DC Comics Confirms New Hero Featherweight as Transgender and Bisexual in 'Justice League' Heist Series

DC Comics has confirmed that its new character Featherweight, real name Alya Raatko, is a transgender and bisexual woman in the final issue of the series “Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League. ”

Featherweight appears in the six-issue heist series written by Greg Rucka with art by Nicola Scott, which follows Cheetah and Cheshire as they assemble a team to rob the Justice League.

The series’ sixth and final issue, released in early January 2026, includes a conversation in which Featherweight directly states that she is “B and T, ” confirming that she is bisexual and trans in dialogue with fellow character Klarion.

Within DC continuity, Alya Raatko is established as the daughter of Nyssa Raatko and the granddaughter of Batman adversary Ra’s al Ghul, linking this new hero to one of the publisher’s most prominent villain lineages.

Nyssa Raatko is an existing DC character who first appeared in Detective Comics in the early 2000s and has since featured in comics and television adaptations, including Arrow and Gotham.

Featherweight’s power set centers on super strength that contrasts with her light physical frame, a trait that allows her to stand toe-to-toe with powerful opponents such as Solomon Grundy.

The character is introduced as a young woman in her mid‑twenties who is recruited for the heist because of her metahuman abilities and moral convictions, including a desire to fight anti-LGBTQ+ persecution around the world.

In the story, Featherweight tells her teammates that after the job she plans to go to Greece to respond to rising anti‑LGBTQ+ violence, stating that she wants to “help fight back, ” explicitly connecting her superhero work to global LGBTQ+ rights struggles.

Her coming‑out moment happens in this context, when Klarion reacts to her comments and asks an awkward, trailing question about what her words mean, prompting Alya to clarify that she is bisexual and transgender.

Featherweight also notes an age difference between herself and Klarion, gently turning down his interest and joking that he should “look up in a couple years, ” a dynamic that several commentators have described as adding nuance and humor to the scene.

LGBTQ+‑focused outlet PinkNews reports that many fans reacted positively to the reveal, highlighting Featherweight’s characterization as “strong” and morally grounded, and praising her design and personality as resonant with transgender women readers.

PinkNews cites comments from Instagram users, including @thecozmikcollector, who encouraged others to read the series and called Featherweight an “awesome new character, ” while other fans celebrated the inclusion of “good rep for the trans girls. ”

Some readers also praised the character for being written as multidimensional, stating that she is one of their favorite recent additions to DC’s roster and complimenting both the writing and art team for how she is portrayed.

More general comics outlets have emphasized Featherweight’s place in broader DC lore, noting that as Nyssa’s daughter and Damian Wayne’s cousin, she deepens the representation within the extended Batman family and the Ra’s al Ghul narrative line.

Screen Rant describes Featherweight as a trans and bisexual hero who uses her share of the heist’s proceeds to continue traveling and supporting LGBTQ+ communities, characterizing her as someone whose superhero identity is explicitly tied to activism and solidarity.

Coverage from Bleeding Cool notes that the character’s immense strength in a light body could be read as a metaphor related to dysphoria, while also stressing that in the text Alya appears comfortable with herself and confident in her abilities.

Other commentary, including from Bounding Into Comics, has documented critical reactions from some readers, including claims that the character design leans heavily into transgender pride flag colors and debates over whether the representation feels authentic, illustrating that transgender visibility in mainstream comics continues to prompt diverse responses.

As of early January 2026, there have been no widely reported public statements from DC Comics, Greg Rucka, or Nicola Scott specifically responding to either praise or criticism of Featherweight’s reveal, beyond the material presented in the comic itself.

Featherweight now joins a small but growing group of transgender characters in mainstream superhero universes, and her introduction within a high‑profile family line positions her as a potentially significant figure for ongoing LGBTQ+ representation in DC storytelling.