Arnie Roth (character)
Arnie Roth | |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
First comic appearance | Captain America #268 (April 1982) |
Created by | J. M. DeMatteis & Mike Zeck |
In-story information | |
Full name | Arnold "Arnie" Roth |
Place of origin | New York City |
Team affiliations | Avengers Support Crew |
Supporting character of | Captain America |
Arnold "Arnie" Roth is a
Arnie was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream
Fictional character biography
Arnold "Arnie" Roth was born in the 1920s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.[1] A childhood friend to Steve Rogers, Arnie frequently protected the weak and infirm Steve from local bullies. After becoming aware of his homosexuality as a teenager, Arnie began to pursue girls and cultivated a persona as a playboy to compensate, causing him to drift away from the introverted Steve.[1][2] During World War II, Arnie joined the U.S. Navy while Steve received an experimental serum that turned him into the costumed superhero Captain America. Arnie was able to discern that the secret identity of Captain America was that of his erstwhile friend after seeing the hero in newsreel footage. Sometime after the war, Arnie began a long-term romantic relationship with a teacher named Michael Bech, but also developed a gambling problem.[1][3]
Some time later, after a now-middle aged Arnie discloses that he knows Captain America's secret identity following a night of drinking, he is approached by Helmut Zemo with an offer to pay off his gambling debts in exchange for the information.[4] When Zemo kidnaps Michael to force Arnie's cooperation, Arnie reconnects with Steve to appeal for his help, though in an ensuing confrontation between Captain America and Zemo wherein the consciousnesses of Arnie and Michael are placed into mutates controlled by Primus, Michael is killed.[1][5] Though Arnie recovers physically from the ordeal, he is soon targeted by the villainous Red Skull as part of a plot to destroy the lives of Captain America's closest friends. As part of his torture at the hands of Red Skull, Arnie is dressed as a clown and forced to participate in a performance in which he disparages his sexual identity and Michael; Captain America intervenes and rescues Arnie, and assures him that his identity and love for Michael are not shameful.[2][6]
Arnie recovers but leaves New York to move to
History
Context and development
Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter instituted a "No Gays in the Marvel Universe" policy in the 1980s, in response to public backlash against a scene in The Hulk #23 (1980) in which Bruce Banner is accosted and threatened with rape by two men at a YMCA.[10][11] LGBT expressions in comic books were also restricted by the Comics Code Authority, a system of comic book content regulation.[12] Consequently, the sexual orientation of LGBT characters in comics published by Marvel could for many years only be communicated through subtext, as in the case of Northstar in Alpha Flight, and Mystique and Destiny in Uncanny X-Men.[11]
Owing to the restrictions imposed on LGBT characters by Shooter and the Comics Code Authority, Arnie's sexuality is never overtly stated within the text of comic itself; the character initially refers to Michael as his "roommate".[2] DeMatteis made Arnie's sexuality "clear in the context of the story"[14] through conspicuous subtext and imagery, such as Arnie and Michael sitting next to each other on a bed,[6] and hugging when they are reunited.[3][12] In the aftermath of Arnie's forced performance in the Red Skull storyline, the subtext is rendered almost overtly, with Captain America directly likening his relationship with Bernie Rosenthal to Arnie's relationship with Michael.[6] According to DeMatteis, his original draft of the scene overtly stated Arnie's sexuality, though the "powers that be" objected to the scene and "a page or two" of the comic was revised without his input.[13]
Publication history
Arnie Roth made his
In 2013, Arnie appeared in a flashback to Steve's childhood in Captain America volume 7, issue 3, written by Rick Remender and penciled by John Romita Jr.[1]
Reception and legacy
Arnie Roth was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream superhero comic,[16][17] and has been praised as a generally positive representation of gay men in mainstream media of the era. Comics scholar Lee Easton writes that despite the "clichés of dead lovers and tragic endings" prevalent in stories featuring the character, critics have nevertheless regarded him as "quite progressive in the context of America in the 1980s".[18] Aaron Tabak of Geeks OUT writes that Arnie represents "comic-book idealism at its best spirit, however imperfectly executed it may be", noting that while the character is largely rendered as a passive victim who requires saving by the heterosexual Captain America, his story represents "as blatant a critique of homophobia and AIDS hysteria as mainstream comics could allow."[19] Eileen Gonzalez of Book Riot similarly characterizes Arnie's story as "not perfect" in light of its focus on tragedy and reliance on subtext, but praised the depiction of Arnie and Michael as "a down-to-earth, devoted couple without even a whiff of the stereotypes that still dictated how gay men were portrayed."[3]
Media scholar Richard A. Hall praised the "powerful" climax to the Red Skull storyline, describing it as "a cry, not just to Captain America, but to the readers as well. One would be extremely hard-pressed to find any example in all of 1984 American popular culture containing such a powerful plea to the heterosexual community."[6] Media scholar J. Richard Stevens noted how Arnie's inclusion in Captain America added "context and depth to Rogers's character", as "the loyalty and devotion Rogers showed Roth demonstrated his unqualified acceptance and belief in freedom."[20]
Easton notes that the relationship between Arnie and Steve "reverses stereotypes while reinforcing those of hegemonic masculinity", noting that while as children Arnie takes the traditionally masculine role as Steve's protector, as adults it is the "soft, less fit, and more vulnerable" Arnie who must be protected by Captain America.[21] Tabak similarly notes how this role reversal and Arnie's awareness of Captain America's secret identity repurposes "imagery and language of the closet and of coming out [...] towards a superhero's own 'closeted' identity", noting how "invoking that similarity between the superhero experience and that of gay men in America serves to enrich the bond between Arnie and Steve".[19]
DeMatteis stated that he personally regards the backstory of the Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation of Bucky Barnes, which re-imagines the character as Rogers' childhood friend, as influenced by Arnie Roth,[14][22] with some writers noting similarities between the characters.[3][4]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Norvo (March 30, 2023). "Arnold Roth". The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c Stevens 2015, p. 141.
- ^ a b c d Gonzalez, Eileen (July 27, 2018). "Marvel's First Gay Couple, Arnie and Michael: A Love Story". Book Riot. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ a b Andreakos, Jimmy (June 8, 2016). "Captain America May Never Have A Boyfriend, But He's Long Had A Gay Best Friend". Uproxx. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ISBN 978-0786437030.
- ^ a b c d Hall 2019, p. 30.
- ISBN 978-1465478900.
- ^ Rizzo & Licari 2021, p. 100.
- ^ Rizzo & Licari 2021, p. 122.
- ^ Mangels, Andy (2006), In and Out: A Brief History of Marvel's 2006 Gay Policies, Prism Comics, archived from the original on March 16, 2010, retrieved June 11, 2023
- ^ ISBN 978-1538152744.
- ^ ISBN 978-0415729000.
- ^ a b c DeMatteis, J.M. (July 3, 2011). "Stars and Stripes". J. M. DeMatteis's Creation Point. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c d DeMatteis, J.M. and Tano, Duy (October 14, 2021). JM DeMatteis on Captain America, Spider-Man, Duality, and Progress (Video). The Comics Cube. Event occurs at 12:06. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ Hall 2019, p. xvii.
- ^ Hall 2019, p. 29.
- ^ Roberts, Holly (March 7, 2022). "Queering Marvel's America: Arnie Roth vs the Censors". The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Easton 2017, p. 128.
- ^ a b Tabak, Aaron (June 3, 2014). "Forgotten Gay Characters: Captain America's Gay Pal, Arnie Roth". Geeks OUT. Archived from the original on April 15, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
- ^ Stevens 2015, p. 142.
- ^ Easton 2017, pp. 119, 127.
- ^ DeMatteis, J.M. (April 27, 2016). "3001: A Space Oddity". J. M. DeMatteis's Creation Point. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
Bibliography
- Easton, Lee (2017). "Teaching the Body of the Nation: Captain America and Masculity". In Eckard, Sandra (ed.). Comic Connections: Analyzing Hero and Identity. ISBN 978-1475828030.
- Hall, Richard A. (2019). The American Superhero: Encyclopedia of Caped Crusaders in History. ISBN 978-1440861239.
- Rizzo, Marco; Licari, Fabio (2021). Marvel's Captain America: The First 80 Years. ISBN 978-1787737174.
- Stevens, J. Richard (2015). Captain America, Masculinity, and Violence: The Evolution of a National Icon. ISBN 978-0815633952.
Further reading
- Palmer, Joe (May 27, 2020). "You're My Best Friend". Gay League.
External links
- Arnie Roth at the Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki