DC Comics made headlines recently by announcing that one of its major heroes was going to be revealed as an openly gay character. Today, the company came clean by declaring that the homosexual hero is Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.

James Robinson, a DC writer currently working on ‘Earth 2,’ opened up to EW.com about the company’s decision to out Scott. As Robinson explains it, Scott had a gay son in Obsidian. But when the company rebooted its universe’s timeline recently, it meant that a younger Alan Scott no longer had a son, so it made sense for writers to make Scott a gay character.

The Alan Scott I’m doing now is that same dynamic, brave, honorable man. A man that you’d want guarding your welfare, your children, your life, your home...He’s willing to give his life for the world. He’s everything you want in a hero. And he happens to be gay. So really, apart from his sexuality, there isn’t that much of a difference.

As Robinson and his DC creative team assemble a new Justice Society for this ‘Earth 2’ storyline, he says he’s surprised by the media buzz swirling around the off-the-cuff announcement that one of the main heroes would be gay.

This was not ever meant to be sensational. It’s meant to be about a team that’s well-rounded, that shows the diversity of the world around us.

And he drops a hint at the new Justice Society’s first major opponent, claiming it’s “a classic Justice Society villain, but he’s also a classic Alan Scott/Green Lantern villain.”

But Robinson emphasized that he would not like Scott’s sexuality to be the only trait that defines him as a character.

I want to stress that Alan Scott is a gay man, but that’s just a part of who he is. He’s a businessman. He’s a hero. He’s a lot of different things. His sexuality is a part of him, but it isn’t his defining trait. He’s an interesting, complex character that I think people will respond to on many levels. He’s the epitome of heroism. And I hope that he’s a positive representation of a gay man.

Could this decision change the existing ‘Green Lantern’ film franchise? Is there still a franchise to change? And now that this news is out there, does it change how you view the history and legacy of Green Lantern? We had our resident Green Lantern expert Jordan Hoffman weigh in with answers to these questions and more!

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