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Shade, who happens to be Marvel's first drag queen superhero, has popped into the conversation again. Being a mutant, Marvel broke bounds by furthering diversity as the superhero took onto the pages of X-Men comics and since then, has been a huge success within the LGTBQ community.
A unique character in his own right, Shade has had some unique encounters in Marvel comics that have given him quite the portfolio within the universe. A glamorous and fabulous superhero, there is no one as stylish as Darnell Wade in the comics.
With the character trending again online, let's take a look at the history of Marvel's first drag queen superhero and exactly how they fit into the realm of powered beings.
Exploring the details and origins behind Marvel's Shade
The first Drag Queen superhero in Marvel, Shade is a mutant who was created by Sina Grace and Nathan Stockman. Appearing first in Iceman (Vol. 4) #4 in December, 2018, Shade became a hit among fans as the character would cover new grounds with its addition of diversity in comic books.
According to Fandom, born in Brooklyn, Darnell Wade was an orphan who went from one foster home to another during his youth. The best way Shade would find comfort was by reading about the popular superheroes of New York and reveling in their heroics.
In her 20s, Darnell would begin working at a clothing store and would then start moonlighting as the Drag Queen Shade who was inspired by New York's famous superheroes. Darnell would start a lip-sync competition with his best friend, Spillin-Tea Taylor as the two aspired to become the star of a drag queen competition.
After enrolling in the competition, however, Darnell would unfortunately not be selected and to add to it, would also be snubbed by Taylor live on television. With the end of their friendship, all Darnell has left is an apartment without any electricity.
Darnell's mutant powers are beginning to develop and now she has access to the Darkforce energy. This allows her to teleport herself and others as well. Darnell would use her powers to fight off Mr. Sinister alongside the X-Men and even help emcee New York's first mutant pride parade.
Later, however, she would drop the mantle of Shade and take up that of Darveil. She would be seen robbing stores along with her friend but she ends up losing the friend to the Darkforce as police arrive and everything that can go wrong does go wrong. This was the moment that sees Darnell vow to use her power only for good and to bring light into the world.
Darnell Wade has been a great part of X-Men, and seeing her development was definitely a treat. With her Darkveil persona also being a great move forward for her character, fans have been very much able to relate to her.
The creators of Darnell Wade have also cited RuPaul as being a huge inspiration behind the character, and when reading the comics, that can definitely be seen. Here is hoping she gets a comic of her own soon.
