DC Comicsis finally bringing back its fan-favorite team of antiheroes, theSecret Six, and the timing for their return to continuity couldn’t be more fitting. This ragtag roster of heroes and villains alike may seem unlikely at a glance, but together, they’re the ideal line-up for a modern super-team. The Secret Six are ready to make their mark on the DC Universe - and on fans who see themselves reflected in them.
This March, a new Secret Six series will be hitting comic shelves, and writer Nicole Maines shared her insights on the team in an interview withGamesRadar. The comic appears to feature up-and-coming hero Dreamer in a key role, and when asked about her thoughts on writing the character over the years, Maines said the following:
You know, not to be “woke” [laughs], but to have one of these major characters – especially right now in the political climate – be a trans woman and have it not be the center of her story, while also recognizing that this is a part of her life… In the first couple of pages of Secret Six #1 we see her having this vision of her bottom surgery, which I don’t know if we’ve done that in comics yet. I think to be able to have those bits of representation and those little nods to another part of who she is as we’re being told “it doesn’t exist, there’s only two genders,” – I think it is fantastic to be able to continue having this visibility in comics.
DC Comics couldn’t have picked a more relevant cultural moment to shine a spotlight on LGBTQ+ heroes like Dreamer, and as Maines explained, the Secret Six’s queerness can serve as a beacon of hope for those seeking positive depictions of their identities in spite of current events.
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Nicole Maines’Dreamer- also known as Nia Nal - made history when she made her groundbreaking debut on The CW’sSupergirlTV show as thefirst transgender heroon television. Nia then jumped from the Arrowverse to the official DC Universe inSuperman: Son of Kal-El#13. Her impact has been insurmountable, as she’s allowed transgender comic readers to see themselves in a superhero, and that visibility is more important now than ever before.The current political climate has grown worrisome for the LGBTQ+ community, so Dreamer taking on a vital role in the Secret Six can provide much-needed hope in uncertain times.
Dreamer made her first comic appearance in a story from 2021’sDC Pride#1, which takes place within the Arrowverse and is thus not part of the DC Comics' main continuity.
Dreamer’s relevance to the wider DC Universe doesn’t begin or end with her involvement in the Secret Six, of course. She was a key player in 2024’sAbsolute Powerevent, initially carrying out Amanda Waller’s bidding until she laid down her life on behalf to save the heroes. She was later resurrected due to her newfoundhealing factor- a byproduct of her ability to exist within dreams - and now seeks to take down Waller for good.A transgender superhero being so vital to DC’s major stories is a monumental achievement, and the rest of the Secret Six brings other forms of crucial representation to the forefront.
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Dreamer isn’t the only member of the Secret Six’s updated roster who helps members of the LGBTQ+ community feel seen in DC lore. According to Maines:
To have [Dreamer] flanked by the bisexual Superman with his gay boyfriend, and then with Black Alice, whatever the f*** she is – you attempt to give her a label and she’d turn you into a frog and then do something horrible to you. And then we have Catman, the resident bisexual daddy and whatever the f*** he’s got going on with Deadshot… It’s fun. And that is the true meaning of Secret Six!
The Secret Six have always gone against the grain in the DC Universe, and there’s no better example of this than their varying gender and sexual identities.Jon Kent’s Superman defies the standard take on the character through hisrelationship with Jay Nakamura, while Catman is another canonically bisexual character on the team. Even though theSecret Sixare not explicitly heroes inDC Comics' continuity, the empowerment they promote makes them the perfect heroes for LGBTQ+ readers.
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Secret Six#1will be available on March 5th, 2025 from DC Comics!
