The All-New X-Men #40 isn't out until Wednesday, but leaked scans of several pages have spoiled one of the book's biggest surprises — Bobby Drake, aka Iceman, is gay.
The revelation comes in a conversation with Jean Grey, in which she pulls Iceman aside for a private conversation following his catcalls at Colossus' sister Magik.
It's an interesting "twist" in the storyline of the longstanding character, who is one of the original team members. It's certainly a sweet moment for the two characters, though, and it'll be interesting to see how Iceman's story changes moving forward.
Having said all that, damn is this some bad writing. I have no problem with the fact that Iceman is gay, but boy was that reveal painful to read.
After expressing some initial disappointment with the leak on Twitter, writer Brian Michael Bendis released a statement through Marvel PR.
i swear on my dogs, i wanted the issue to come out and just be. no press. no sensational headlines. no leaks. oh, well.
— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) April 21, 2015
“There are thousands if not millions of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality. The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, give us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys,” he said. “This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told.”
Like I said, it's a cool twist. It's nice to see Marvel including all groups in their comics, even though this could be construed merely as a way to boost sales through whatever "controversy" this revelation may generate — becuase you know there are some narrowminded fans who can't fathom one of their beloved characters being gay.
