‘Birds of Prey’ Could Feature the DCEU’s First Openly LGBTQ Superhero

Today, DC fans were met with a pretty major surprise, with the announcement of the roster for the upcoming Birds of Prey movie. And for some fans, one surprising addition to that list took things in a whole new direction.

According to a recent report, Birds of Prey will include a roster of Harley Quinn, Dinah Lance/Black Canary, Helena Bertinelli/Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya. While that’s a somewhat eclectic mix of Birds of Prey mainstays and new faces, the addition of Renee brings something major to the team – the first canonically lesbian character in a DC Comics movie.

For the uninitiated, Renee is a Gotham City detective who frequently crosses paths with the Batfamily. Eventually, Two-Face outs Renee as a lesbian, something that has a significant impact on her personal life. Renee ultimately resigns from the GCPD after discovering how corrupt the organization is. She is next seen in the 52 miniseries, where she is trained to take over the mantle of The Question as Vic Sage dies of cancer.

Whether or not Renee takes on the mantle of The Question within Birds of Prey, it stands to reason that her sexuality will probably factor in in some or fashion, whether as a reference or an integral part of her storyline. In that case, it will mark a major turning point for live-action DC movies, marking the first canonically-lesbian character to play a major role.

For some fans, this would be something that was a long time coming, as LGBTQ DC heroes have primarily played a role in the TV and animated space. Both DC and Marvel were criticized about their LGBTQ representation earlier this year, following the release of Wonder Woman and Thor: Ragnarok.

“There have been several films in recent years that have erased a character’s queer identity as they moved from page to screen. In 2017, Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and DC’s Wonder Woman both included characters who are queer in the source material, but did not include any on screen confirmation of their identities.” GLAAD said in a report this past May. “This must change going forward.”

“Studios must still do more to ensure that LGBTQ storylines and characters are included in fair and accurate ways.” the report continues. “We hope that these films are the start of an upward trend of sustained progress, and not just a blip in the radar.”

Are you excited to see Renee Montoya make her big screen debut in Birds of Prey? Let us know what you think in the comments below.