Classic X-Men Character Iceman Comes Out as Gay

First things first: Iceman, one of the original founding members of the X-Men, is gay -- in some capacity.

Leaked panels from the upcoming All-New X-Men #40 show the teenage version of the mutant, who is living in the present-day as a result of a bit of time-travelling, being outed by a young Jean Grey (she reads minds, duh). He counters, asking how he could be gay if his older, present-day self isn't, then answers his own question, justifying it by admitting it would be hard to be both mutant and gay in a society that isn't very fond of either.

Author Brian Michael Bendis wasn't thrilled about the news leaking early, hoping it would avoid headlines and press, but changing character who has more than 50 years of stories behind him so drastically wasn't going to escape anyone's notice.

Fans have speculated the sexual orientation of Iceman for quite some time, and now the only real question is: When will it be coming to the films, and will Iceman still be played by Shawn Ashmore when it does? Here's hoping.

See the leaked panels here.