Aaron Fischer in Marvel’s The United States of Captain America
Marvel has introduced its first gay Captain America in a new limited comic series.
Part of Marvel’s 80th anniversary celebration of the debut of Captain America, The United States of Captain America will focus on Steve Rogers and his companions Falcon (Sam Wilson), Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes), and U.S. Agent (John Walker) as they venture out to find the Cap’s stolen shield, Entertainment Weekly reports.
While on the hunt, the foursome meet various people who have adopted Captain America’s name in order to defend their own communities from ne’er-do-wells.
One of those such people is Aaron Fischer, the “Captain America of the Railways,” a “fearless teen who stepped up to protect fellow runaways and the unhoused.”
The overall series is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Dale Eaglesham, with each issue featuring guest writers and artists to flesh out the world and characters.
Aaron will debut in The United States Of Captain America #1 and is written by Joshua Trujillo and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, both members of the LGBTQ community.
Design for Aaron Fischer — Photo: Marvel
The character is “inspired by heroes of the queer community: activists, leaders, and everyday folks pushing for a better life,” Trujillo said.
“He stands for the oppressed, and the forgotten,” Trujillo added. “I hope his debut story resonates with readers, and helps inspire the next generation of heroes.”
Bazaldua said she “really enjoyed designing him, and as a transgender person, I am happy to be able to present an openly gay person who admires Captain America and fights against evil to help those who are almost invisible to society.”
With the overall series, Cantwell said they hope to “explore what the idea of Captain America means at this precise moment — not just on the grand stage of the world — but to everyday and often overlooked communities throughout the United States.”
The United States of Captain Marvel #1 is set to debut on June 2, just in time for LGBTQ Pride Month, something Marvel noted in their announcement, saying they were “proud to honor Pride Month with the rise of this new LGBTQ+ hero.”
“People just really wanna go to their happy place right now,” says Heather Barnes. “And Awesome Con is a happy place for a lot of people. Some people look forward to it all year long. And it's finally here. It's like Christmas.”
As a senior marketing manager at LeftField Media, Barnes is well-acquainted with the inherent joys of Awesome Con. The D.C. comic-con, held annually at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is a strikingly massive event, boasting panels, showcases, celebrity guests, tons of artists, and more attendee cosplay than you can wield a Poké Ball at.
Rabbits, as well as other animals -- peacocks, hamsters, and cats -- dominate her work, which is typified by a vast range of emotions, from aggressive to melancholic to serene.
"I'm always going for some kind of loud sort of expression," she says. "My illustrations tend to be very suggestive or very erotic or very cute. It's always about some kind of sensual pleasure or dramatic pain."
A librarian by trade -- she currently works at the National Institute of Medicine -- Soltian nonetheless treats her art as a full-time vocation. Her online store, which describes her as a "crafter of indulgences," sells various items based on her works, including pendants, keychains, and even life-sized pillowcases featuring popular comic book characters, such as Nightwing, with whom she admits to being somewhat obsessed.
Russell T Davies, creator of the British TV series Queer as Folk and the current showrunner of the BBC phenom Doctor Who, says gay society is facing dire peril ever since the presidential election of Donald Trump in November, 2024.
"I'm not being alarmist," Davies told the British newspaper The Guardian. "I'm 61 years old. I know gay society very, very well, and I think we're in the greatest danger I have ever seen."
Davies said the rise in anti-LGBTQ hostility is not limited to the United States, where Trump has signed various anti-LGBTQ executive orders, many geared to diminish and seemingly eradicate the transgender community.
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