Magic: the Gathering - Discover LGBTQIA+ Characters

Magic: The Gathering, to this day maybe the most popular card game in the world, was released in 1993. Today, in 2024, it is clear that the culture around its universe reflects its players and artists, either in each character story, a particularly exciting plane, or just the great character arches each villain goes through.

To celebrate Pride Month, we decided to bring you all LGBTQIA+ characters in this beloved game.

Even though there are many canonical LGBTQIA+ characters, we all know that queer representation has never been only just a character's identity and/or sexuality. So, we'll also give credit to some artworks that are part of MTG's world building and reference queer culture and tradition.

This seems like a complex task, right? Classifying game artworks according to this definition is a bit subjective, but it became a reality when Secret Lair: Pride Across the Multiverse was released, a special set with artworks that reference the LGBTQIA+ people and characters in MTG lore, which was quite iconic.

Besides this release, part of the profit from its sales was donated to The Trevor Project, a U.S.A.-based initiative known for its work supporting queer youths in vulnerable situations.

There is no better place to start this article than with our dear Chandra Nalaar. This human planeswalker, a Kaladesh native, calls herself a "hot pansexual mess". A member of the Gatewatch, Chandra was in practically every main narrative arch in MTG's universe, and to this day is recognized as the face of this franchise, as well as her flaming hair.

As her spark and power are directly tied to red mana, her pansexuality is directly related to the impulsiveness and freedom in her energy. For those who use red mana, satisfying their own passions and believing in their heart is essential, as well as acting freely when faced with their emotions and desires. This is aligned with the search for emancipation LGBTQIA+ people have long fought for.

When Forsaken, the novel covering the events of the War of the Spark, was released, writer Greg Weissman rewrote Chandra's story and declared she was never interested in women, just mainly men. Later on, the writer himself and Wizards of the Coast apologized, stating that they had some issues when the book was released about how Chandra was supposed to be depicted. They confirmed that she is, indeed, pansexual, and later on this was the norm for any content featuring Chandra.

During the Midnight Hunt arch, Chandra gets closer to Adeline, an Innistrad* general who was also a lesbian.

Among Chandra's romantic interests, we also have Nissa Revane, an Elf planeswalker who was also a member of the Gatewatch. She is from Zendikar and is considered an Animist, that is, shamans who can communicate with all parts of land and nature. During the War of the Spark - Ravnica arch, Chandra and Nissa confess their love to each other.

This might be the most popular and beloved couple in the entire community.

Saheeli Rai, the Kaladesh planeswalker and inventor known for her magic-infused Constructs, and Huatli, Ixalan's warrior-poet who works with Dinosaurs, are in a lesbian relationship. They met in Ghirapur, the biggest city in Kaladesh and shared their experiences; Saheeli got really excited about creating a Dinosaur Construct after she learned about them. After a few months together travelling through planes, they started a romantic relationship.

Furthermore, we also have Ral Zarek, Ravnica's Izzet planeswalker and Storm mage, leader of his guild, and Tomik Vrona, Teysa Karlov's apprentice and temporary Orzhov guild master, also from Ravnica.

They're both happily married gay men, besides leaders. Even though they lived together since the start of their relationship, they've kept it secret because they're from different guilds. After the guilds needed to join forces during the War of the Spark, their relationship became public; Tomik now uses Ral's scarf on his arm as a symbol of their connection.

We also have our dear Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis, straight from Theros. These characters are known in Commander as the gay kings. Even though they aren't actually Theros royalty according to MTG lore, united by their love and freedom, they freed the biggest polis in the tyrant plane of Agnomokhos, where they founded Meletis. So far, the only information we have is that they are the guardians of this region.

Forest hunters from Ulvenwald, Innistrad, Alena and Halana are partners in crime and in life. They're also skillful trackers, responsible for hunting monsters or any other creature that threatens the province of Kessig. They used to hunt werewolves in particular, but, when the Eldrazi raided their plane, they both decided to join the werewolves and defend their home.

Ashiok, a nightmare-themed planeswalker incredibly involved in overall fear and schemes to control the devotion and feelings of the Theros people, was the main antagonist in the Theros Beyond Death trailer. Ashiok is considered an "androgynous, non-binary" character by writer Mike McArtor, and by all recommendations you shouldn't refer to Ashiok with any known pronouns.

As original titles on MTG cards, Ashiok only gets neutral monikers: Dream Render, Sculptor of Fears, Nightmare Muse, Nightmare Weaver, Wicked Manipulator, and many more.

Lesser known, Niko Aris was a planeswalker that debuted in Kaldheim, and has declared themselves as a non-binary person who uses they/their pronouns. Originally from Theros*, they were known as javelin experts, so they came from a hero background even before their spark ignited.

In the words of Niko's concept artist, Lake Hurwitz: "Niko represents the power of making a choice to express yourself, rather than to express the expectations put upon you by others. There is so much pressure to follow the well-trodden roads and lead the exact same lives that others are leading. Niko is in many ways a paragon of what Magic is all about—finding the power within."

Here are two incredible trans characters, albeit one is more popular: Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, is a Tarkir hero, and a trans woman. While she was still young, she became the Khan (the highest-ranking leader) of the Mardu clan, and led her legion against Kolaghan's Dragon followers. She was also victorious.

In this clan, a name is something someone earns in battle, and Alesha, assigned a male before, declared her own name after she earned that privilege, and stated who she was. In her story, there is an orc that questions her identity, but Alesha answers: "I know who I am. I am not a boy. I am Alesha, like my grandmother before me, and the leader of the Mardu. When you learn what your place among the Mardu is, then you can choose a name" - which prompted all the Khan to yell in her support.

More recently, we got to know Yuma, Proud Protector, one of the main commanders in The Outlaws of Thunder Junction set. Yuma was formerly a Riveteer from New Capenna, and, along with his partners, Elnor and Shadress, left the gang after New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse.

The three of them worked together and earned a lot of money - they were even able to pay for Yuma to make some modifications to his body, but they made some powerful enemies as well. As they escaped them, they took all their money to Thunder Junction. He is also Kirri's father, an infant cactusfolk, and has with the unique ability to talk to plants.

These are only a few of the many characters that carry the LGBTQIA+ flag in Magic: The Gathering. I hope that, in the future, I can write more articles about new characters under this umbrella, as MTG is something all people have a right to enjoy. People should see themselves represented in this game, and also be treated with respect as they play.

Happy Pride Month!