Barrowman and Capt. America???

With Marvel finally looking to bring Captain America to the big screen in his own feature and as part of The Avengers, stars with stripes like Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey are consistently attached to the comic book visage of Steve Rogers via rumor.

Now, a surprise name has entered the fray all the way from The Torchwood Institute in Cardiff. John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness from Russell T. Davies' Doctor Who and Torchwood) said at Comic-Con via published report that his representatives have been in discussions for the busy actor to play the USA's greatest defender.If it should come to pass, the casting should spur some interesting discussion on the fan boards.

Barrowman is a good actor who has exploded onto the sci-fi genre fan radar with his prominent role on the internationally popular Doctor Who and its spinoff series. He certainly has the square-jawed look and the ability to pull off both action sequences and the inner turmoil and alienation Cap must live with after he's thawed from the ice.

But, Barrowman is openly homosexual and has taken a very vocal, aggressive lead in promoting gay rights issues. He recently took part in an interesting series of tests to learn if his sexual preferences were the result of nature or nurture. But (and don't shoot the messenger here) while the politically correct thing to say is that his lifestyle choice should have no impact on what parts he can play, there will unavoidably be those who balk at the idea of Captain America being played by "a gay Canadian." (He qualifies for only one of the above as he has dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, but that was this reporter's attempt at an "ugly (Captain) American" impression.)Watch this space to discover if General Ross' Super Soldier program is "Don't ask. Don't tell."