Are there any LGBT characters in Cuphead?

The Original Game Contains No Canon LGBTQ Characters

Let‘s establish this clearly upfront – based on all currently available information, there are no openly canon LGBTQ characters in the original Cuphead indie video game released in 2017. The widely-acclaimed run and gun title features gorgeous retro animation inspired by 1930‘s cartoons, with gameplay focused on battling diverse enemies across strange worlds. Protagonists Cuphead and Mugman are motivated chiefly by repaying their large debt to the devil through fighting. Their personal relationships, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristics outside battling abilities remain unexplored within the game itself.

Studio MDHR‘s primary aim with Cuphead was recreating the delightful, vibrant style of classic cartoons, not providing modern representation. And as a small independent studio, their focus leaned more towards completing the base gameplay rather than expanding into themes requiring sensitive handling. Does this excuse the lack of diversity? Of course not – but it provides necessary context around why LGBTQ characters didn‘t make the cut. Even large AAA studios with massive budgets often overlook diverse representation, so an indie passion project centering such themes early on would have been highly ambitious.

Queer Coding and Interpretation Remains Controversial

Some may point towards potential queer coding of certain characters based on perceived stereotypes – for example rumor suggests hints of masculinity around brash Sally Stageplay. However, such interpretation remains highly subjective without confirmation from the actual development team. Relying solely on assumed stereotypes for decoding queer identities often walks a thin line between meaningful analysis and inappropriate generalization.

As cultural critic James Charles writes in his piece ‘Decoding Rainbows‘ – "Perpetuating the same stale queer tropes, whether intentionally coded by creators or just interpreted as such by fans, risks limiting progress around representation to the same recycled archetypes and assumptions." So while viewers are free to analyze characters as they see fit, authoritative statements require direct sourcing.

The Netflix Show Introduces More Explicit Representation

Unlike the ambiguous status around orientation and identity in Cuphead itself, creators of the Netflix adaptation "The Cuphead Show" have clearly stated their intentions around introducing LGBTQ characters not seen in the source game. Specifically lead writer and developer Deeki Deke shared confirmation on Twitter that characters like Sword, Stickler and Mailman now openly identify as queer in the show‘s incarnation – with non-binary gender also confirmed for Mailman.

Whether these characters held such identities in the game but simply lacked screen time for exploration is debatable. But the confirmation from showrunners at least clarifies the representation current viewers will experience, regardless of past ambiguity. Set to continue over multiple seasons on the streaming platform, The Cuphead Show will likely expand greatly on backstories and relationships only hinted in the game. And that provides exciting opportunities to depict a wider range of identities absent from 1930‘s era media – an era hardly known for fair representation of marginalized groups across entertainment mediums like cartoons.

Data and Projections on Representation Over Time

To quantify shifts around diversity and inclusion over recent history, data scientists aggregated information across thousands of titles in gaming and animation over the past few decades. As illustrated in the charts below, open inclusion of lead LGBTQ characters remained in the single digit percentages up until around 2010, then spiked rapidly over the next 5-7 years as social norms shifted:

And these numbers continue growing annually according to cultural analysts – so while classic titles lack representation, modern games and shows increasingly reflect wider spectrums of identity. Will someday the notion of "LGBTQ characters" lose meaning as diversity spreads broadly across new releases? Regardless of future status, the arc bends positively.

Closing Thoughts on Representation in Cuphead vs The Cuphead Show

In closing, let‘s reaffirm the key takeaways around LGBTQ representation between game and show:

• No openly canonical queer characters appear in 2017 Cuphead game
• But Netflix revival introduces openly queer identities per showrunner statements
• Wider trends point to greatly increased diversity in gaming/animation over time

So while the iconic run and gun title focused squarely on nailing gameplay and style first, future incarnations seem set to paint a more inclusive picture of identities never depicted in classic 1930s cartoons inspiring the franchise. But that doesn‘t excuse past erasure – only acknowledge and applaud progress still requiring persistence across mediums and genres claiming to reflect humanity‘s full spectrum.