Surge of Power, first gay superhero in a movie, returns in a sequel

Almost 15 years ago, Surge of Power broke ground as the first gay superhero in movies.

His alter ego is Gavin Lucas, a corporate attorney who gains superpowers and fights hate crimes, talks about the perils of homophobia. He also has a romantic love interest.

FILM’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO 

He made his debut in the 2004 indie film “Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes,” a light-hearted comedy.

Lucas will don the blue Spandex in “Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel,” which opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York later this month.

THE SEQUEL

Both films spoof the superhero films, and the sequel features 20 celebrities from the sci-fi, fantasy, and comic genres, such as Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from “Star Trek”), Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”), Noel Neill (“Lois Lane,” “Adventures of Superman”), among others.

In the sequel, Lucas (Vincent J. Roth) tracks his nemesis, Metal Master (John T. Venturini) to Las Vegas, where the big baddie searches for mysterious crystals. Finding himself cut off from the help and support of his extraordinary friends back in Big City, Surge must enlist the help of local college students to save the day. 

NO VISIBILITY FROM STUDIOS

Although several superheroes were out in mainstream comic books including Batwoman, Deadpool, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Northstar, before the release of the first Surge of Power film, zero superheroes were out on the big screen.

Since 2004, two studio releases made insignificant attempts at having LGBTQ characters. Last year, the “Power Rangers” presented Ranger Trini as questioning her sexuality, and Valkyrie in “Thor: Ragnarok” is bisexual, however, many critics pointed out her sexuality is so hidden in the film that most viewers never saw it.

Surge of Power (Vincent J. Roth) is the first gay superhero to appear in a film. He made his debut in 2004, and appears in the sequel, opening Friday in Los Angeles. Photo: Surge of Power Enterprises.

About the author

Phillip Zonkel

Award-winning journalist Phillip Zonkel spent 17 years at Long Beach's Press-Telegram, where he was the first reporter in the paper's history to have a beat covering the city's vibrant LGBTQ. He also created and ran the popular and innovative LGBTQ news blog, Out in the 562.

He won two awards and received a nomination for his reporting on the local LGBTQ community, including a two-part investigation that exposed anti-gay bullying of local high school students and the school districts' failure to implement state mandated protections for LGBTQ students.

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