Merge:Living Lightning

Living Lightning (Miguel Santos) grew up in East LA, and is an occasional member of the Avengers.

Character history
Miguel's father, Carlos, was a member of an extremist group called Legion of the Living Lightning. In a misguided attempt by the Legion to gain control of the Hulk, Carlos was killed. Hoping to salvage his father's name, Miguel broke into the Legion's headquarters to learn more about their work. While exploring, Miguel unwittingly turned on one of the Legion's machines and was transformed into a being of living energy.

Initially, a confused Miguel clashed with the West Coast Avengers and was apparently killed during the conflict. Later, he turned up alive and under the control of a villain, Doctor Demonicus. After a brief, unwilling foray into crime, Miguel joined the Avengers. While he occasionally serves with the team, Miguel gave up active membership to concentrate on his studies.

Sexuality
During his tenure in the West Coast Avengers, Miguel dated women, among them a woman called, Mona. Later, though, Miguel was approached by members of the Great Lakes Avengers, who hoped to recruit them for their team. When he heard the teams acronym (GLA), Miguel mistook them for the Gay/Lesbian Alliance and inadvertently revealed to GLA member, Flatman, that he was gay.

Writer Dan Slott commented in an interview about his decision to out Living Lightning: "He's gay. Get over it. Previous girlfriends? Beards. Or relationships that just didn't work - because Miguel hadn't come to terms yet with who he really is. Miguel is a gay superhero and a wonderful role model."

Powers and abilities
In his true form, Living Lightning is just that, a sentient electrical force with no mass. In this form, he can fly, reaching sub-light speeds, withstanding the vacuum of space, and is impervious to most physical and energy attacks. He also possesses the ability to fire and manipulate bursts of electricity and electrical fields of varying intensities in his solid form, however, he must wear a special containment suit to retain a solid form.