Marvel Is Debuting Its First LGBTQ+ Captain America Character for Pride Month
"Aaron [Fischer] is inspired by heroes of the queer community."
Marvel heads, meet Aaron Fischer—the first LGBTQ-identifying character to take on the Captain America title and just in time for Pride Month in June.
Marvel Comics’s The United States of Captain America, written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Dale Eaglesham, follows Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker as they search for Steve’s missing shield. While on their journey, they encounter several Captain America protégés who fight crime within their respective communities—including Aaron, the openly gay “Captain America of the Railways.”
Aaron was conceptualized by writer Aaron Trujillo and artist Jan Bazaldua. He has taken up the shield in order to protect homeless youths and runaways despite not having super-soldier powers.
“We’re hoping 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,” Cantwell said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“Aaron is inspired by heroes of the queer community: activists, leaders, and everyday folks pushing for a better life,” Trujillo said in a statement, per EW. “He stands for the oppressed, and the forgotten. I hope his debut story resonates with readers, and helps inspire the next generation of heroes.”
Bazaldua added, “I 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. While I was drawing him, I thought, well, Cap fights against super-powerful beings and saves the world almost always, but Aaron helps those who walk alone in the street with problems that they face every day. I hope people like the end result!”
The first issue of The United States of Captain America will be available for purchase on June 2nd, and there will be two follow-up issues in which the gang encounters different versions of Captain Americas along their path to save Steve’s shield.
