Queer Superhero History: Cloud

In caller years, mainstream comics publishers similar DC and Marvel person made large strides successful expanding the LGBTQ+ rep successful their universes, though they inactive person a agelong mode to go. But getting present was a dilatory and gradual process, with galore notable landmarks — and immoderate admitted missteps — on the way. In Queer Superhero History, we’ll look astatine queer characters successful mainstream superhero comics, successful (roughly) chronological order, to spot however the scenery of LGBTQ+ rep successful the genre has changed implicit time. Today: Cloud!

As I discussed successful our archetypal illustration connected Extraño, it tin beryllium hard to enactment queer characters successful comics successful immoderate benignant of chronological order, since galore were introduced agelong earlier they were acknowledged arsenic queer. Such is the lawsuit with Cloud, who debuted successful 1983, but who was not canonically acknowledged arsenic belonging to the LGBTQ assemblage until past year. I chose to commencement our bid with Extraño successful 1988 due to the fact that the creator intent and scholar acquisition were some precise wide successful that case, but careless of however Cloud was intended to beryllium perceived successful 1983, there’s nary denying that sometimes they contiguous arsenic antheral and sometimes they contiguous arsenic pistillate — and that’s been the lawsuit astir since their debut. So let’s instrumentality a look astatine the archetypal trans/nonbinary quality successful comics!

(In the ’80s, Cloud’s pronouns changed with their presentation, but I’ll beryllium utilizing they/them pronouns arsenic those are the character’s existent pronouns. Given that we’re talking astir comics from the aboriginal ’80s, these issues besides see transphobia and homophobia, some outer and internalized.)

Moondragon and Cloud being…not peculiarly CCA-compliant.

Cloud debuted successful The Defenders #123 (June 1983) and was created by J.M. DeMatteis and Don Perlin, though the bulk of their Defenders appearances were written by Peter B. Gillis. Originally, they took the signifier of a teenage miss — a wholly bare one, made Comics Code-compliant by small wisps of unreality hovering astir their thorax and pelvis. Sigh.

Cloud was primitively presented arsenic a insignificant antagonist for the Defenders, moving for the evil Secret Empire. Eventually they are revealed to beryllium a unfortunate of brainwashing by the Secret Empire, and defect to the Defenders, wherever they go peculiarly adjacent with some Moondragon and Iceman (Bobby Drake).

However, Cloud is progressively tormented by their increasing emotion for Moondragon, which they fearfulness is “wrong.” They lick this occupation by abruptly changing into a antheral assemblage (and inactive lone shrouded successful a small spot of pelvis-vapor, truthful that’s fair, I guess). “I tin emotion you, Moondragon — everything that was incorrect is present right!” they declare.

If you’re wondering if it’s ever addressed that Cloud is simply a teen and nary of their romanticist interests are…no. No, it is not.

Needless to say, their teammates are amazed by the abrupt change, since nary 1 knew Cloud had this quality — Cloud included. (Moondragon successful peculiar is surprised, since she was sending retired telepathic subliminal messages to marque her antheral teammates autumn successful emotion with her for Reasons, and didn’t expect them to enactment connected Cloud. It’s messy.) Mostly, though, the squad takes it successful stride, with the objection of Bobby, who is precise uncomfortable and beauteous overmuch a jerk astir it.

Cloud spends a fewer much issues shifting backmost and distant betwixt genders, chiefly defaulting to female, until finally, successful #150, we larn that Cloud isn’t quality astatine all: they are a sentient nebula. Comics, everyone!

Cloud, it seems, was conscionable minding their ain concern retired successful abstraction erstwhile they noticed the stars astir them were disappearing. They fled to Earth successful hunt of help, wherever the archetypal humans they encountered were a teenage mates driving successful a car. Cloud attempted to marque interaction with the teenagers, but the car crashed — it’s unclear whether this was Cloud’s responsibility oregon not — and the aggravated symptom they felt upon attempting to pass telepathically with the injured teenagers caused them to a) make amnesia and b) shapeshift into a duplicate of the teenage girl’s assemblage — but eventually, besides the teenage boy’s. (Also determination successful determination the Secret Empire showed up. Look, comics aren’t present to marque sense.)

Upon realizing the truth, Cloud leads the Defenders successful a combat against the menace that was destroying the stars, which isn’t astatine each applicable to our purposes present truthful I’ll skip it. Suffice to accidental that the time is saved, astatine which constituent Cloud decides to instrumentality to abstraction to yet germinate into a star.

If it makes you consciousness immoderate better, Bobby is profoundly ashamed of his behaviour connected the adjacent page.

Let’s speech astir the discourse each of this was published in. As I mentioned successful Extraño’s profile, the Comics Code forbade queer characters until 1989, though that rule, similar galore successful the weakening Code, was being tested present and there. Still, it was lone successful Fantastic Four #251 (February 1983), conscionable a fewer months earlier Cloud’s debut, that the connection “gay” was archetypal utilized successful mainstream comics, astatine slightest successful the discourse of sexuality. Extraño was 5 years successful the future, and anyhow helium would beryllium published by the Distinguished Competition (aka DC). As acold arsenic the authorities of queer practice astatine Marvel went…well, that’s a large tin of worms, the opening of which is astir apt champion saved for our upcoming Northstar profile. Suffice to accidental it wasn’t great.

All that said, The Defenders nether Gillis’s pen is simply a deeply, profoundly queer book, and Cloud is simply a immense portion of that. Of course, I accidental that with the payment of a 2022 perspective, erstwhile some of the characters Cloud is romantically linked to — Moondragon and Bobby Drake — are canonically queer. Moondragon’s deficiency of involvement successful Cloud’s antheral signifier hits antithetic erstwhile you cognize she’s a lesbian, you know? Meanwhile, Bobby displays aggravated discomfort with Cloud’s antheral body, which contiguous reads arsenic repressed, self-loathing attraction, further eroticized by the information that some of them are fundamentally bare successful astir of their scenes — Cloud successful their fog-wisps, Bobby successful his small ice-undies. Even Valkyrie, who stands up for Cloud erstwhile Bobby is being a jerk astir their shifting gender, would yet beryllium canonically bi. It is not the astir stunningly heterosexual comic imaginable, is my point.

This country is genuinely lovely.

But was it intentionally so? After all, ostensibly the communicative intent of Cloud’s sex fluidity is to marque things less queer. Cloud is attracted to Moondragon, a woman, truthful they must person a antheral assemblage successful bid to prosecute her. Bobby is attracted to Cloud, but only if Cloud is simply a girl, of course!

It’s besides worthy noting that the thought of changing one’s carnal enactment owed to comic book-y subject and/or magic had been astir for a agelong clip astatine this point. The precise archetypal comic publication supervillain, the antheral huffy idiosyncratic Ultra-Humanite, transferred his encephalon into the assemblage of a pistillate movie prima successful 1940, aft which constituent the character’s pronouns became fundamentally dealer’s choice. Now, delight don’t deliberation I’m declaring the Ultra-Humanite a trans icon oregon thing similar that, particularly since he’s been successful the assemblage of an albino gorilla since 1981. (Comics!) My constituent is truly the other — that subject fabrication oregon phantasy changes to biologic enactment had been contiguous successful comics for decades, but not earnestly linked to sex individuality oregon sexuality. Gender and enactment were mostly presented arsenic inextricably linked, and strictly binary.

Cloud is an adjacent much obscure quality than Extraño, truthful I wasn’t capable to find immoderate nonstop quotes from Gillis oregon anyone other progressive with the publication astatine the clip astir their intentions, though this article says that “Cloud was created to specifically address, from a fantastic angle, existent trans experiences…[Gillis] had a person who was astatine the clip transitioning.” Sadly, it’s unsourced, truthful I can’t find immoderate confirmation from Gillis directly. But The Defenders is so queer that I find it hard to judge that it could each beryllium unintentional. Like. Cloud tells Moondragon they emotion her, on-panel, erstwhile arsenic acold arsenic the scholar knows astatine that point, Cloud is simply a cis woman! That unsocial should person been forbidden by some the CCA and Marvel editorial argumentation astatine the time, but someway snuck through. And though immoderate of the connection utilized to picture Cloud, arsenic good arsenic their ain self-loathing, is dated and uncomfortable to work today, the bid ne'er wavers from the position that Cloud deserves respect and acceptance careless of their assemblage oregon gender. That unsocial makes maine thin towards the broadside of “Gillis knew what helium was doing.”

Modern Cloud: present with colors!

After returning to abstraction successful Defenders #150, Cloud beauteous overmuch disappeared from comics for implicit 3 decades, speech from a azygous sheet cameo successful 2011. They yet returned decently successful past year’s Defenders series, wherever their carnal signifier remains profoundly fluid — male, female, adronynous, nebula. They besides authorities that their pronouns are they/them — the archetypal clip that’s been the lawsuit for them successful canon.

It’s excessively aboriginal to archer if Cloud volition proceed to look successful modern comics. I anticipation they do: they are saccharine and likable, with a chill powerfulness set, and it’s not similar the Marvel beingness is overflowing with nonbinary practice without them. Either way, I’m gladsome they got to instrumentality precocious and marque their pronouns and individuality wide successful a mode that they couldn’t successful the ’80s — and I’m gladsome that adjacent backmost erstwhile it was officially forbidden, immoderate divers representation, intentional oregon otherwise, managed to gaffe successful done the cracks.