwell on closedminded criticisms.

Trujillo wants to make sure that readers understand his character is not replacing the original Captain America, Steve Rogers. “Captain America has a lot to carry on his shoulders. He's a projection of our nation's hopes and strengths, but he's also a living symbol of American history. There's a lot of pain in that history, and that's something a character called 'Captain America' always has to reckon with. Steve Rogers is the best of us. He leads with his heart, and he never gives up. But he's still human. He fails at times; he can lose sight of what he's fighting for, or become disillusioned. Underneath the powers and the costumes, he's just a fearless kid who desperately wants to do the right thing. Those are qualities that make him, and the other Captains America, so compelling to me as a fan, and as a writer,” he said to Newsarama.com.

“Aaron is not the new Captain America, rather one of several new heroes inspired by Cap,” he continued. “You're going to meet him very early in his heroic journey. But you'll have to read the mini-series to find out what happens next.”

“The United States of Captain America #1” is available everywhere comics are sold on June 30.

by Dave Hamilton, from prepared materials