DC Comics and Gretchen Felker-Martin have cut ties following her controversial remarks celebrating the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
According to the trans writer who identifies using pronouns, she will no longer work for DC Comics.
Following her comments, after only one issue being released, DC canceled her Red Hood series.
Background With DC
Felker-Martin was brought on by DC editor Arianna Turturro in early 2024 to launch a new Red Hood series.
From the beginning, she warned DC that her online presence often drew controversy, telling editors, “As soon as you hire me, you’re going to get between five and a hundred of the craziest people you’ve ever met in your life, screaming for my head and yours.”
In the months leading up to Red Hood’s release, Felker-Martin became a lightning rod for criticism, due to her controversial comments. On September 3, the Algemeiner Journal ran a story highlighting her past social media posts, accusing her of celebrating the “October 7 massacre,” which prompted DC executives to voice concern internally.
Doubles down on Charlie Kirk contempt
According to Felker-Martin, editors first raised concerns in late August, with DC’s Rob Levin and Turturro urging her to be mindful of her online tone. DC confirmed such a call took place, emphasizing they wanted her to consider the intended audience for her posts.
The situation escalated on September 10, the day after Red Hood #1 reached stores, when Felker-Martin publicly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
She later admitted it was “poor impulse control,” but doubled down on her contempt for Kirk, describing him as a “loathsome person” who had long advocated for harm against people like her, telling The Comics Journal:
“It just didn’t strike me as an especially hot flashpoint. This is such a loathsome person. Everyone on the entire internet is talking about how pleasant it is that he got his. … I saw that he had died in the middle of spreading more of the bigotry that he spent his every waking moment promulgating, and in a way that he had advocated for others to die, and felt nothing but contempt for his life. I mean, this is a man who I’ve watched for years go on television and on enormous stages and convention halls and say that me and everyone like me should be stoned to death.”
She added:
“I said that I’ve listened to Charlie Kirk being an overt Nazi for years of my life, and I had no regrets for what I said about him.”
That same night, DC Editor-in-Chief Marie Javins called Felker-Martin directly, telling her the company could not defend the situation: “Any kind of promotion of violence or harm is unacceptable to them.”
Felker-Martin’s Response: No regrets
Felker-Martin told The Comics Journal she does not expect DC to offer her further work — and even if they did, she would decline.
“I have no desire to be part of any organization that wants to pretend that people like Charlie Kirk are decent human beings who deserve respect,” she said.
DC Comics’ response
Following her remarks about Charlie Kirk, in a notice sent to comic book retailers, DC said: “DC Comics cancels existing orders for Red Hood #2 and Red Hood #3, and any orders for future issues of the series. DC Comics will credit retailers for all invoiced copies of Red Hood #1, inclusive of copies that may have already been sold.”
When asked by PopVerse about the reasons behind the cancellation, DC Comics issued a broader statement: “At DC Comics, we place the highest value on our creators and community and affirm the right to peaceful, individual expression of personal viewpoints. Posts or public comments that can be viewed as promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC’s standards of conduct.”
