Danny the Street

Danny the Street is a fictional comic book character appearing in comics by the American publisher DC Comics. Danny is a living and sentient piece of urban geography who can magically and seamlessly place himself in any urban landscape at will without any disruption to his surroundings. He can freely interact with any other sapient being through various forms of visual printing within his proximity.

The character was created by Grant Morrison and Richard Case and first appeared in Doom Patrol #35 (August 1990).^[1] Morrison's character was described as a transvestite male – a street with macho establishments like a gun shop, a hardware store and an Army/Navy store, but elaborately decorated with frills, flowers and fairy lights. Danny communicated through text on signs, in a "camp" lingo studded with Polari phrases.^[2] His name is a pun on drag queen Danny La Rue, as la rue is French for 'the street'.^[3] This has been discussed as part of Morrison's intention to "deconstruct notions of heroic masculinity" in Doom Patrol.^[4]

Danny the Street appeared on the first three seasons of the Doom Patrol television series for DC Universe and HBO Max, portrayed as genderqueer, using "they/them" pronouns. Critics have remarked on the positive portrayal of a non-binary character in a superhero show as emotionally fulfilling for viewers who identify as queer.^[5]