Marvel Comics announced last week that it will soon unveil Mighty Avengers, a monthly title starring mostly heroes of color, a fact that has some fans referring to the team as the " Black Avengers ." Fans did the same, just as lovingly, with a new all-female X-Men team, which was rapidly dubbed "X-Ladies."

Some are reading these titles as a cynical attempt by Disney-owned Marvel to win over new markets. Others argue that the industry has made a concerted effort to reflect a changing society. The idea of an almost all black Avengers team would have been unthinkable even a few short years ago. There's probably a kernel of truth to both views.

As those debates go on in fan chat rooms, we decided it to use this opportunity to create a hypothetical gay X-Men team.

A huge amount of the openly gay characters in Marvel's stable are already aligned with the famous group of mutants, and those who aren't are so closely linked, ie: Magneto's grandson, Wiccan, that they'll blend right in. So will easily forgotten Hector, a hero seen here sunbathing with fellow gay hero Northstar in a 1995 edition of Marvel's Swimsuit Illustrated.

Not only are these solid characters with tremendously useful, if not repetitive, powers, many of them are also lovers, which can only help group cohesion. So, without further ado, a dream team of same-sex loving X-Men. And, yes, Rictor is obviously a key player.

SLIDESHOW: A GAY X-MEN DREAM TEAM