The X-Men: Mutant Love
They're "biological errors." Closeted about their real nature.
Demonized by politicians. Sound familiar?
X-Men invades movie theaters this summer with a definite queer
twist. Production gossip reached an all-time high recently, as rabid
fans even snuck onto the Toronto set to steal designs of the sci-fi
flick based on the Marvel Comics series.
But these superheroes deserve a closer look through our lavender X-ray
vision.
The promotional campaign, with its arch satire of McCarthyism, bluntly
parallels contemporary politics. Mutant-phobic Senator
Kelly is played, ironically, by Bruce Davison, who won an Oscar nomination for his
role in the classic AIDS drama Longtime Companion.
At the helm is gay director Bryan Singer.
Sir Ian McKellan
plays bad guy Magneto. Also on board: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
as the sexually ambiguous Mystique, hunks Hugh Jackman
(Logan/Wolverine), James Marsden (Cyclops) and the
incomparable Patrick Stewart (Professor X) of Star Trek fame.
With its vault-like (closet) doors opening wide, X-Men promises
more than hokey action and great special effects. And it's far from being alone in its queerness. In fact,
the fantasy world of comic books has been a diverse one for quite some
time now. To find out more, read our
brief history of queer superheroes, and check out our interview with gay comic book artist and writer
Phil Jimenez.
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A brief history of queer superheroes
Meet Sir Ian McKellen
Interview with Phil Jimenez
Visit the X-Men movie site
Superheroes: the out list
Superhero Movies:
Superman
Batman and Robin
Batman Forever
Flash Gordon
Comic Books:
X-Men
X-Men: Zero Tolerance
The Essential X-Men, Vol. 1
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