Gay Archie Comics Character to Make Debut as Superhero

Following Archie Comics' long history of transforming its characters into superheroes, gay teen Kevin Keller will take on the identity of the Equalizer in May, reports IGN.

Kevin will fight for justice and rely primarily on his physical strength for a superpower. According to writer and artist Dan Parent, "He stands for equality, and that's what he's trying to do ... first he helps an old lady who's getting attacked, then he saves this kid from getting made fun of, which, you know, he's been in that place before. ... He's an equal opportunity provider."

In later storylines Kevin will also be relying on his father and best friend Veronica Lodge in his quest to triumph over wrongdoing. To this end, Veronica supplies him with his own version of Batman's Batcave and helps to come up with the idea for his costume, which borrows from the Human Rights Campaign's well-known equal sign.

Kevin first appeared in a September 2010 issue of Veronica's self-titled comic book and has quickly grown into one of Archie Comics' most visible and popular characters. LGBT advocate and Star Trek actor George Takei guest-starred in an issue of Kevin Keller in 2012, and the title has gone on to receive a GLAAD Media Award.