Marvel blew up the whole Internet when they announced that the next iteration of Thor will be a woman. Though this news is definitely shocking to fans (who is Marvel to mess with Norse mythology?), it's not at all the first time comic book publishers have turned classic characters' chromosomes upside down. In honor of the new Thor, who may be of the "gentler sex," but will hopefully not compromise any badass toughness, here are ten other times characters got gender swapped in comics.
From sex changes, to clones, to entirely new characters, this is just a small sample of the most popular heroes who have gotten sex changes at some point. Is gender swapping an effective tool for story telling and character development? Perhaps not, but it's always fun to see our favorite characters face new challenges when placed in the other sex's shoes. Take a look at these 10 classic heroes and their crazy gender transformations!
http://www.ranker.com/list/gender-swapped-comic-book-characters/whitneysmoore,
Batwoman
Perhaps the most famous gender crossover in recent comics, Batwoman is the inspired female incarnation of the Dark Knight. The identity of Batwoman is Katherine Kane, introduced in the Silver Age during Detective Comics #233 and reintroduced in 2006 as Kate Kane. Also, with her reintroduction of the character came a few progressive changes - Batwoman is now a lesbian.
Superwoman
A Superwoman character has not only been a recurring theme in the Superman tropes, but has played both good and evil roles. First, Lois Lane temporarily gained Superman's powers and had a costume to match him. Then, Luma Lynai of the planet Staryl came to the scene, deriving her Superman powers from an orange sun (as opposed to Superman's yellow.) Then the Crime Syndicate of America happened and several ladies went by the moniker of Superwoman, decided to be total jerks and try to take down heroes of the DCU.
This may be one of the most lax versions of a female take on a male superhero, but it's also one of the most varied!
X-23
X-23, aka Laura Kinney, is a badass female clone of Wolverine who, after being bred to be the ultimate killing machine, sought to turn her life around with the X-Men. Created for the "X-Men: Evolution" animated series (her first appearance is episode #41, aptly titled "X-23"), she made the jump to comics in 2004, during NYX.
The Legion of Superheroes
This gang of heroes' gender swapping was facilitated by "Grandin Gender Reversal Disease," and used to turn Matter Eater Lad into, well, Matter Eater Lass. Color King was turned into Color Queen, and guess what? It turns out gender doesn't have a huge effect on eating things or changing the color of things.
Thor Odinson
That's right, everyone. Thor has ALREADY been a girl. Hailing from Earth-9997, the son of Odin is turned into the daughter of Odin when Loki convinces him that his son needs an attitude adjustment. In order to get Thor in touch with his feminine side (noticing a theme, here?), he transforms Thor into a busty babe - who ends up kicking an equal amount of ass, after all.
So enough with the femme-Thor shock talk, at least he's not going to be a frog again... hopefully.
Gal Gardner
A dastardly Dementor challenges Guy Gardner to get in touch with his feminine side in Warrior #42, and oh man, he's not happy about it. A very voluptious Gal Gardner has to then save a hostage designer at a fashion show, which obviously and ridiculously she must also perform in to somehow save the day. Maybe Dementor just wanted a girlfriend?
Lady Deadpool
Lady Deadpool, also known as Wanda Wilson, is an almost (if not anatomically) identical counterpart from the alternate reality Earth-3010. She's equipped with the same telepathic immunity, foreign chemical resistance, and excessive candor as the male version, but a lot more bodacious. She first appears in Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #17, along with other Deadpool variants including The Deadpool Kid, Zombie Deadpool, and Major Deadpool.
Every Character in Riverdale
In Archie #636 "The Great Switcheroo," Archie and his pals take a look at life from the opposite gender's eyes (don't worry, everyone is still super cute). After the gang's incessant arguing that the other sex has it better, guest star teen witch Sabrina's magical, mischievous cat Salem decides to let them decide for themselves - by turning them into opposite sex!
Lady Punisher
Lady Punisher, aka police officer Lynn Michaels first appeared in Punisher: War Zone #7 while attempting to capture a serial rapist targeting Central Park. During her pursuit she teams up with Frank Castle and a sexually charged partnership begins to take shape, as well as a new identity for Lynn as Lady Punisher.
Though not the only knockoff Punisher around during the 90s (The Punisher has also been black, an angel, and British), this is one incarnation that is better suited for corsets and leather pants.
Lady Photon
During the 2012 reboot of Youngblood, a more... bodacious version of Photon debuted on the cover, much to the shock of fans. The explanation given was simple enough: Photon's race not only has the ability to change gender, but routinely does so every seven years.