With how mainstream superheroes are becoming, both in television and in the movies, sooner or later there were going to be hot button issues that fans of these characters would be divided upon. One issue that has surfaced in recent months is a character's sexuality.
In February, on the CW show Arrow, Sara Lance, the Canary, was shown to be bisexual through a relationship with Nyssa Al Ghul. This relationship had begun during Sara's time with the League of Assassins. There was no fanfare from the CW, no announcement, or anything like that. It was a natural progression and worked for the character in the storyline. Now, realize that Sara is not the Black Canary from DC Comics, she is a character created for the show which I have truly enjoyed watching grow over the now concluded Season 2 of the Arrow hit. Her possibilities for the future are nearly limitless, as well as those of the CW show. The success of Arrow has spawned The Flash as a new series coming to the CW. Already announced as characters coming this season in the CWverse are Ronnie Raymond(Firstorm), Crystal Frost(Killer Frost), Ray Palmer(the Atom), Yoshi Tatsu(Katana), and Paco Ramone(Vibe). The possibilities are indeed limitless in my opinion.
On the contrary, NBC is releasing a new series in October called Constantine. Constantine has already undergone a character change from the pilot. If you don't know Constantine, that is okay. Because, we are getting a brand new TV series about the cigarette smoking occult detective with almost 30 years of history. Constantine has investigated the forces of darkness and become one of the most popular new characters of the last 3 decades. Part of that popularity, in my opinion, comes from the unpredictability of the character and the multiple nuances which manifest. One of those nuances in the comics, is that Constantine is a bisexual. Not something you see everyday in comics to be sure. But, fear not...according to NBC and the producers of Constantine will be straight. It is not something you are going to see on the mainstream network, thus limiting a character's possibilities. He isn't gonna smoke on the show, you'll see him stubbing a cigarette. NBC is quick to pull the plug on series(see The Cape), and alienating part of the established fanbase is not a great move to me. There are rumors that Jim Corrigan(Spectre) is slated to appear in episode #5, let's hope the show makes it that long.
My main hope that comes out of this whole situation is that we as fans of pop culture and heroes and villains send the message that it is 2014, we don't care if a character is straight or bisexual or gay. Those are not what make a good tv show. The aspects which go into a good show include characters we invest in, characters who can grow through the creativity of the writers being able to evolve those heroes and villains and supporting characters. This is not a LGBT issue in my opinion, it is an issue of not allowing a creator to flourish.
In February, on the CW show Arrow, Sara Lance, the Canary, was shown to be bisexual through a relationship with Nyssa Al Ghul. This relationship had begun during Sara's time with the League of Assassins. There was no fanfare from the CW, no announcement, or anything like that. It was a natural progression and worked for the character in the storyline. Now, realize that Sara is not the Black Canary from DC Comics, she is a character created for the show which I have truly enjoyed watching grow over the now concluded Season 2 of the Arrow hit. Her possibilities for the future are nearly limitless, as well as those of the CW show. The success of Arrow has spawned The Flash as a new series coming to the CW. Already announced as characters coming this season in the CWverse are Ronnie Raymond(Firstorm), Crystal Frost(Killer Frost), Ray Palmer(the Atom), Yoshi Tatsu(Katana), and Paco Ramone(Vibe). The possibilities are indeed limitless in my opinion.
On the contrary, NBC is releasing a new series in October called Constantine. Constantine has already undergone a character change from the pilot. If you don't know Constantine, that is okay. Because, we are getting a brand new TV series about the cigarette smoking occult detective with almost 30 years of history. Constantine has investigated the forces of darkness and become one of the most popular new characters of the last 3 decades. Part of that popularity, in my opinion, comes from the unpredictability of the character and the multiple nuances which manifest. One of those nuances in the comics, is that Constantine is a bisexual. Not something you see everyday in comics to be sure. But, fear not...according to NBC and the producers of Constantine will be straight. It is not something you are going to see on the mainstream network, thus limiting a character's possibilities. He isn't gonna smoke on the show, you'll see him stubbing a cigarette. NBC is quick to pull the plug on series(see The Cape), and alienating part of the established fanbase is not a great move to me. There are rumors that Jim Corrigan(Spectre) is slated to appear in episode #5, let's hope the show makes it that long.
My main hope that comes out of this whole situation is that we as fans of pop culture and heroes and villains send the message that it is 2014, we don't care if a character is straight or bisexual or gay. Those are not what make a good tv show. The aspects which go into a good show include characters we invest in, characters who can grow through the creativity of the writers being able to evolve those heroes and villains and supporting characters. This is not a LGBT issue in my opinion, it is an issue of not allowing a creator to flourish.
