Metroid’s 40th Anniversary is an LGBTQ+ Celebration
August 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of Metroid, a legendary franchise that continues to shape modern gaming to this day.
Since its debut in 1986 Metroid has constantly pushed the limits of what action platformers can be. Whether it be the series’ inventive mechanics or its sci-fi storytelling, this tale of a relentless bounty hunter fighting to keep their galaxy safe helped turn Nintendo into the corporate juggernaut it is today.
But, beyond its wild profitability and gameplay, there is one main reason why Metroid stands as one of this industry’s most influential games: Samus Aran, resident bounty hunting badass and this franchise’s legendary protagonist – who incidentally, we named one of seven Ariana Grade-coded characters!
Samus made history the moment her identity was revealed at the end of the original Metroid; up until that point, most gamers had assumed that the bulky, Power Suit-wearing character they’d been playing as was a man. Because, until Samus, women in games didn’t really get the chance to actually be a part of the action. They served largely as background fodder or a damsel in distress for the ‘real’ heroes to save.
This character shirked these harmful stereotypes and challenged gaming’s preconceptions around how powerful women can truly be. Samus’ identity was a groundbreaking decision by the developers, and it opened the door for the insightful storytelling that would come to define Metroid as a franchise.
During the interstellar epic that is her fifteen games, players learn about Samus’ anxieties, her moral ambiguity, and the few people she still loves in this empty universe — and the horrific lengths she’ll go to defend them from Ridley and his diabolical space pirates. All of this development is paired seamlessly with Metroid’s trademark sci-fi action, with these narratives showing that along with depth, Samus has a deep well of raw physical power that even the strongest protagonists could only dream of.
Since her beginning, Samus was allotted both immense combat ability and a jaw-dropping amount of complexity, something that is (unfortunately) still a rarity for women in mainstream gaming. It’s what makes her such a fan-favorite to so many — including the countless queer players who find strength in her heroism today.
In almost every form of media, femininity is seen as a weakness, a trait that can only serve to weaken a person and make them subject to ridicule by others. It’s a real-world sentiment that has always harmed queer folks; many young queer men are ridiculed for expressing any form of femininity, whereas queer women are hyper-policed on if they’re showing the ‘right amount.’ LGBTQ+ individuals are taught to see this trait as a source of stress…so imagine when they see Samus, someone who uses it as a source of power?
As shown in Super Smash Bros., Samus without her Power Suit relishes in her appearance, showing that femininity isn’t some hurdle that people must overcome. Players aren’t given some handicap when Samus decides to shirk off her weaponry and stride across each stage in her iconic blue bodysuit. No, she’s shown to be as strong with this hulking accessory as she is without, subtly emphasizing a very important lesson: showing your femininity isn’t a weakness.
If it’s a person’s authentic expression, then it could only ever be a strength.
And that doesn’t even factor in the way Samus resonates with the transgender community! Many people actually believe Samus herself is transgender; one of the character’s initial designers stated that she was, a fact that many Nintendo officials have tried to discredit since her introduction. Whether canon or not, many trans gamers see themselves in Samus, both in how she embraces her identity and how she challenges the archaic gender roles that still plague the gaming space.
For all of these reasons and so, so much more, Samus has spent the past forty years making Metroid one of the queer communities’ most beloved gaming franchises. In a medium dominated by stereotypes, she stands out as a challenger. A character who revolutionized how women can be portrayed and showed the utter power that comes from embracing your truest self.
As we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Metroid, queer gamers commemorate the power we still gain from this galactic bounty hunter. Here’s hoping we get forty more years of Samus Aran kicking space pirate butt, and inspiring LGBTQ+ players everywhere to embrace their authentic power today.
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