Extraño

Extraño (Spanish for "Strange") is a fictional superhero magician published by DC Comics. Created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Joe Staton, he first appeared in Millennium #2 (January 1988). Extraño is noted for being the first openly gay superhero in DC Comics.[1]

Extraño
Extraño in Millennium #8 (February 1988).
Art by Joe Staton.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceMillennium #2 (January 1988)
Created bySteve Englehart (writer)
Joe Staton (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoGregorio De La Vega
SpeciesHuman
Place of originEarth
Team affiliationsNew Guardians
Justice League
AbilitiesMagic

The character never said the word "gay" in the comic, but it was commonly understood that he was. One writer states, "Extraño embodied nearly every stereotype of a gay man. He was flamboyant and colorful, and he referred to himself in the third person, as 'Auntie'. Extraño was mainly used as comic relief, and he never had a boyfriend."[1]

The character was controversial, both internally at DC Comics as well as with the readership. Englehart wanted to explore the character more, including a storyline about HIV, but Englehart later said that the editor, Andy Helfer, didn't want gay characters in his comics, and "he thought that Extraño was 'cured' at the end of Millennium."[1]

Extraño was ultimately killed by HIV infection, but it was contracted from a fight with an "AIDS vampire" supervillain called the Hemo-Goblin.[2] The character was briefly revisited in 2016/2017 in the post-DC Rebirth universe, as a supporting character in Midnighter and Apollo, a six-issue miniseries about two gay superheroes.[3]

Fictional character biography

During the 1988 "Millennium" storyline, Extraño was part of a group selected by the Guardians of the Universe to take part in an experiment in human evolution. Extraño was a Peruvian man named Gregorio De La Vega, from Trujillo City, South America.[1] As a minor magician, his magical powers were heightened by the procedure, and his fellow participants gained new abilities as well. Together, they formed the superhero team New Guardians, and took it upon themselves to fight evil wherever it lurked on Earth.

Extraño initially wears loose colorful garments and refers to himself as "Auntie", often imparting parental advice to his teammates. Serving as the team's resident magician, he could fire blasts of energy from his hands, levitate, and perform a large number of "stage tricks, including ping-pong 'balls'" to outwit his foes. He had an earnest sense of justice and love of life that made him popular with his teammates. During The New Guardians' short run, Extraño acquired a powerful crystal skull (which seemed to greatly amplify his abilities) and a more traditional, "masculine" superhero costume, perhaps as a reaction to the comments of readers.

In The New Guardians, Extraño helped his team defeat a number of supervillains while trying his best to assist teammates with their personal problems. On one mission in particular, he was attacked by an "AIDS vampire" called the Hemo-Goblin. He was subsequently confirmed to be HIV-positive but it is unclear whether he was infected by Hemo-Goblin or had already been infected prior to his introduction. Though he showed no outward signs of the disease, his infection remained a somewhat unorthodox plot point. Although the Guardians continued to fight evildoers behind the scenes even after their comic ended, their island base was attacked and swallowed up by the villain Entropy in the pages of Green Lantern. For a time it was assumed Extraño died during this incident, but the subsequent reappearance of other New Guardians throws this into doubt.

The post-DC Rebirth incarnation of the character, from Midnighter and Apollo #1 (December 2016). Art by Fernando Blanco.

After the timeline-altering events of the 2016 DC Rebirth relaunch, Henry Bendix tries to recruit Extraño against Midnighter and Apollo, but Gregorio De La Vega now shuns his previous persona, and refuses.[4] Midnighter subsequently journeys to Gregorio's Lima, Peru home, The Sacrarium, that Gregorio shares with a man named Hugh (probably the therianthrope known as the Tasmanian Devil) and an adopted girl with wings named Suri. Gregorio agrees to help Midnighter, and locates Apollo's soul in Hell, where it was relegated after Apollo's encounter with Mawzir.[5] Writer Steve Orlando, who is bisexual, explains his decision to reintroduce the character, saying, "With a book like Midnighter & Apollo, which from cover to cover is a love letter to queer characters and our struggle to live, be visible and love, it felt right to return to one of the first and reintroduce Gregorio to a new generation."[3]

Powers and abilities

Being a magician, Extraño has a number of abilities linked to his trade. Unlike stage parlor tricks, these spells rely on real sorcery and can be used for a variety of effects.

References
  1. Kvaran, Kara (2014). "SuperGay: Depictions of Homosexuality in Mainstream Superhero Comics". In Babic, Annessa Ann (ed.). Comics as History, Comics as Literature: Roles of the Comic Book in Scholarship, Society, and Entertainment. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. pp. 147–148. ISBN 9781611475579.
  2. Aldama, Frederick Luis (2017). "Brown Tints to Silver and Bronze". Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics. University of Arizona Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-0816537082.
  3. Gustines, George Gene (March 26, 2017). "Adventures in Comics and the Real World". The New York Times.
  4. Steve Orlando (w), Blanco, Fernando (a). Midnighter and Apollo #1 (December 2016). DC Comics.
  5. Steve Orlando (w), Blanco, Fernando (a). Midnighter and Apollo #2 (January 2017). DC Comics.
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