DC chief accused of ‘vetoing’ queer superhero and blocking Bridgerton star from Superman series

Krypton stars Cameron Cuffe (L) and Shaun Sipos

Former DC chief Geoff Johns has been accused of vetoing a queer version of superhero Adam Strange and the casting of Regé-Jean Page as Superman’s grandfather in Krypton.

In a deep dive into allegations of misconduct against Joss Whedon and Warner Bros by star Justice League star Ray Fisher, a number of new allegations emerged against former DC Entertainment president Johns.

As part of his work, Johns oversaw the creation of Syfy’s Krypton, which tells the story of Superman’s grandfather, Seg-El.

Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that creators wanted to make Adam Strange, a former archaeologist-turned intergalactic crime fighter, queer.

Strange, played by Shaun Sipos, has been implied to be bisexual in the show. A fleeting scene showed sparks fly between him and a naked Kryptonian soldier, while Sipos has even suggested that his character might be “bisexual or sexually fluid”, according to the Den of Deek in 2018.

The show, Sipos claimed at the time, was keen to “ruffle some feathers” by implying he might “possibly maybe [be] bisexual or sexually fluid”.

But according to The Hollywood Reporter, Johns shot down writers who wanted him to be an out, queer character.

A representative of John told the outlet: “Geoff celebrates and supports LGBT+ characters, including Batwoman, who in 2006 was re-introduced as LGBT+ in a comic-book series co-written by Johns.”

Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page ‘was in line for Krypton role’

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Krypton creators were “passionate about doing some non-traditional casting”.

Ex-chief creative officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

An example of this, they claimed, was casting Bridgerton hunk Regé-Jean Page as Superman’s grandfather, Seyg-El.

Allegedly, Johns nixed the idea. Page had auditioned for the role, but Johns “said Superman could not have a Black grandfather”, the sources said.

John’s representatives responded to this by stressing that “fans expected the character to look like a young Henry Cavill”, the outlet reported.

Krypton writer Nadria Tucker told the Reporter that she tried to advocate for authentic portrayals of Black lives, including scenes where a Black female character’s hairstyle changed over the course of different days.

“I said Black women, we tend to change our hair frequently,” said Tucker. “It’s not weird, it’s a Black thing. And [Johns] said: ‘No, it’s not’.”

In a lengthy reply, Johns’ spokesperson said: “What were standard continuity notes for a scene are being spun in a way that are not only personally offensive to Geoff, but to the people that know who he is, know the work he’s done and know the life he lives, as Geoff has personally seen firsthand the painful effects of racial stereotypes concerning hair and other cultural stereotypes, having been married to a Black woman who he was with for a decade and with his second wife, who is Asian American, as well as his son who is mixed race.”

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments