DC Comics unveiled a “trans man” superhero named Circuit Breaker who will debut on Valentine’s Day as part of a new comic book series, according to one of the comic’s creators, A.L. Kaplan.
The character is secretly named Jules Jourdain and uses “he/they” pronouns, Bounding Into Comics reported Wednesday. Circuit Breaker will make his first appearance in “Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1,” a series written in part by queer writer A.L. Kaplan.
Kaplan teased Circuit Breaker’s debut Jan. 9: “Meet Jules Jourdain (he/they, aka Circuit Breaker … ‘Can a new hero channel the inexorable Still Force energy to fend off evil?’ – Debuting in DC’s Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, out on Valentine’s Day,” the creator wrote, above a picture of the character.
The hero channels a dark energy known as the “Still Force” to fight evil, in contrast to the “Speed Force” used by The Flash, a well-known DC Comics hero. (RELATED: Transgender TikToker Dylan Mulvaney Reveals New Face After Surgery)
Meet Jules Jourdain (he/they, aka Circuit Breaker
“Can a new hero channel the inexorable Still Force energy to fend off evil?” – Debuting in DC’s Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, out on Valentine’s Day 💚🌈✨ pic.twitter.com/p39WMoea1m
— Al👽 Kaplan (@alkcomics) January 9, 2023
“Yeah! Trans man, but not super into the binary,” Kaplan replied to one user, along with a transgender flag emoji. DC Comics editor Andrea Shea later quote-tweeted Kaplan, saying Circuit Breaker “is gonna be your new favorite character!”
Yeah! Trans man, but not super into the binary 🏳️⚧️
— Al👽 Kaplan (@alkcomics) January 9, 2023
The synopsis of Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 mentions the “Still Force” but does not mention Circuit Breaker by name. “NEW THREATS WILL RISE! When the Lazarus storm touches down, people from every walk of life stand to be affected,” the synopsis reads. “Can a new hero channel the inexorable Still Force energy to fend off evil?”
Circuit Breaker is not the first DC Comics character to have an LGBTQ identity. One DC publication previously went viral for featuring a backstory where the Joker, a male clown and iconic supervillain, was pregnant and gave birth.
DC revealed Superman’s son is bisexual and has a boyfriend in October 2021. Batman’s longtime sidekick Robin also came out as bisexual in August 2021.