Marvel’s Champions offers positive lesbian representation in latest issue

Marvel’s Champions No. 3 is all about the team reconnecting with their respective selves and being bold about it.

It’s been getting weird with Marvel’s Champions. Quite literally, the Champions team was stuck in Weirdworld while they tried to find Nadia and Sam and bring them home to the real world. Their abridged journey in Weirdworld obviously didn’t come without challenges, no thanks to The Master. After going on individual journeys to find themselves again — their real selves, not their fictitious strange counterparts — the Champions were able to transport out of Weirdworld through Amka’s siege parallel. However, the tension didn’t remain there.

Champions Vol. 2. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

As we know from previous Champions issues, Viv came out as a lesbian after Amadeus expressed his feelings for her. We’re still reveling in how unconditionally supportive Amadeus was after Viv opened up about her feelings and sexuality; however, we’ve also been rooting for our favorite heroic synthezoid to get a girlfriend, particularly since Viv and Riri have always been overtly supportive of each other.

In earlier issues, the Champions were still baffled by their identities, except for Riri. To be fair, the other Champions thought they knew who they were, and it’s understandable that they would get distorted by the mythical dimension. Each of their identities was veiled with reflections of their real-life fears and apprehensions.

The Master emotionally monopolized on two of the Champions’ disordered sense of self, specifically Nadia and Sam. Being that Riri was the only person in the realm, other than Eshu, who was able to discern from the fabrications in the Weirdworld dimension and the reality of their home dimension, she helped coax the other Champions embrace their real identities again.

Champions Vol. 2 #27. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

Riri simultaneously helped one Champion in particularly reestablish her confidence. And for Viv, she wielded her newly grounded self-assurance to help Riri absorb the energy Sam redirected at her.

As Viv helped Riri in the battle, after The Master manipulated both Sam and Nadia, it vaguely parallels Viv’s emotional support for Riri in issue No. 19. She offered to listen to Riri rant, as opposed to Riri’s proclivity to cope with via her tools.

Champions Vol. 2 #19. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

Viv’s new-found courage, thanks to Riri’s guidance in the Weirdworld, didn’t stop in their fantasy fight. While Viv and Riri have been close friends, readers have detected that Viv might have a crush on Riri along the Champions’ missions to fight crime and make the world a better place.

Champions Vol. 2 #27. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

In a very synthezoid way of asking Riri about her feelings toward her, Viv questions whether their connection in battle translates to their friendly relationship. Granted, the proceeded panels show that Viv likes Riri more than just a friend.

Champions Vol. 2 #27. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

By courage, we’re referring to the most vulnerable leap any person or synthezoid could take. That’s right: Viv took a chance and kissed Riri. For a single panel, we celebrated positive sapphic representation — just as much as we commemorated Viv’s relieving experience when she opened up about her sexuality and was immediately accepted by one of her closest friends.

Champions Vol. 2 #27. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

Unfortunately, Riri allegedly doesn’t feel the same way about Viv, despite the same panels that illustrate Ironheart blushing. Although Viv’s progression with her identity in the LGBTQ community didn’t yield a love story in this issue of Champions, it encapsulates the reality that young lesbian and sapphic women face regarding rejection. It’s rarely discussed in comic book media because many writers and creators attribute sapphic women to hackneyed and harmful tropes. We’re just happy Viv’s representation exists in Champions, even despite Viv’s unreciprocated love (and our residual heartbreak).

As Pacific Standard reports, lesbian, queer, and bi+ women are only sporadically represented in comic books and comic book films and series. Even then, that doesn’t account for diverse and accurate representation of sapphic women characters that are self-sustaining outside of the typical LGBTQ trauma tropes, which reiterates why it’s so refreshing and necessary for Viv’s identity as a lesbian superhero to continue.

Champions Vol. 2 #27. Photo Credit: Marvel Comics.

The issue transitions from Viv’s post-rejection dismay, which will likely linger into a few of the following issues, to a more villainous plot that briefly introduced itself in an earlier issue. Champions No. 27 ends with one of The Master’s nefarious spider-drones intercepting Sparky.

Though we’ll presumably watch as the Champions figure out that one of The Master’s spy bots compromised Sparky, seeing as Eshu’s likely still fixated on Amka and her abilities, we can also expect that Viv will cope with her rejection.

Viv might have previously disengaged her emotional core to prevent herself from getting preoccupied with her trauma and grief (and conveniently impeding herself from confronting her emotions).

However, after her confrontation with her sister while she was trying to fight and survive Man-Thing back in Mbali in No. 22, Viv might indirectly or directly be coerced into adjusting her emotional core settings. Regardless, we have a hopeful feeling that Viv will get a happy story arch in a not-so-distant future Champions issue.