Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
This June, Pride Month will not only be celebrated by many LGBTQ+ allies in reality, but the Marvel Universe will also play a part in this meaningful event with its upcoming project— Marvel’s Voices: Pride #1, Marvel’s unprecedented queer-centered project welcoming LGBTQ+ characters. This great inspiration would be officially initiated by the debut of Somnus, a powerful mutant that has a long-lasting impact on X-men history.
Named after the Roman god of sleep, Somnus is a manipulator of dream and weaver of imagination. Despite his absolute control of others, he was born in a rather prejudiced time and failed to pursue his own goal in his past life. This time, Somnus is given his second chance at life in Krakoan, a stable utopian nation for mutantkind, and will surely bring a new perspective to his mutant fellows, as Steve Orlando, the creator of Somnus, explained.
“While there is still plenty of work to do, we’ve also come a long way as a communit,” Orlando said. “Somnus is a chance to explore how my own late queer relatives may have felt, living in more prejudiced times. He’s also a chance to celebrate past generations as a whole and acknowledge the strides we’ve made that they may not have lived to see. And with the Krakoan era being one of relative utopia for mutantkind, Somnus will bring a fresh perspective, and respectful gut check, to the young mutants of the present who may not know just how hard some had to fight for all mutants have achieved. Within the story and without, Somnus will be a new, complex character carrying a message of respect, power, and vision.”
Somnus’s outfit also speaks the mystery of his past. His shirt is formed by a night sky decorated with starts, pants replete with the serenity of light blue, and cloak reflecting the shimmer of the galaxy. Somnus is a manifestation of unattainable elegance and beauty, as his stylist Luciano Vecchio acknowledges.
“I wanted him to have an air of ‘man of your dreams,’ very charming and human but unreachable at the same time,” Vecchio said. “Some visual elements are a mix of Mod fashion, a bit of Hellfire Gala influence, and a palette based on Etruscan vase art as a nod to the god he’s named after.”
More excitingly, Somnus will be taking over center of the MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE #1 Frame Variant cover, surrounded by some of Marvel’s greatest LGBTQ+ heroes. During the celebration of Pride Month, be sure to check out this uplifting support from MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE #1 on June 23.
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