‘X-Men’ Character Comes Out as Gay in New Comic

Legendary X-Men character Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, is set to come out of the closet in a new issue of the “All-New X-Men” comic book series.

In issue #40 of the comic book series, which features the superhero group’s travel back in time, Iceman admits to fellow superhero Jean Grey that he is gay after Grey tells him she can read his thoughts, according to ABC News.

“There are thousands if not millions of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality,” the comic’s writer, Brian Michael Bendis, said in a statement. “The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, give us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys. This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told.”

The decision to reveal Iceman’s sexuality comes as Marvel has made a series of changes to its classic characters in an attempt to draw a new generation of readers, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company previously announced that Thor would be a woman in a new version of that comic, while Captain America would be black.

In a tweet on Tuesday morning, Bendis said he did not intend to attract media attention to his latest issue:

“All-New X-Men” #40 hits newsstands Wednesday.