I've been reading DC for decades now myself and Booster and the JLI cast for just as long, and Booster has never come across as straight to me. He's only had one canon [heterosexual] relationship (Firehawk), one that was retconned (Gladys), one that's speculated—not actually canon yet—for the future (probably Terri). And that's it, in forty years. A handful of dates. He's pretty inept at flirting past his first solo and at least half the time he tries, it comes across as awkward and a little desperate. ... He gets regularly sexually harassed by female villains and doesn't like it, which I find it easy to sympathize with, albeit from the angle of being a woman who's been harassed by men before.

But anyway, to me, he acts about like how a kid who got dropped into the 80s during the height of the AIDS panic and rampant homophobia and the wholesale death of gay men might, especially if he were queer himself. I'd probably try to straight-wash myself, too, in his boots. (... I do remember being in high school when a boy was murdered for being queer by being tortured and left tied to a fence to die^[1], though. It was that kind of world back then for people like us. In some places, it still is.)

Still, where Booster fails at any hetero romance (oh god does he), he's so devoted to Ted that a big part of his second solo was dedicated to him either trying to save the man or actively *mourning* him. It's heartbreaking and amazing and really actually quite good stuff, from a literary POV. Whether DC meant it or not, somehow they managed to write one of the greatest love stories I've ever seen in a comic.... And not just a great queer love story, it's a great love story period. A person can make a credible argument for it being a one-sided—romantic and therefore non-platonic—love, but it's pretty hard to argue it's not a very intense one regardless.

You and I both love the same guy and have loved him a hell of a long time. And like, seriously, I think Booster has one of the most interesting and deep character arcs of any canon comics character: From growing up in deep poverty ... and all that does to a person for the rest of their life (they've done studies on this)—including inclining them to take serious risks they might not otherwise—to the various reads one can make on his given backstory evolving (I personally think the first several times he told it or sanctioned Skeets to were so brutally self-punishing because he'd rather have been castigated than vulnerable, this kid who doesn't tell anyone his given name for something like a whole year after landing), to how he both rises and falls (to the point of homelessness in Countdown), to what he's willing to sacrifice for the sake of love, whatever color you want to color it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: This is another read on him. And I think also a very valid one. He's one hell of an amazing character, I wish DC had handled him half as well post-Flashpoint as they did pre-Flashpoint, and I don't think a queer reading of him detracts anything from how amazing he is. If anything, I think it makes the older stuff several shades deeper, and I think if they decided to write him as explicitly queer now, not too many people would actually be all that surprised. With or without Ted. ...

Rob snow posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Ted and Booster are hetero life partners. Booster will marry Trixie(yes i said Trixie) and have Rip. Ted...dunno...im rooting for Michelle but DC seems to be angling for Fire

Morgenstern posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 6:11 PM
I prefer them as platonic life partners. They dont have to be straight, but I do hope that their (main-canon) versions never end up as a romantic couple, though I do believe that my reason might be a bit different than most others.

I just don't trust DC with any romantic relationships. They are too easily exploited for easy drama and shock value. How many healthy and happy long-term relationships does DC have, compared to those that end in stuff like Identity Crisis or the Wedding of Black Canary and Green Arrow? I am hard pressed to name others than Louis and Clark. The Flashes seem to be doing alright for the moment, but even that might just be another crisis away from changing.

And even those with a less bloody end, like Batman & Catwoman, Batwoman and Firebird ended rather frustratingly.

I am sure that there are examples of "successful" romantic relationships from DC, but even assuming that I missed several, would you really want that relationship written and created by a company with DC's track record in those matters?

Of course that does not mean, that this should hold true for every and all versions of Booster and Ted. In the comics alone there are Cowboy-versions of them, evil ones, gender-switched and animal variants. Add to that all the other media formats like cartoons, web-serials, shows and the like. Demanding that none of those versions that exist or will exist should only be allowed to platonic friends would be insane.

Lastly, also a most likely less rare reason, their friendship is just too unique for my taste to changed into something else. They are pretty much the gold standard for super-hero friends that creators give as an example when they try to describe what kind of dynamic they try to go for with their characters.

 Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 6:22 PM
@M "I just don't trust DC with any romantic relationships." Ooh, yes, very much this. Because of the very nature of long term storytelling in American comics, a breakup would be inevitable. (Superman and Lois were split for the New 52, and look what DC just did with Hawkman!) I don't need that kind of strife in relationships I want to see work out. And I want Booster and Ted to always be there for each other!

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Part of what I said to Walter during the exchange above, that I'll include here: The argument some people make against it being that 'there aren't enough platonic male friendships!' It's never been one backed by reality: History is resplendent with them. DC even has a whole line based on them (World's Finest) and the Superman and Batman friendship is older than Booster himself by quite a bit.

In fact, the buddy-dynamic -- even the deep, intense buddy dynamic -- is all over our media. What we don't have a whole hell of a lot of is good queer rep; even now that we're getting crumbs of it (which seems like a lot since for a long time there was literally none at all), there is room for more.

Though, I do appreciate the idea that you can't entirely trust DC with a romantic relationship. LOL! On the other hand, I notice that they are taking considerably more care with their queer relationships than they do their long-term het ones. And it's also true that there is at least one timeline they actually are together (TTG), and a heavily implicated second timeline where Booster and Ted are -- if not explicitly in a relationship -- then as close as you can possibly get (Injustice2). You can probably comfortably call that a queer-platonic relationship, which is a relatively new term.

However, my discussion with Walter was less about that relationship and more about Booster himself; personally, I think that boy's queerer than a two dollar bill, but not necessarily gay. I'd argue pansexual or maybe even demisexual (which falls under asexuality and which can also neatly explain how someone that good looking and with some genuine charm when he doesn't try can fail so bad at romance). Ted certainly comes across more straight; not only more straight, but more comfortable in that. (Ie, he might make cracks that were products of the era, but he also straight up starts a barfight with some homophobes without a second thought in Extreme Justice.)

Any which way, Rob, your headcanons are valid! But then again, so are mine. XD

Thanks for sharing the platform, Walter!

Brandon posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Honestly, the idea that Beetle and Booster might have some sort of romantic aspect to their friendship has never crossed my mind.

Fire and Ice on the other hand...

Also, I echo Rob Snow's statement that Booster will marry Trixie. She is unquestionably the love of his life in my book.

As much as I respect Dan Jurgens, I find how he failed to utilize Trixie (a character he created) in volume 2 to be a completely baffling decision.

Brandon posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 11:08 PM
One thing I'd like to see at some point with Booster is how his attitude toward sexuality and gender roles differ based on the fact that he's from 500 years in the future. Have we ever seen that?

 Boosterrific [Official Comment] posted on Feb. 7, 2025 at 11:48 PM

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 8, 2025 at 5:53 PM
@Brandon: He didn't write the majority of Vol. 2. (The majority of Vol. 2, which could also very accurately be subtitled 'Prima facie evidence on how much Michael Carter loves Ted Kord *regardless* of how you choose to interpret that love'.) He did sort of hint to Terri/Booster in Blue & Gold, though! And even though I wince at how Dan chose to write Terri in Vol. 1 -- and no disrespect, but the man still isn't good at writing women all these years later -- it was clear she had a thing for him.

I actually totally agree that Terri is almost certainly Rip's mother, I just don't think that precludes Booster being queer as hell himself. Or infatuated with his best friend. XD As a mother of two children whose first spouse was a man and who is now joyfully married to another woman, I can confidently say that sexuality is both bendable AND fluid. (I grew up in a very rural and isolated kind of way, so I was absolutely queer when I was twelve, yet still married a man. There's a lot more to that story, but what I'm saying is that it's no binary and not set in stone.)

And I think that in 2025, acknowledging that fact -- that sexuality is not strictly defined nor is it the same over a lifetime -- shouldn't really be open for debate. Nor do I think it would even be an issue at all, let alone defined in ANY terms, by the 25th Century, which is why I think it makes a really interesting story if you *did* examine what a queer kid from that future would see in the 1980s and how that would really look through his eyes.

As for Booster's views on gender, Walter citing that is a good one. Another thing is that he doesn't seem to give into toxic masculinity, not in his first book where it would be most obvious given the era, nor in later books. I'd say, sadly, the WORST offenders in that would be Dan himself in Time Masters and Giffen/DeMatteis in the Super Buddies era, but over the past four decades, Booster's actually been downright refreshingly resistant to being shoved into modern day molds in that regard.

Jade posted on Feb. 9, 2025 at 10:53 AM
@Morgenstern -- Fair point, but unfortunately, Booster and Ted have already had their own parade of relationship tragedy even with that relationship being friendship. They're doomed one way or another.

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
@Jade - I'd venture they might actually be *less* doomed if they were to end up together. LOL! DC seems to be trying pretty hard to avoid the 'bury your gays' trope these days, so it could actually work as a shield.

Jade posted on Feb. 9, 2025 at 12:40 PM
@SLW -- Ha, true... Though I don't think I could handle Booster, too, getting the token treatment my boy Jon's been getting the past few years (if that happened, Jurgen-made guys really would be cursed.)

Also, I'm of Walter's inclination (I just roll with what's canon), though I've noticed precisely the same things as you (the notes you made about his love interests, all the outstanding stuff with his Ted infatuation, literally everything you mentioned), and while I think it'd make perfect sense if Booster was revealed to be completely gay (Ted was always much more girl crazy than Booster -- Booster seemed to often go along/perform to fit the times as you said & spend time w/ Ted), I definitely think it'd be a completely one-sided attraction to BB. I'm pretty positive Ted is heterosexual. Booster doesn't make himself a strong case. (Right now, I'm thinking about that time in Extreme Justice when Ted buddied out with the new Firestorm and Booster stayed at home drinking and brooding over his jealousy).

Also, @Brandon, yeah... Fire and Ice make an even more compelling case. Bea especially.

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 9, 2025 at 1:04 PM
@Jade - "(I just roll with what's canon)" I mean-- they literally are on-screen and Word of God canon in one piece of official DC-owned media and heavily implied *something* in another. XD So you're totally allowed to roll with this, too.

And honestly, I am mostly with you on Ted being straight. He's actually HAD multiple relationships. Successful ones! With beautiful women! His lack-of-game was purely a Giffen/DeMatteis invention, and while I think they actually did some things better with Booster than Jurgens did, despite Dan creating him, I think they absolutely handled Ted worse than everyone prior. I just wrote a review about a week ago on my substack-- actually, lemme include the link above -- about the first issue of Ted's 80s solo. Personally, my favorite Ted is the one from that book; smart and multi-faceted, still funny, kinda goofy, genuinely badass, wholly decent. Rather than the neurotic mess he got turned into during the JLI era.

Oh god, tho, yeah with regards to Booster absolutely acting like a jilted lover in Extreme Justice, long before the Super Buddies callout. Then when Ted and Scott are having their mutual admiration society in JLI: Booster gets pissy, Bea tries to get Booster to pay attention to her new outfit instead and her charms completely fail. This undeniably beautiful woman in a very sexy outfit, but he's clearly too busy being mad about Ted and Scott; he's got his head turned away and turns on the sarcasm and I am left wondering where anyone thinks that is straight behavior. XD

I do think Ted probably felt intensely enough at points he *could* have made an exception (see: sexuality is fluid and there are exceptions to every rule), but yeah, I don't think he ever did then off-screen. Which really kinda adds to the tragedy. He seems more amenable/less in-denial to the idea post-Rebirth, though. And Booster's still acting like a particularly devoted husband. "Don't tell Ted, he worries." I mean, c'mon. XD

Luthier posted on Feb. 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Romantically, Platonically, Brotherly, whatever they are as long as Blue and Gold love each other in some way then I'm down!

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 10, 2025 at 4:59 PM
@Luthier - You have now just become one of my new best friends. 🥰''

Cycad posted on Feb. 11, 2025 at 6:08 PM
This may seem weird, but as much as I ship Boostle (my second favorite DC ship just behind Halbarry), I actually prefer their canon relationship to be platonic (same with Halbarry).

I've never been a fan of romantic elements in fictions, maybe because they're often done poorly, distract from the main story, or I'm just not interested. I enjoy friendships a lot more because they're simpler and purer (not saying romantic love can't be that, but it's rarely so). I love Booster and Ted's relationship, it's a great example of how two people can love each other to the death without it being romantic. I always get the impression that the two are like brothers, and that's something I can relate to. For me, it's fun to fantasize how they would be as a couple, but I would hate to see their canon relationship being complicated by romance.

And because I generally don't care about romance, I don't care about their sexuality either. Straight or queer, I basically roll my eyes at anything romantic lol

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
@Cycad - Quick note, but romance and sexuality are commonly regarded different things.

Cycad posted on Feb. 11, 2025 at 8:03 PM
@SLW - I understand the difference between romance and sexuality, but the two often go hand-in-hand in media. A character's sexuality is often demonstrated by whom they romance with, making them indistinguishable sometimes.

Sorry, "purer" is a poor choice of word on my part. As you said, it's what we do that counts, friends can be good or terrible too. My focus was more on "simpler" as I've experienced how romantic/sexual interests can sour/complicate or even end friendships. I was just explaining why I personally prefer Booster and Ted's relationship to be platonic.

The main point of my comment was that despite shipping Boostle, I don't want it to be canon. I much prefer it stays platonic, as weird as that sounds. Shippers are often seen as irrational fans who insist their ships are canon or demand them to be, I just wanted to point out that some of us understand platonic relationships exist and actually prefer that. Since the original post was about respectful difference of opinions, I just wanted to share that people like myself exist too

SLW (Steff) posted on Feb. 11, 2025 at 8:23 PM
@Cycad - That's fair! It's very much each to our own in terms of media consumption and what we want to view/see/read/etc. I was more just trying to get a feel for your specific definitions for the sake of understanding.

Though despite shipping Booster and Ted myself, my whole original discussion was still on queerness moreso than on shipping. LOL!