Superhero media is pretty famous for not including trans characters (we’re looking at you, Marvel), but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. In fact, DC is miles ahead of Marvel when it comes to introducing trans superheroes and supporting characters into their TV shows, and even in an upcoming movie.
DC has even had trans actor Chella Man playing Jericho (a character who is usually portrayed as cis in the comics) in the HBO Max series Titans. In the pages of comic books, Jericho is cis, and on-screen in the show, his gender was never brought up or addressed.
So, who are these trans superheroes and characters? We’ve got you covered. Hopefully, this selection is just the beginning, and we’ll be seeing more and more trans characters — even on the big screen.
Here are six trans and nonbinary characters who have appeared in, or will appear in, DC TV shows and movies.
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Trans actress Nicole Maines played Nia Nal in The CW's Supergirl. Nia is an alien with the power of oneiromancy who became friends with Supergirl and also became the superhero Dreamer. She debuted in the fourth season of the show becoming the first trans superhero on TV. She developed a relationship with fellow superhero Brainy and saved the world several times.
Charlie, a Legends of Tomorrow character often played by out actress Maisie Richardson-Sellers, is a pansexual and genderfluid shapeshifter who was later revealed to be one of the Greek Fates of myth. Throughout her two seasons on the show, her gender and pronouns change with the form she has taken.
Danny the Street was a genderqueer and sentient street introduced into the Doom Patrol comics created by Grant Morrison and Richard Case. Their name is a pun on famous British drag queen Danny La Rue (“la rue” being French for “the street”). They were introduced into HBO Max’s Doom Patrol show where they appeared in the first three seasons.
Evan Blake, played by Lincoln Clauss, is a nonbinary character recently introduced in Batwoman. They are an old friend of Kate Kane’s who was revealed to be the art thief Wolf Spider. They helped the current Batwoman, Ryan Wilder, after a painting was stolen.
We recently learned that actress Ivory Aquino will be playing Barbara Gordon’s BFF Alysia Yeoh in HBO Max's upcoming Batgirl movie. Yeoh was first created by Gail Simone in her run of Batgirl where she was Barbara’s roommate and soon became her best friend. She’s one of the most famous trans characters in DC comics.
Tyler Dichiara has been cast in the new pilot for the upcoming CW show Gotham Knights. He’ll be playing Cullen Row, the trans brother of Harper Row. The series will take place after Bruce Wayne’s murder when a team of misfits made up of the children of Batman’s enemies and allies team up to form a new group of heroes called the Gotham Knights.
