Marvel is making a big deal over this, and rightly so – their first openly gay superhero is getting married.
Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar of Alpha Flight and the X-Men, will pop the question to his longtime boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in tomorrow’s issue of Astonishing X-Men #50, written by Marjorie Liu with art from Mike Perkins, with the wedding to follow next month.
“The story of Northstar and Kyle is universal, and at the core of everything I write: a powerful love between two people who have to fight for it against all odds,” said Liu. “This is the quintessential Marvel story, one that blends the modern world with the fantasy of super heroes in order to tell an exciting story that begins with a wedding—and continues in ways you can’t imagine.”
“As a long-time fan of the X-Men, it’s not only a true honor to be part of such a historically significant story but also a complete joy,” adds Perkins.
Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso assures us this wasn’t a quick publicity stunt on the heels of President Obama’s recent support of gay marriage. “The Marvel Universe has always reflected the world outside your window, so we strive to make sure our characters, relationships and stories are grounded in that reality,” he said. “We’ve been working on this story for over a year to ensure Northstar and Kyle’s wedding reflects Marvel’s “world outside your window” tradition.”
Now, will that marriage go off without a hitch? Probably not – this is still comic books, after all, and heroes can’t get married without supervillains storming the festivities.
Check out these preview pages for Astonishing X-Men #50, as well as the wraparound cover for Astonishing X-Men #51.
