Birdwatcher Christian Cooper who filmed Central Park Karen was a LGBTQ pioneer at Marvel

March 2024 · 10 minute read

Birdwatcher Christian Cooper was thrust into the media spotlight last month following a racially-charged encounter he shared with a hysterical dog walker in Central Park, but years prior the 57-year-old was a pioneer behind the scenes at Marvel Comics

Birdwatcher Christian Cooper was thrust into the media spotlight last month following a racially-charged encounter he shared with a hysterical dog walker in Central Park, but years prior the 57-year-old was a pioneer behind the scenes at Marvel Comics.

Between 1991 and 1999, Cooper worked as an editor and writer for the comic book giant and was one of its first openly gay employees.

The Harvard graduate used his platform to substantially increase the representation of LGBTQ people within the pages of Marvel comics, even introducing Star Trek’s first openly gay character, Yoshi Mishima, in his short-lived Starfleet Academy series in 1996.

But during the summers of 1994 and 1995 was when some of Cooper’s most inspired work came to the fore, when he took control of Marvel’s infamous Swimsuit Issue, former colleague Warren Ellis says.

‘[Cooper] did one of the funniest things I ever saw at my time at Marvel,’ Ellis, a British comic-book writer, recently remembered in a personal blog. ‘Back then, Marvel would release a summer book called the Marvel Swimsuit Issue, which was exactly as awful as you think it is. What they used to call "fan service" and "good girl art."’

Earlier editions of the Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit issue would typically consist of cover-to-cover hyper-sexualized sketchings of its most famous heroines, all scantily-clad in bikinis and bathing suits, with male characters relegated to the backgrounds or left out completely.

‘Except one year Chris Cooper somehow got hold of it,’ Ellis continued. ‘And that year's issue was the gayest thing you ever saw.

‘Like, gaydar installations all over the Northern Hemisphere just straight up burst into flames. Anyone who beheld that book from a distance of twenty feet became, by genetic testing, 3% gayer.’

The summers of 1994 and 1995 were when some of Cooper¿s most lasting work came to the fore, when he took control of Marvel¿s infamous Swimsuit Issue (Captain America shown above)

The summers of 1994 and 1995 were when some of Cooper’s most lasting work came to the fore, when he took control of Marvel’s infamous Swimsuit Issue (Captain America shown above)

Other images included Doctor Strange seductively staring down at the reader as he lay tanning in a thong

Other images included Doctor Strange seductively staring down at the reader as he lay tanning in a thong

Earlier editions of the Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit issue would typically consisted of cover-to-cover hyper-sexualized sketchings of its most famous heroines, all scantily-clad in bikinis and bathing suits, with male characters relegated to the backgrounds or left out completely

Earlier editions of the Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit issue would typically consisted of cover-to-cover hyper-sexualized sketchings of its most famous heroines, all scantily-clad in bikinis and bathing suits, with male characters relegated to the backgrounds or left out completely

X-men character Jean Gray is seen in an earlier issue of the swimsuit issue Gray is depicted right in Cooper's issue

On the left, X-men character Jean Gray is seen in an earlier issue of the swimsuit issue. Gray is depicted right in Cooper's issue

A scantily-clad Lois lane poses on the beach in her swimsuit in an issue predating Cooper

A scantily-clad Lois lane poses on the beach in her swimsuit in an issue predating Cooper

In his version, Cooper instead depicted Peter Parker asleep in bed with his shirt off, making no mention of his female love interest

In his version, Cooper instead depicted Peter Parker asleep in bed with his shirt off, making no mention of his female love interest

Such images included Doctor Strange seductively staring down at the reader as he lay tanning in a thong. Captain America was also seen flaunting his assets, laying prone on a beach in a pair of tight-fitting Speedo.

Cooper even depicted Marvel’s first black superhero, Luke Cage, wearing a petite pair of cut-off Daisy Duke shorts – a look mirrored by the X-Men’s metallic mutant Colossus.

The contrast between the images published under Cooper’s watch and those in the years before are stark.

For instance, an earlier issue of the special edition comic had featured male and female duo Cloak and Dagger, with Cloak covered entirely from head to toe in the draping garment of his namesake, peering over the shoulder of Dagger as she dons a white cut-out swimsuit accenting her every curve.

‘Looks like Cloak’s bein’ a wet blanket again!’ a caption next to the image reads. ‘And check out DAGGER! Typical babe – I bet when she’s done usin’ him, she’s just gonna throw him away’.

Flash-forward to one of Cooper’s editions and the pair are depicted once more, but this time gazing at one another in a loving embrace, with Dagger more modestly posed and Cloak equally as unclothed.

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‘Cloak and Dagger steal a quiet moment…’ Cooper’s caption reads in part.

In Cooper’s issues, X-Men’s Storm even went from posing alone in creek in a bathing suit to lusting after her man, Forge.

Cooper, now a senior biomedical editor at Health Science Communications, also featured Northstar within his pages, who became Marvel’s first superhero to come out as gay in a 1992 issue of which Cooper was assistant editor.

In Northstar’s first appearance in the swimsuit special, he was essentially featured as a prop in the background of his sister’s pin-up. But with Cooper at the reigns, Northstar was intentionally paired sunbathing with a Hulk supporting character named Hector – one of the few other openly gay members of the Marvel universe at the time.

The caption mentioned that they found a ‘secluded spot’ near a temple to ‘engage in their favorite kind of worship.’

In an earlier issue of the special edition comic had featured male and female duo Cloak and Dagger, with Cloak covered entirely from head to toe in the draping garment of his namesake, peering over the shoulder of Dagger as she dons a white cut-out swimsuit accenting her every curve

In an earlier issue of the special edition comic had featured male and female duo Cloak and Dagger, with Cloak covered entirely from head to toe in the draping garment of his namesake, peering over the shoulder of Dagger as she dons a white cut-out swimsuit accenting her every curve 

Flash-forward to Cooper¿s edition and the pair are depicted once more, but this time gazing at one another in a loving embrace, with Dagger more modestly posed and Cloak equally as undressed

Flash-forward to Cooper’s edition and the pair are depicted once more, but this time gazing at one another in a loving embrace, with Dagger more modestly posed and Cloak equally as undressed

In Cooper¿s issues, X-Men¿s Storm even went from posing alone in creek in a bathing suit (pictured) to lusting after her man, Forge Cooper's issue shown above

In Cooper’s issues (shown right), X-Men’s Storm even went from posing alone in creek in a bathing suit to lusting after her man, Forge.

In Northstar¿s first appearance in the swimsuit special, he was essentially featured as a prop in the background of his sister¿s pin-up

In Northstar’s first appearance in the swimsuit special, he was essentially featured as a prop in the background of his sister’s pin-up

But with Cooper at the reigns, Northstar was intentionally paired sunbathing with a Hulk supporting character named Hector ¿ one of the few other openly gay members of the Marvel universe at the time

But with Cooper at the reigns, Northstar was intentionally paired sunbathing with a Hulk supporting character named Hector – one of the few other openly gay members of the Marvel universe at the time

Cooper even depicted Marvel¿s first black superhero, Luke Cage, wearing a petite pair of cut-off Daisy Duke shorts ¿ a look mirrored by the X-Men¿s metallic mutant Colossus

Cooper even depicted Marvel’s first black superhero, Luke Cage, wearing a petite pair of cut-off Daisy Duke shorts – a look mirrored by the X-Men’s metallic mutant Colossus (seen right)

Cooper is remembered among comic lovers and experts for moving Marvel into a new era of representation in the 1990s, but it wasn’t only his swimsuit issues that made waves in the superhero world.

‘It was really a dream come true to work there,’ Cooper told Yahoo earlier this month. ‘I’d been a Marvel guy since I was a little kid. For anyone who is into comics and they get a chance to work at Marvel or DC, you’re like “This is so amazing.”’

In addition to serving as assistant editor on the landmark issue of Alpha Flight in which Northstar’s sexuality was revealed, he also created Marvel’s first lesbian hero, Victoria Montesi, in the pages of Darkhold later the same year.

‘It had to be a confession devoid of any expression of romance or sexuality, like a statement of fact: “I am gay,”’ Cooper said of the Northstar issue, explaining how the moment wasn't allowed to be linked to anything romantic or intimate.

‘Even after that, they clamped us down. Someone decided, “Let's do a Northstar limited series where he can't talk about the fact that he's gay.” Which they did and everyone roundly panned it, because it made no sense!’

Two decades later and Northstar married his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in a same-sex wedding that became a widely publicized event for Marvel, with Cooper’s pioneering work to bring LGBTQ heroes to the forefront of the Marvel Universe credited as making such an issue possible.

With Montesi, Cooper said he wasn’t able to outright identify the character as a lesbian, though he made it clear ‘that she’s in a romantic relationship with a woman,’ know as Natasha.

Victoria's sexual orientation, as well as her female gender, weren't used as gimmicks or stunts either. Both were instrumental elements in her backstory of being ‘a great disappointment’ to her father, who wanted a male heir to continue his bloodline.

‘I wasn't trying to hide the relationship with her lover, Natasha, but it was mostly off-screen. Natasha was incapacitated in the first issue, and spends the rest of the series in hospice care,’ Cooper explained.

‘There was no negotiation needed on that with Marvel, maybe because it was two women. There's this weird double standard about two women together not being nearly as threatening as two guys together.’

Christian Cooper, the black man who filmed a disturbing confrontation with white dog walker Amy Cooper in Central Park last month, says the incident ¿pulled the pin on the race grenade¿ which would go on to explode 24 hours later after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis

Cooper is remembered among comic lovers and experts for moving Marvel into a new era of representation in the 1990s, but it wasn’t only his swimsuit issues that made waves in the superhero world. 

Harvard graduate Christian, 57, had been bird watching in an area of the park known as The Ramble over the Memorial Day weekend when he encountered Amy Cooper walking her dog unleashed, against park rules Cooper pictured with her dog

Harvard graduate Christian, 57, had been bird watching in an area of the park known as The Ramble over the Memorial Day weekend when he encountered Amy Cooper walking her dog unleashed, against park rules 

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Cooper served as assistant editor on the landmark issue of Alpha Flight in which Northstar came out as gay Famed Northstar Issue

Cooper served as assistant editor on the landmark issue of Alpha Flight in which Northstar came out as gay

Two decades later and Northstar married his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in a same-sex wedding that became a widely publicized event for Marvel, with Cooper¿s pioneering work to bring LGBTQ heroes to the forefront of the Marvel Universe credited as making such an issue possible

Two decades later and Northstar married his boyfriend Kyle Jinadu in a same-sex wedding that became a widely publicized event for Marvel, with Cooper’s pioneering work to bring LGBTQ heroes to the forefront of the Marvel Universe credited as making such an issue possible

All in all, Cooper said his trailblazing work at Marvel was part of an effort to subvert ‘the American misconception that comics are a juvenile medium, and that anything gay is inappropriate for anyone who is not an adult.’

He left Marvel in the late 1990s and became a web comic pioneer with Queer Nation, a never-completed series that he¿s now hoping to revive

He left Marvel in the late 1990s and became a web comic pioneer with Queer Nation, a never-completed series that he’s now hoping to revive

He added: ‘That's ridiculous, because I was a gay kid — I knew from the age of 5 that I was gay. Just because you're talking about someone being gay doesn't mean you're talking about their sexual practices, or stuff that's inappropriate for a particular age group. But that's hard for some people to wrap their minds around.’

Cooper, a director on the board of New York City’s Audubon Society, is known as an avid birdwatcher. 

His avian hobby recently made him a household name when a video of shot of white investment banker, Amy Cooper, frantically dialing 911 to report ‘an African American man threatening my life’ after he simply asked her to leash her dog to protect local wildlife.

He left Marvel in the late 1990s and became a web comic pioneer with Queer Nation, a never-completed series that he’s now hoping to revive.

‘With my new notoriety or fame — whatever you want to call it — I am looking to take Queer Nation out of mothballs,’ he says. ‘It has a certain urgency right now that maybe it didn’t have back then, because one of the core plot points is that a crazy right-wing fascist has been elected president and is pandering to the religious right. Oh wait, that couldn't happen in real life!’

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