I am surprised by how much people have been talking about homosexuality on this site recently. I think it went back as far as Andrew Garfield talking about the possibility of a gay Peter Parker, and then from there the issue just began to expand like a balloon. CBM User Khan, posted an article about the Superman sequel and posted his thoughts on who should play the next Batman (Matt Bomer), and there was a little backlash because the actor happens to be gay. Following that article, another article was posted by User GreenHalJordan, where he questioned whether an actor's sexual preference really mattered. If you read the first comment then you already know my stance on the matter.
Sometime today, because I don't know when exactly, Pope Francis was quoted as saying,
"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? We shouldn’t marginalize people for this. They must be integrated into society."
You may be saying to yourself, "What does this have to do with Super Heroes and comic book movies?" Well chill out, I am getting there. This got me thinking, this is something good Catholics already know. We don't need our spiritual-overlord-proxy to tell us this. Unfortunately there are always crazies, and they are sometimes the loudest.The whole core of christianity is this, love others. So what are the connections to Super Heroes?
There are obvious ties between the X-Men and gays. Superman is the penultimate symbol for both God, and Truth, Justice and the American way, just in super hero format. The X-Men's biggest battle is with society itself, to be accepted (you know, "God Loves, Man Kills"). Superman is a freaking over powered alien who decides he is going to help people and society move forward, instead of using them to further himself in some way shape or form. Unfortunately there are always crazies, and they are sometimes the loudest... Stryker, Lex Luthor?
"Why do we like Super Heroes?" Have you ever thought of that? Super Heroes more than anything represent the good that is in humanity. They serve as a relatable figure for ordinary people to look up to and aspire to be. But in a literal sense, we can't be them, which ironically makes them more visceral. What can we be? Have you ever heard of the Vitruvian Man?
On paper it is a naked man, but as TedEd will point out, there is a deeper meaning in there. Men and women alike are the sum of their acts, decisions and experiences, and likewise are capable of both great good and great evil.
If by now you have put two and two together than there is no need for me to get on any soapbox to tell you what you already know. Regardless I am going to soapbox anyway. I am a practicing Catholic, but there are always crazies, and unfortunately they are sometimes the loudest. Which is why I am also a part of another religion known as "Common Sense and Human Decency." For those uninitiated, it basically means that you should live your life, always trying to put more love and happiness into the world than you took away.
Take care.
EDIT: Let me just clear something up. The X-Men comics were originally intended as a metaphor for the 1960's Civil Rights movement, but today, the X-Men movies being made are all about Gays. Yes you read that right. Says who? Well, the director, for starters. And both screenwriters for X2. And Magneto himself, Ian McKellen. All of whom are gay.
Now, you probably noticed some of the more obvious clues in the movies but took them as isolated jokes -- like the scene in X2 where Iceman "comes out" to his parents and they ask him "Have you tried not being a mutant?" or the one in X-Men: First Class where Beast is in a similar situation and says "You didn't ask, so I didn't tell." William Stryker, the baddie from X2, also represents homophobia: He sent his mutant son to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters thinking it was a "Pray Away the Powers" camp where his son could be cured, but Xavier responds by pointing out that "mutation is not a disease," again mirroring arguments surrounding homosexuality
Both are controversial social issues that lead to scare-mongering politicians talking about "saving our children"