In its first two years of existence, Marvel Voices: Pride has struck a strong balance of different heroes being showcased. Coming from a diverse team of writers and artists, the annual book focuses on queer characters from across Marvel's history, showcasing queer heroes new and old. There is, however, always room for further improvement and, until now, Marvel Pride has not yet included any stories featuring asexual or aromantic characters in leading roles.
The content representing the asexual and aromantic communities in the 2021 Pride issue came in two forms: pride flags in a pride parade scene as well as a scene in which Gwen Poole / Gwenpool cameos wearing the colour scheme of the asexual pride flag. With Connor Hawke coming out as asexual in DC's Pride issue this year, it is worth reflecting on how Marvel could highlight their own characters from this often-overlooked corner of the LGBTQ+ community. Moreover, Marvel already has a well-established asexual character who has yet to be used for any Marvel Voices stories: Nadia van Dyne AKA the Unstoppable Wasp.
Nadia van Dyne's asexuality was first implied during The Unstoppable Wasp (2017) #2 (by Jeremy Whitley, Elsa Charretier, Megan Wilson, and VC's Joe Caramagna). In this story, Nadia was assembling a team of scientists with the help of Jarvis, the Avenger's butler. While she was looking for the apartment of Lunella Lafayette, Jarvis asked her why she doesn't spend time romancing boys, which she dismissed out-of-hand as being something she has no interest in.
Since then, it has continued to be implied through both of Whitley's Unstoppable Wasp runs and in the follow-up novel Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope, written by Sam Maggs. It has been referenced the most explicitly in Marvel Action: Chillers #3 (by Jeremy Whitley, Gretel Lusky, Bowen McCurdy, Nahuel Ruiz, and Valeria Loez) where Nadia directly declares her lack of interest in any romantic relationship mid-fight with Venom.
Nadia van Dyne avoids a lot of the trends that tend to dominate representation of asexual people in media. Asexual people are often depicted as generally cold or aloof, uncomfortable in all social situations in addition to romantic and sexual ones. Nadia, meanwhile, is a very loving and emotional character who cares deeply for her friends and family. She holds an optimistic worldview and works to improve the lives of everyone around her - she just also happens to not experience romantic or sexual attraction.
While the historical relationship between the aspec community and the queer community at large is complicated, Marvel's Voices issues do not always shy away from complicated subject matters. For example, last year's Marvel's Voices: Comunidades #1 contained a story dedicated to the discussion of the uses of the terms Latinx and Latine, showing that Marvel is not afraid to give their authors spaces to discuss topics they believe in.
Whether through Nadia Van Dyne or another one of Marvel's heroes, it'd be nice to see the community represented in future issues of Marvel's Voices. There are multiple asexual and aromantic artists who already work for Marvel's Voices: Pride projects, so hopefully they're given the opportunity to represent their communities more directly in the coming years of Pride-themed issues.
