Pied Piper was DC Comics first successful gay superhero, even though Extrano came first and Piper started out as a villain. All in all, Pied Piper’s evolution as an early gay character is worth exploring.

(Featured artwork of Pied Piper and his partner, David Singh, is by Luciano Vecchio.)

Pied Piper’s Unremarkable Beginnings (1959)

Honestly, in the beginning, Pied Piper was one of least interesting villains of the Flash’s rogue’s gallery. Other rogues, as written by the underappreciated John Broome, had interesting personality quirks–an innovation of Broome’s that insured the enduring popularity of the characters. Captain Cold was prone to romantic obsessions, Mirror Master took a self-improvement course, Abra Kadabra was a magician from the future who craved applause. Pied Piper just was a bad guy with a pipe that could hypnotize others and other sound-based technologies.

Despite being one of the Flash’s less interesting villains, Piper became a regular member of the Rogues, a group of Flash foes who regularly socialized and schemed together. But his personality was never elaborated upon by Broome or for many years by subsequent writers.

Piper’s Back Story Finally Provided (1982)

It wasn’t until 1982 that then regular Flash scribe Cary Bates decided it was long past time to add some depth to the Pied Piper character. He even incorporated the character’s lack of back story in the opening splash page of The Flash 307 (3/82), writing: “Of all the costumed criminals in the scarlet speedster’s roster of long-time foes, only he remained a mystery! Only he knew the curse of the secret past that haunted his every crime!” To say his secret past “haunted” him seemed a bit of an exaggeration, but Bates did manage to come up with a credible explanation for the precise nature of the Pied Piper’s criminal career.

It emerged for the first time that Hartley Rathaway (Piper’s alter ego) was born deaf and came from a wealthy family. It made for an interesting story but did little to elevate the Pied Piper to the top of Flash’s favorite foes. And nothing regarding his sexuality was revealed other than a single panel that raised the creepy possibility that Piper may have used his flute to influence women into liking him.

Then, in 1986, during a famous storyline in DC’s limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen, aka the Flash, died! Among the many changes that followed in DC’s comic book line-up, Wally West, Allen’s junior sidekick Kid Flash, took on the mantle of the Flash. A new comic book of the same name was launched with a new issue number one. And a new writer named William Messner Loeb was hired to chronicle Wally West’s adventures.

William Messner-Loeb’s Radical Revision (1988)

Messner-Loeb openly acknowledged that he was uninterested in simply writing stories about Barry Allen’s rogues’ gallery, which he correctly felt would do little to establish Wally West as his own character with his own issues. There were sporadic appearances of the old villains but ironically the only one that Messner-Loeb’s seemed interested in developing was the least interesting one, Pied Piper.

In some ways, the choice made sense. Pied Piper–despite numerous appearances–remained largely unexplored territory. Given Hartley Rathaway’s background as a child of wealth, Messner-Loeb’s reimagined him as someone disillusioned with the privilege afforded by that wealth. Reintroduced in Flash vol. 2 #20 (12/88), this Pied Piper was something of a socialist Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to empower the poor. A special interest of this Piper was homeless children.

This new Pied Piper allowed Messner-Loeb to explore social issues in greater depth. And such a sympathetic treatment of the character made it nearly inevitable that the character would soon give up his villainous ways and become a good friend of Wally West’s. But issues of economic inequity were not the only issues Messner-Loeb saw the Pied Piper as being a vehicle to explore.

Pied Piper Comes Out (1991)

Hartley Rathaway was one of several supporting characters who appeared semi-regularly in the adventures of Wally West as the Flash. But it was not until issue #53 (8/91) that the Pied Piper’s sexual orientation was revealed.

It happened in low key fashion. The Flash and Piper are having a casual conversation atop a rooftop after a particularly harrowing adventure. The two get to talking about the Joker of all people.

Wally asks Hartley, as a former villain, if he ever heard the rumors that the Joker is gay.

Piper replies, “I doubt he has real human feelings of any kind. He’s not gay, Wally” Hartley pauses. “In fact, I can’t think of any super-villain who is. Well, except me, of course.”

Wally tries to play it cool, but is flustered by the news. Wally, in this series, is portrayed as being a bit more conservative than the average hero at the time. But by story’s end, he has utilized Hartley in helping him defeat a villain plaguing both Wally and a guest starring Superman.

Wally introduces Superman to “my pal, the Pied Piper.” Then adds, “See, I’ve got a talent for picking friends!”

Messner-Loebs and regular artist Larry Larocque chose to portray Hartley/Piper in somewhat unconventional fashion. Compared to conventionally handsome and athletic Wally West as the Flash, the Pied Piper is a bit pudgy with long hair and a pleasantly roundish face. Hartley is also stuck with his later fifties green and white polka dot outfit that makes him seem a bit ridiculous in appearance. He is something of a trickster so it all made a certain sense. But, in balance, as DC’s lone gay hero, the look was probably less than ideal.

William Messner-Loebs gave up writing the Flash in 1992 in order to pursue the dream opportunity of writing Wonder Woman. In his final issue of the Flash (#61, 4/92), Messner-Loebs reflects on his time writing Flash in that issue’s letters page. “People ask me how I was able to do stories about the homeless, or economic democracy or the Piper’s coming out; well, if you don’t have an editor willing to stand the gaff and take the heat from the occasional letter writer, you won’t accomplish anything. Barbara (Kesel) and Brian (Augustyn) are those kind of editors. The best kind.”

Hartley Gets a Makeover and Boyfriend (1994)

When Mark Waid took over as writer of the Flash, he was less invested in telling the sort of social issues stories that Messner-Loebs did and more interested in crafting tales that explored relationships. And with him came a series of artists who were inclined to render a more masculine and fit Pied Piper. The character appeared less often, but when he did, his scientific prowess rather than his political ideals were emphasized. And along the way, without fanfare, Piper showed up for coffee with Wally and his girlfriend Linda with a boyfriend named James.

The conversation between the two couples flowed naturally, conveying an equivalency in their relationships without any heavy handed message. Waid’s treatment of Pied Piper marked the next stage of the character’s evolution as a fully fleshed out human being. It also reflected a more accepting social climate where it was assumed readers were ready not only to accept a gay character but also one who actually had a romantic life.

Perhaps not coincidentally, Pied Piper also was given a new, more suitably super-heroic costume in Flash #120 (12/96). When included in a storyline, Piper now fought alongside Wally West/Flash as a legitimate super-hero with sonic powers.

A Darker Piper Caught Between Two Lives

No writer/artist team on any superhero comic book lasts forever and Mark Waid’s acclaimed run ended in 2000. Geoff Johns took over as writer soon afterward. Johns has developed a reputation for recrafting the heroes he takes over, amplifying the elements that work and redesigning those in his mind don’t work. It seems clear that Johns felt an angst-free Pied Piper wasn’t working.

In short order, Piper is framed for the murder of his parents by a new, more sinister Mirror Master. While in prison, Piper develops a rapport with the rats associated with his namesake.

Breaking out of prison, and after a time on the run, Piper is offered an opportunity by another Flash foe, the Trickster, who has also turned over a new leaf. Now working for the F.B.I., the Trickster offers Piper an opportunity to work for the government.

A battle between the reformed Rogues and the still criminal ones ultimately takes place. It turns out that the Rogues who went straight (so to speak) actually had been brainwashed to do so. When the brainwashing is undone, Pied Piper once again becomes a villain. It is only when Wally West/Flash unmasks that Piper recalls their friendship and once again sides with the angels. Happy ending? Hardly. The Flash disappears and, lonely, Piper connects up with the Rogues again.

It seems fair to say that Geoff Johns wasn’t entirely certain of what he wanted to do with the character. Additionally, the character wasn’t given enough time to have the numerous twists and turns pay off emotionally.

Johns was done with Pied Piper, but new writers were just as inclined to chart a rocky road for the character.

Countdown to the Anti-Life Equation (2007-2008)

Pied Piper was selected to be one of several featured characters in an experimental weekly comic book series entitled Countdown that was scheduled to run for an entire year. This would seem like a positive development for gay characters who rarely got such featured status. But the storyline was a decided mixed bag as far as the Pied Piper was concerned. The premise for the plotline was that the Trickster and the Piper were working undercover to expose the Rogues when said villains “accidentally” killed the newest iteration of the Flash, one Bart Allen. Fearing that they would be blamed for the murder, Piper and the Trickster go on the run.

The two characters are largely played for comic relief, portrayed as a largely inept gay/straight odd couple with all of the “humor” one might expect from the arrangement. The pair make the mistake of trying to hideout in Gotham City, beginning in Countdown #41 (7/18/07), where they encounter the Penguin, the Suicide Squad, Batwoman, The Question, Poison Ivy and finally, inevitably Batman in turn. Batwoman and the Question believe them when they say they didn’t kill Bart Allen, thinking them too stupid to be guilty.

The storyline, though, suddenly turns very dark when the Trickster is murdered by Desaad, an treacherous underling of DC’s ultimate villain, Darkseid. Desaad is interested in breaking Pied Piper’s spirit because given Piper’s ability to use his flute to bend the will of others to do his bidding, he is a valuable part of Darkseid’s scheme to spread his anti-life equation (destroying free will is an essential element of anti-life) across the planet.

While Piper has been demeaned throughout the Countdown series, he ended up being a key figure in defeating Darkseid’s grand scheme, though the metaphysics of it as portrayed in Countdown #9 (4/08) is a bit murky.

Though Piper appears to make the ultimate sacrifice, he appears shaken but unscathed in the final issue of the series, Countdown #1. (True to its name, the numbering of Countdown issues started with #52 and counted down from there.) Shaken but unscathed, Piper vows to make good use of his miraculous survival and fight on the side of the angels going forward.

Unfortunately, this star treatment didn’t lead to Piper being more heavily featured in stories going forward. If anything, the character receded back into relative obscurity. And this darker aspect of Pied Piper’s powers wasn’t used in subsequent stories until recently.

Pied Piper, Captain Singh and Barry Allen (2012, 2015)

Not long after the Piper’s featured role in Countdown, in 2011, the entire DC line of comic books was rebooted, a company-wide effort branded as “The New 52.” It was an effort to relaunch its heroes as younger and less experienced. As a creative move, it was largely unsuccessful.

As to how it impacted Pied Piper, Hartley Rathaway was reintroduced to readers as a successful maestro with a checkered past and the boyfriend of Barry Allen’s closeted boss, Captain David Singh. Some interesting conflicts are set up but never followed up on by writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato.

New writers Robert Venditti and Van Jensen pick up the threads of Piper’s story a few years later in Flash #41 (8/15) by having Hartley move in with Barry to share expenses. What Barry didn’t realize was that Piper’s pet rat, Moon, would be moving in as well, causing Barry quite a scare.

Meanwhile, Captain Singh is still worrying about the impact on his career if anyone would discover he was gay, even worrying that reporter Iris West could potentially out him.

Singh gains perspective, however, when he is almost killed in an explosion in Flash #45 (12/15) and impulsively kisses Hartley in public for all the world to see.

It’s interesting to note that in this new iteration, Hartley is never shown as the Piper. That changes with issue #51, when Piper shows up in full garb on a motor cycle, rescuing Barry Allen/Flash from the collective threat of the still criminal Rogues.

Piper and Singh Join the Zombie Resistance

In an alternative timeline, DC’s superheroes square off against zombies, including some of who they counted among their own. In a follow-up to the original series, DCeased: Hope at World’s End (2021) featured a group of heroes including Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Piper and David Singh. The group also featured the non-binary Aerie and their girlfriend Wink. Lex Luthor also joined the resistance, and it was he who recognized that if Piper’s music could control people, it could also attract the “anti-living,” aka zombies. Drawing a hoard of zombies with his flute, Piper enabled the others to send them to an alternative realm. Uncertain if he would survive, just as happened in Countdown, this time Piper returns to share a passionate kiss with David Singh.

There have only been three short stories that featured Piper as the lead character. One of them was published in 2020 and also highlighted Piper’s power to rob people of their free will. In DC’s Crimes of Passion, a one-shot anthology featuring tales of dark romance, a wealthy man named Roman Richards invites Hartley to his mansion despite David Singh’s instincts that it’s a bad idea to go. It turns out that Richards had been one of the employees at the bank Piper tried to rob years before on the occasion of his first caper. Richards found the experience of surrendering his will to another freeing and pleads with Hartley to play his flute again for him.

“Take my fortune, my home,” Richards pleads. “Take me.”

Piper starts to play, and Richards’ look is ecstatic. But Piper only makes him fall asleep. “I’m the one whose taken, actually,” he replies.

Final Thoughts

The Pied Piper’s evolution as a character mirrors society’s increasing comfort with queer stories. From being portrayed as a seemingly asexual gay man, Piper was then shown in a model relationship, was featured in stories that diminished him, and finally shown in a complicated relationship and in adventures that didn’t revolve around his sexuality but didn’t shy away from it either. All that remains is for Piper to be featured in his own comic book with a cast of supporting characters all his own.

Mark Carlson-Ghost

Key Appearances of the Pied Piper

The Flash 106, 138, 155, 293, 307, 333-338, 346, many others (5/59-6/85)

Flash (volume 2) 20, 31-32, 35, 44, 46-47, 51, 53, 56-58, 60-61, 67, 74, 80, 82, 90, 93, 97-100, 106, 112, 118, 120-121, 127-128, 140, 154-157, 168-170, 178-179, 190, 215-218, 220-226 (12/88-11/05)

The Flash Annual 10 (1997)

Countdown 51-49, 47-46, 44-36, 34-32, 26,-25, 22-21, 19-18, 12-9, 1 (5/9/07-4/23/08)

Flash (volume 3) 11-13 (6/07-7/07)

Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge 1-3 (9/08-11/08)

Flashpoint: Citizen Cold 1-3 (8/11-10/11)

Flash (volume 4) 8-9, 41, 43-45, 51-52 (6/12-7/16)

DC’s Crimes of Passion 1 (4/20)

DCeased: Hope at World’s End (a graphic novel, 2021)

DC Pride 1 (2021)