Co-publisher Dan DiDio previously said that the company would not change the sexual orientation of an existing superhero and would bring in a new one altogether.

But at Kapow Comic Convention in London on Sunday, he revealed that an existing character – who was previously assumed to be straight – will become ‘one of our most prominent gay characters’, according to comic blog BleedingCool.com.

Senior VP Sales Bob Wayne said DiDio’s view ‘had evolved’, comparing the shift to Barack Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage.