If any superhero film could seamlessly incorporate an LGBTQ character, it would be next year’s Wonder Woman. The story sees Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) growing up on the mystical island of Themyscira, which is populated entirely by women. The bigger question is how could there not be same-sex couples? If you ask Wonder Woman comic book writer Greg Rucka, the simple answer is that there are same-sex couples on the island. More so, he states that Diana herself is “obviously” queer.

There have many Wonder Woman origins, but Rucka works on the new flagship title Year One with artist Nicola Scott. During an interview with Comicosity, he explained why it’s not enough for Diana to be gay, bisexual, or queer, but that she has to be.

"When you start to think about giving the concept of Themyscira its due, the answer is, 'How can they not all be in same sex relationships?' Right? It makes no logical sense otherwise. It’s supposed to be paradise. You’re supposed to be able to live happily. You’re supposed to be able — in a context where one can live happily, and part of what an individual needs for that happiness is to have a partner — to have a fulfilling, romantic and sexual relationship. And the only options are women. But an Amazon doesn’t look at another Amazon and say, 'You’re gay.' They don’t. The concept doesn’t exist. Now, are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women? As Nicola and I approach it, the answer is obviously yes. And it needs to be yes for a number of reasons. But perhaps foremost among them is, if no, then she leaves paradise only because of a potential romantic relationship with Steve [Trevor]. And that diminishes her character. It would hurt the character and take away her heroism. When we talk about agency of characters in 2016, Diana deciding to leave her home forever — which is what she believes she’s doing — if she does that because she’s fallen for a guy, I believe that diminishes her heroism. She doesn’t leave because of Steve. She leaves because she wants to see the world and somebody must go and do this thing. And she has resolved it must be her to make this sacrifice."

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Image via DC Comics

How does this conversation translate into the films? By nature, the superhero genre is becoming more diverse to reflect its growing readership, and LGBTQ fans have been pining to see themselves on the big screen. Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige promised an LGBTQ role in the next decade, with Civil War directors Joe and Anthony Russo promising the same, but DC could do it first and with less of a hefty explainer.

The same goes for X-Men. The story of these mutants and their battle to gain acceptance by humanity is a metaphor for LGBTQ oppression, especially when you consider specific arcs like the mutant “cure.” But the films have ignored this so far, and it’ll be similarly frustrating if DC ignores an opportunity for more inclusion, especially after this latest argument.

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Image via DC Comics
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Image via Warner Bros.