The latest Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League character is being transvestigated by bigots. (Warner Bros/Rocksteady)
Ill-intentioned gamers are speculating that Mr Freeze may be trans in Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League after images reportedly showing the character’s design were leaked.
The term transvestigating, a mash-up of the words “trans” and “investigating”, refers to a conspiracy theory that an individual, typically a woman, is actually transgender and hiding it.
A screenshot of designs for the androgynous-looking Mr Freeze were allegedly first leaked by independent journalist Miller Ross, but quickly faced a copyright notification.
The picture shows Freeze with short, spikey hair which, of course, right-wing bigots cannot abide.
Various publications and pundits have been wracking their brains trying to figure out whether this incarnation of Mr Freeze is trans, which has yet to be confirmed, while proclaiming that the Warner Bros Interactive title is officially woke.
Some have decided that the character is a trans woman, while others said the new villain is a “non-binary Karen they/them”, while studying the character’s chest for proof.
“Now they’ve made a character transgender. Take note of Mrs Freeze’s chest,” one user wrote. “That’s not a woman.”
The conspiracy theories continued with some claiming that Warner Bros Interactive was trying to “push transgenderism” and that the game’s poor sales were due to “wokeness.”
While the 2024 video game reportedly lost $200 million (£157 million) in the first quarter of this year, reviewers mostly agreed that this was due to the game’s less-than-desirable gameplay and a perceived lack of support from developer Rocksteady.
The looter shooter’s update in May didn’t help the game’s dwindling reputation, with users commenting negatively on a set of new character skins for the various members of the squad.
Nonetheless, anti-trans right-wingers have continued to blame the game’s lack of success on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy’s same-sex romance while transvestigating Freeze’s new design.
Transvestigating has become a common occurrence among anti-trans groups, particularly gamers, who claim that realistic depictions of women, such as Mary Jane from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 or Aloy, in the Horizon series, are secretly transgender.
The conspiracies can affect real people, too, with notable names, including Taylor Swift, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama and even Paul McCartney, being subjected to transvestigation.