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The CW Orders Its First Series Starring A Gay Superhero

"Freedom Fighters: The Ray" will debut in 2017.

The CW is quickly becoming the home for comic book television, with Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl all airing on the channel. Now the network has ordered another DC Comics show—this time starring The Ray, a gay superhero.

CW President, Mark Pedowitz told reporters at the Television Critics Association summer tour that the new series, Freedom Fighters: The Ray will debut in 2017 on The CW's streaming platform, CW Seed.

But will The Ray make the leap from animation to live-action?

“Without question,” said Pedowitz when he was asked if audiences can expect The Ray to show up on Arrow or The Flash. “That is the way we are intending to build these things out.”

The actor who will voice The Ray will be cast with intention of eventually bringing the character to live-action CW superhero shows, like Megalyn Echikunwoke who voiced Vixen and went onto play her character in Arrow.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray will be executive-produced by Greg Berlanti (Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow) and Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow).

The Ray was created by Lou Fine, and first appeared in Smash Comics #14 (1940) and has since starred in his own comic series—but according to io9 "the CW Seed series won’t be taking inspiration from that 1992 comic, but Grant Morrison’s Multiversity, which took Ray’s superhero team—the Freedom Fighters—and updated them to better reflect the modern America they fought for, which included making Terrill an openly gay man."

Here is more about the superhero from The CW's press release:

Raymond “Ray” Terrill was a reporter who discovered a group of government scientists working on a secret project to turn light into a weapon of mass destruction. But before he could report on his findings, the project head exposed Ray to a “genetic light bomb.” The bomb failed to kill him and instead gifted Ray with light-based powers. With these abilities, Ray realized he could go beyond reporting on injustice — he could take action to help stop it. Calling himself The Ray, he was recruited by Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters to fight violence and oppression wherever it exists.

Freedom Fighters: The Ray will debut in 2017.

h/t: TV Line

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