The upcoming DC Pride 2022 event, which features characters and creative members from the LGBTQ+ community, has the following tagline on its newest cover: “New stories, fan-favorite characters, and more pride than ever before!” This is evident in the newest announcement that Green Arrow, more specifically the Connor Hawke version of the character, will be revealed as asexual.
This information comes via Them, where they revealed the new story Think of Me will introduce Connor Hawke’s Green Arrow as an asexual character. They also revealed that the entire creative team behind the story – Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic, are all asexual as well.
Ted Brandt delivered the following statement about the story:
“It was that extra little bit of help, having the entire team be asexual,” Brandt said while sitting alongside Stein. “It really felt like it was a personal story for all of us on some level.”
It appears that the villain which Connor Hawke’s Green Arrow will go up against is none other than the Music Meister, a character played by Neil Patrick Harris who was originally created for the Batman series Batman: The Brave and the Bold. This will place the character into the main DC continuity. Furthermore, their battle with Green Arrow will be a metaphor for the character’s coming out as an asexual. Specifically, the letter that Connor Hawke is writing to his mother.
“I was very aware of the logistics of [the letter],” explained Brandt. “As well as coming out, it needs to explain what asexuality feels like, because a lot of people can’t imagine it. And that makes perfect sense to me, especially because I’m also autistic. I get not understanding what it’s like for someone who experiences something different to you.”
“We were splitting it into the actions of the script,” said Stein, “and it was like ‘these lines fit really well with the actions we’ve picked … this is kind of creepy, actually!’”
They also involved Damian Wayne’s Robin in the story, which they insist insures that it’s an official DC event.
“That allowed us to make sure it becomes a permanent fixture of who the character is,” said Brandt.
The DC Pride 2022 event will be available in stores on May 31.