Actor Matt Bomer plays DC superhero Larry Trainor aka Negative Man on DC Universe's original show Doom Patrol. In the show, Trainor is a former pilot who is revealed to be a gay man struggling with his identity. In an interview with Collider, Bomer - who himself is openly gay - explained why it is so important to have LGBTQ+ representation in the superhero genre, and what drew him to the character of Negative Man.
"I think it’s so important." said Bomer. "It’s a big reason why I wanted to be a part of Doom Patrol. I’ve never really seen a gay, male superhero, and what I love most about the character is that, even though it’s a huge struggle, internally, for him, it’s not the sole thing that defines who he is. He’s such a multi-faceted character. If it had just been one stereotypical thing, I think I would have had more reservations about it, but the fact that he is this nuanced character who has so many places to grow, and he has so much shadow and so much light that he doesn’t even know he has, is what appealed to me, just as much as his sexuality."
Doom Patrol is now streaming on DC Universe. It stars Brendan Fraser as Cliff Steele, Matt Bomer as Larry Trainor, Diana Guerrero as Crazy Jane, Alan Tudyk as Mr. Nobody, April Bowlby as Rita Farr, Joivan Wade as Vic Stone and Timothy Dalton as Niles Caulder.