Older Iceman Confirmed to Be Gay in Uncanny X-Men 600

[StewShearerOld]

Older Iceman Confirmed to Be Gay in Uncanny X-Men 600

Young Iceman confronts present-day Iceman about his homosexuality in Uncanny X-Men 600.

Earlier this year, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/marvel%20comics?os=marvel+comics>Marvel Comics and writer Brian Michael Bendis <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140532-Marvel-Comics-Outs-Iceman-As-Gay-In-All-New-X-Men#&gid=gallery_4044&pid=1>revealed that All-New X-Men's version of Bobby "Iceman" Drake was, in fact, gay. Seeing how All-New's Iceman is just the younger, time-displaced version of present day Iceman, his outing raised some obvious questions about the older Iceman and his sexual preferences. Perhaps hoping to put the issue to rest, Marvel has released a set of preview pages from the upcoming Uncanny X-Men 600 focusing in on a clarifying conversation between the two mutants.

In the released pages, Young Iceman confronts his older version with Jean Grey backing him up for support. Wasting no time beating around the bush, he tells Older Iceman that he's gay. "So that means you are too. Right?" Initially, Older Iceman is reluctant to comment. Younger Iceman goes on to tell him however, that while he won't expect his older self to do anything he doesn't want to, he's "going to try" living out of the closet. After a few more wordless panels, Older Iceman says "You're going to be a mutant and gay. Wow." He then adds "How are you more put together than me?" Young Iceman, looking almost surprised, then says "So you are gay."

While we never see Older Iceman actually confirming it with a "yes I am," it'd be hard to get much closer. As for why Older Iceman might have been lying all of these years, his amazement over Young Iceman's willingness to be both a mutant and gay would seem to confirm Jean Grey's earlier theory that Older Iceman, already struggling to live as a mutant, chose to hide his homosexuality, perhaps even from himself. Bendis, following the initial reveal, had promised <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/140555-Marvel-We-Would-Be-Foolish-Not-To-Explain-Newly-Gay-X-Mans-Sexuality>to delve deeper into the issue going forward. We'll be interested to see, in turn, just how Bobby Drake, both older and younger, transforms as this new facet of the character(s) deepens.
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Source: <a href=http://www.comicbookresources.com/comic-previews/uncanny-x-men-600-marvel-comics-2015-2015-11>Comic Book Resources


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[Scarim Coral]

How is this still a thing?

I mean 616 and Ultimate got merge to become battleworld so any stories that happened pior to it got change or become a new form like that all female Avenger and that armored world etc or does this still take place before battleworld?

 

[StewShearerOld]

How is this still a thing?

I mean 616 and Ultimate got merge to become battleworld so any stories that happened pior to it got change or become a new form like that all female Avenger and that armored world etc or does this still take place before battleworld?

I'm fairly certain that Uncanny 600 takes place before Secret Wars. Marvel delayed it so they wouldn't have it releasing alongside that particular mega-event.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

I have a funny feeling a lot of straight fans (and people that shouldn't even care) are not going to be quiet about this. Do i get points for getting these predictiona right? If not then i'll try and stop.

 

[Zontar]

I have a funny feeling a lot of straight fans (and people that shouldn't even care) are not going to be quiet about this. Do i get points for getting these predictiona right? If not then i'll try and stop.

It does beg the question why his future self had a wife and children, of course that would assume this was characterization and not hack writers at work turning establish characters gay instead of making new characters that are gay.

Marvel (and DC as well) has gone way down hill in recent years. It's as though the competent staff left for Marvel Studios and Marvel Television and left the comics in the hands of nuts.

 

[StewShearerOld]

I have a funny feeling a lot of straight fans (and people that shouldn't even care) are not going to be quiet about this. Do i get points for getting these predictiona right? If not then i'll try and stop.

It does beg the question why his future self had a wife and children, of course that would assume this was characterization and not hack writers at work turning establish characters gay instead of making new characters that are gay.

Marvel (and DC as well) has gone way down hill in recent years. It's as though the competent staff left for Marvel Studios and Marvel Television and left the comics in the hands of nuts.

While I'm not saying that Iceman coming out of the closet won't contradict or muddle any past storylines, I do feel the need to point out that there's been more than a few cases of gay men staying in the closet, marrying straight women and having children. In fact, the implication of this whole thing is that the big reason why Bobby hasn't had any seriously succesful relationships with women is because of how he was hiding this all along. Had his younger version not come to the future and forced his hand, it's perfectly conceivable that he would have gone right on doing the same thing until he wound up with a wife and children.

I would also point out that one the new X-Men debuted Bendis's run of Uncanny X-Men is gay. So yeah, he did come up with a new character instead of just changing an old one.

I also kind of enjoyed this break down back in April:
http://www.tor.com/2015/04/23/iceman-gay-coming-out/

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

And why is this newsworthy?

Could someone explain this to me?

 

[Zontar]

While I'm not saying that Iceman coming out of the closet won't contradict or muddle any past storylines, I do feel the need to point out that there's been more than a few cases of gay men staying in the closet, marrying straight women and having children. In fact, the implication of this whole thing is that the big reason why Bobby hasn't had any seriously succesful relationships with women is because of how he was hiding this all along. Had his younger version not come to the future and forced his hand, it's perfectly conceivable that he would have gone right on doing the same thing until he wound up with a wife and children.

I'm aware of this, but it still seems of that of all the characters they could have done this to (which is literally any of them) they elected to have it be one where it goes against established lore. I mean sure you could argue he's one of those men who stays in the closet and gets married with children, but it just comes off as forced when reading. Especially since there are other characters who could have been given "suddenly gay syndrome" (the joke term for characters suddenly being made gay, usually in fanfiction but on rare occasion in actual stories). Then again it's not like most of the readers these days care given how many have been driven off over the past 5 years with one insane decision after another. Anyone who's still reading the garbage Marvel calls its modern comic lineup could have every comic insult the reason on the same level as One More Day and they'd probably still buy it.

I would also point out that one the new X-Men debuted Bendis's run of Uncanny X-Men is gay. So yeah, he did come up with a new character instead of just changing an old one.

That only reinforces the point, doesn't it? Why take established characters and make them gay when you can make new characters? It's not as if Iceman is any more rich of a character for this, and hell given how it was tastelessly handled it's easy to interpret him as being the type of person who doesn't think he's gay until he's in his 40s (which is an actual thing. My father's cousin was straight and had three kids until his mid forties when he came out as gay and has, to this day, remained adamant that he was straight until that point and something just made him start being attracted to men instead of women).

 

[Kingsman]

I read that issue, and it was so
hilariously
badly written and illustrated
I fucking laughed 'til I cried.

Between the derp face Bobby gave from Jean's "mental hug" and a gargoyle-looking Beast driving away in a car with a look in his eyes like he's trying to escape the bad acid demons, it cemented for me that Bendis wasn't a hack, he was a comedy genius trying to make X-Men a comedy book all along. (The same Bendis who made that clusterfuck of a show in "The Last Will and Testament of Charles Xavier," in case people forgot.) And holy crap, did he succeed.

If that issue was supposed to be some landmark progressive point for the LGBT community, I got bad news for you- you called for a political convention and hired a clown to speak for you at the podium. I only feel bad for the fans of X-Men who enjoyed taking their characters and subject matter seriously.

 

[Coruptin]

Isn't this literally a Family Guy joke

 

[Solkard]

Reminds me of that College Humor Looper skit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juE3RTJ4f1A

 

[Baresark]

EARTHSHATTERING! THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED!

/sarcasm

Here is the thing: I don't think anyone is surprised by anything Marvel does these days. If anything, they most likely found the most boring way to do this.

 

[Kameburger]

And why is this newsworthy?

Could someone explain this to me?

It's news because if it's not news then there is no enemy and if there is no real enemy then why are we so damn angry all the time?

 

[camazotz]

I eventually realized I couldn't really care all that much about this. Yes, it's a retcon that was not intended until Bendis decided to do it. Yes, it's on a "major" X-Man. But it's not really that exciting. Iceman is literally the only X-Man they could have done this to who wouldn't have been more obvious (i.e. Angel) or wasn't canonically so established as heterosexual that it would have led to a rampage (say, Cyclops or Wolverine).

I think there's room to imply Nightcrawler is bisexual. Then they can reveal that rogue's power stealing is a latent reflection of her transgenderism. Drax is homosexual too, ergo his persistent hard-on for Thanos. Finally they can ramp it up to revealing that Tony Stark is gay and has the hots for Steve Rogers.

Given how low the average comic's sales numbers are these days, it can't hurt. They might get a hgher LGBT readership than however many middle-aged male comic fans are left.

Okay, yes, there's a wee bit of sarcasm going on here. But my issues with Bendis and crew have entirely to do with their general deconstruction of the Marvel Universe into something trite and edgy with little to no substance rather than trying to make it more serious and meaningful even as they start advancing characters into the 21st century. That said....Iceman as gay sorta fits well in this case, even with a lot of retconning. Literally the only issue I had with the reveal was Jean Gray's diatribe about how we're all a little bisexual which is a more politically charged comment that sounds like Bendis revealing a bit much about himself through his writing; I know of a lot of pure straight and gay people who would vehemently argue that sexuality is not always a spectrum and that you can have a firm attraction to one gender and not the other, and that sexuality is both more complicated and also more polarized than the Kinsey Scale allows for. Not everyone is bisexual on some scale, and introducing this concept to Iceman's situation sort of cheapens the "gay" reveal by muddying the fact that he could well have been a bisexual reveal --but I guess a gay reveal has more news value.

 

[camazotz]

EARTHSHATTERING! THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED!

/sarcasm

Here is the thing: I don't think anyone is surprised by anything Marvel does these days. If anything, they most likely found the most boring way to do this.

Just imagine if it had been a character-focused reveal in which Iceman breaks up with Kitty (assuming adult Iceman) or gets into a conflict with X-23 because she comes onto him and he freaks out (young iceman) after Angel (the guy he's really attracted to) walks in on them... and harsh words are spoken. He takes off, and in a myriad series of adventures lands in the lap of some noteworthy supervillain who is also revealed as gay (such as-say--Sabertooth or someone equally outrageous). Realizing a level of peace not felt in his meager teen life, Iceman works to reconcile his new identity with this discovery...and realizing he needs to embrace who he is, rather than risk letting the secret eat him up like it did (insert villain here) until all that's left is bitter resentment and anger at the world.

Instead we got an issue devoted to Jean Gray mind raping Iceman and outing him without his permission, or even his realization.