Circuit Breaker Is DC Comics’ New Trans Superhero

When threats come to Badlands Station, Arizona, who can possibly stop it? According to A.L. Kaplan, best known for his work on Stuff of Nightmares, MAW, and Full-Spectrum Therapy, it’s Julien “Jules” Jourdain, also known as Circuit Breaker. In Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, released Valentine’s Day, Jules’s origin features alongside stories of a Doom Patrol adventure, heroine Huntress dealing with a riot at Arkham Asylum, and the first full appearance of a nonbinary hero who had been mentioned in previous comics, Xanthe Zhou–The Envoy–who spends their adventure in the Spirit World.

Jules is an actor based in Arizona who is an avid fan of the Flash, whose stories he reenacts. Ironic, given that he comes into contact with Lazarus Resin and is imbued with powers of the Still Force, an equal and opposite to the Flash’s Speed Force. Through this, he gains energy-absorption powers and takes the name Circuit Breaker. He even calls the force “savage,” and “counter to good and justice,” as the Still Force was harnessed by the Flash’s villainous enemy, the Turtle. However, in contrast to his predecessor, he uses these powers to save his friend’s life and his town.

He has visible top surgery scars, and the design of his costume mimics the same scars through a red sequin detail. A.L. Kaplan confirmed on Twitter that Circuit Breaker is a “trans man, but not super into the binary.”

This issue is the latest in DC Comics’ recent push to add more queer representation to their comics. Jules’ connection to the Flash opens the doors to more page space for him, and allows for wider market testing of audience reactions to a trans character. While independent comics are notoriously queer, the giants DC and Marvel have been quite a bit slower on the uptake, and have made some pretty egregious missteps.

Even so, Circuit Breaker could be the harbinger of a new, queer-positive era in mainstream comics.