Marvel Comics editor says gay superheroes reflect real world

London -  Editor in chief of Marvel Comics, Axel Alonso, has said that gay comic book superheroes reflect the “real world”, showing mutants have the same lives and issues as readers. 

Alonso said the marriage of X-Men hero Northstar and his long-term boyfriend Kyle reflected real life and was inspired by the legalisation of same-sex marriage in New York.

Warning the marriage was “only the start of the story,” he even hinted the characters may face a historic divorce further down the line.

He said the storylines were written with readers in mind, and were a deliberate effort to show that “characters live in the same world we do.”

His comments come after a recent debate over the sexuality of superheroes, after DC Comics “rebooted” Green Lantern as gay and Marvel’s Northstar and Kyle Jinadu married.

The wedding is published in issue 51 of ‘Astonishing X-Men’, which features the happy couple surrounded by superhero friends as they hold hands to pledge their commitment.

Alonso explained writers wanted to explore how the characters would have responded to the news of same-sex marraige being legalised in New York, after being in a relationship for many

years.

“It immediately made us wonder how Northstar responded to this development given that he’d been in a long-term relationship,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

“Our characters live in the same world as we do. They live in New York and San Francisco and frequently deal with the kinds of problems you do.

“Marvel comics always do best when we are living in the real world and commenting on the real world, and readers feel the lives of characters reflect the lives outside their window.

“This is all part of what we do best, which is to use superheroes to comment on the real world. This is the latest example of that,” he added.

He also hinted at storylines to come, adding: “I want to really impress upon people this wedding is only part of the story.

“The hardest part of a marriage is going to the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon; it isn’t the honeymoon.

“We could be looking at a historic divorce issue two years from now.

“This is only the beginning of the story,” he said.

Character Northstar, who has featured in the series since 1979, came out as gay in 1992. He had been in a relationship with Kyle since 2009.

Earlier this month, DC Comics’ superhero Green Lantern was “rebooted” as gay, as his character’s history was re-written to reflect modern society.