'Freedom Fighters: The Ray,' First Superhero TV Series With a Gay Hero, to Debut in 2017

Culture

The CW has essentially become network television's nexus for superhero series, so perhaps it's unsurprising the network will also make the genre's next diverse step on-screen. According to Deadline, during its panel at the Television Critics Association press tour on Thursday, the CW confirmed it will introduce the first superhero series with a gay lead. 

The show, Freedom Fighters: The Ray will be an animated series on the CW's digital platform, CW Seed. It will focus on its titular character, the Ray, also known as Ray Terrill. The character is relatively unknown in the DC Comics space, with the Ray Terrill version of the hero first appearing in 1992. The Ray has light-based superpowers after exposure to a "genetic light bomb," according to Entertainment Weekly

With his new powers, he will "fight violence and oppression wherever it exists," EW reported. 

Additionally, given the arc of another superhero series that debuted on CW Seed, the Ray could, eventually, make an appearance in a live-action series. The titular lead of CW Seed's animated superhero series, Vixen, made an appearance in CW's Arrow last season, and will be featured in the network's DC's Legends of Tomorrow series. 

In the meantime, Freedom Fighters: The Ray is slated for a release in 2017.