History Main / GenderBender

* In the second issue of ''ComicBook/BodieTroll'', Bodie uses magic lipstick to turn into a human girl.
* Lucifer, in Joseph Michael Linsner's ''Dawn'' series, has been shown at least once to be able to take on a female form. Considering he is a former angel and [[spoiler:the gay lover of Ahura Mazda (the series' God analogue)]], this has some interesting potential ramifications.

** In ''ComicBook/ShadeTheChangingMan'', Shade's consciousness leaps into the body of a recently murdered woman. Unfortunately, he was unable to alter her body to resemble his old one until he solved her murder and put her soul at rest. This led to various comical scenes with Shade experiencing the MaleGaze, his first period and sex as a woman.
** The second ''ComicBook/InfinityInc.'' series, from the writer of ''Shade'', Peter Milligan, featured team member Fury, who involuntarily switches between genders.
** In ''ComicBook/ResurrectionMan'', title character Mitch Shelley spends a couple of issues as a woman, after being tortured to death several times (with each time being more painful than the last). His persecutor has a theory (opinions differ as to the amount of TruthInTelevision therein):
--->'''Mr. Bland:''' Women have appreciably higher pain thresholds than men. If Shelley reconfigures from each termination in a form suited to "protect" him from that method of death, then a female version would make sense.
** In ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'' #27, the Earth-2 version of Franchise/{{Superman}} finds himself in the body of his cousin ComicBook/PowerGirl, while the Earth-2 Franchise/{{Batman}} is in the body of his daughter, the Huntress. Both are placed in a RaceAgainstTheClock to determine what caused them to inhabit their new bodies, lest the consciousnesses of their hosts (unwillingly) override their own forever.
** In one issue of ''[[Franchise/GreenLantern Guy Gardner: Warrior]]'', the title character's demonic archenemy Dementor turns him into a woman ("Gal Gardner") for no clear reason, and later forces him/her to perform a fashion show for it by threatening hostages it has. (It would be highly cynical to suggest that the [[{{Doylist}} real]] reason was that, at the time, Guy was a rare example of a male character in a {{Stripperiffic}} costume, so naturally they wanted to [[http://www.comics.org/issue/230858/cover/4/ show]] what it looked like on a female character.)
** In ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'' stories, the trope has been used several times:
*** PlayedForDrama in an infamous {{Retcon}} that long-time supporting character Shvaughn Erin had been taking the gender-changing drug "[=ProFem=]" the entire time we'd known her. After going off the drug, she becomes "Sean."
*** "Grandin Gender Reversal Disease" causes a temporary change of gender. It temporarily transforms Matter-Eater Lad into Matter-Eater Lass as part of an infiltration mission.
*** PlayedForLaughs in a very silly ''Legion of Substitute Heroes'' one-shot, when Color Kid becomes Color Queen.
** Averted/Misdiagnosed once by ComicBook/AmbushBug in ''ComicBook/Supergirl1982'' #16. The Bug spends most of the story trying to cure ComicBook/{{Superman}} of the dastardly plot that transformed him into a young blonde woman. Despite his {{Genre Savv|y}}iness, he somehow was completely unaware of the existence of Super''girl''. He does, however, turn out to be GenreSavvy enough to figure out ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s secret identity at the end.
** ComicBook/{{Zatanna}}'s beautiful assistant Mikey is the result of an [[NoodleIncident unspecified]] magical Gender Bender. A "three years ago" dream sequence, depicts her as a burly male.[[note]]''Zatanna'' #13 (2011)[[/note]] {{Word of God}} from writer Paul Dini says "Zatanna didn't do it & can't reverse it; Mikey brought it on him/herself. Now Mikey's in an interesting place where she has to sort out her feelings about this." While there's a lot more to Mikey's story, with the book's cancellation, it doesn't seem likely that the story will be told any time soon, if ever. At the very least, Mikey does exhibit all three laws of gender bending to various degrees. Aside from her transformation which is said to be irreversible, Mikey has learned to live as a woman to a point; her fashion sense and personality remain very masculine, but she's not opposed to having to dress or active more feminine if need be.
** In a 1960 ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'' story, "Claire Kent: Super-Sister," Superboy is turned into a girl by a telepathic alien girl from a matriarchal planet who's insulted by Superboy's chauvinistic ''thoughts''. Superboy has to adjust to being a girl in both his secret and super identities... but in the end, it turns out to be AllJustADream.[[note]]''Superboy'' #78 (1960)[[/note]]
** Believe it or not, ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'s dog, Krypto, had not one, but ''two'' Red Kryptonite Gender Bender adventures!
*** "The Handsome Hound of Steel" has a plot that wouldn't be at all out of place in modern TG fiction. Krypto wants to change into a handsome collie to impress a female collie, but a Red K cloud ends up turning Krypto into a duplicate of the bitch he fancies -- and it turns out she's pregnant! Krypto actually delivers puppies in his altered form (though they vanish from existence when he changes back to normal.)[[note]]''Superboy'' #101 (1962)[[/note]]
*** In ''ComicBook/SupermanFamily'' #165: "Krypto's Three Amazing Transformations", a time-traveling Krypto gets turned into a cow (and definitely a female, because she gets milked!) And not just any cow, but [[http://www.comicbooktidbits.com/Krypto%27s%20Time%20Trip.htm the cow that started the great Chicago fire of 1871!]] (As it happens, the wrongly accused Mrs. O'Leary's cow was innocently grazing in a pasture at the time.)[[note]]''Superman Family'' #165 ( 1974)[[/note]]
** Given its premise (a dial that transforms its user into a random superheroic identity), you'd think this trope would have turned up in ''ComicBook/DialHForHero'' more often than this:

*** One storyline in the 2003-2005 ''H.E.R.O.'' revival had a chauvinistic male character use the dial, after which he turned into a buxom blonde female hero. Unfortunately he had no means of changing himself back. The story was ''not'' played for laughs, and included such low points as the hero being ''date-raped'' by his male best friend.
*** The ''ComicBook/New52'''s ''Dial H'' series introduces this concept in the third issue, when the main character learns he'll land in a female body "every few dials."
*** In the 2019 series, when Miguel is split into four [=SuperMiguels=], one of them (the one based on the Eradicator) is female.
** In ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'', Desire can be either gender whenever it wants to be and is frequently depicted with both male and female traits. In its first appearance, Desire greatly resembles ''another'' being who is "whatever it wants to be": Gozer from ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}''.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': The kreel are naturally gender benders, able to transition late in their lives, which is part of how they would naturally procreate as it was common for entire generations to be born one sex so some would ''have'' to change in order for there to be any children. This has been suppressed for centuries under the Sangtee Empire with reproduction now enabled by cloning.
** In the later parts of ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'', Timothy Hunter himself spends several issues in the form of a girl, thanks to an amulet that once belonged to his mother. Unlike many examples of the trope, he doesn't even find it remotely freaky to suddenly be of the opposite sex, just viewing it as a handy way to disguise his real identity (but then, this is hardly the first time he's changed shape, or had his shape changed for him, and most of the changes were decidedly freakier -- at least this time he is still human, walks on two legs and can wear normal clothes). Since he looks like a younger version of his mother, he adopts the name "Mary". Tim even responds positively to Charles Rowland (of the Dead Boy Detectives) flirting with him as "Mary" in a Winter's Edge story.

* Once, when ''ComicBook/GrooTheWanderer'' was ''The Most Intelligent Man in the World'', he accidentally got most of his supporting cast thrown into prison (it's a long story). [[HotWitch Arba]] and [[WitchClassic Dakarba]] have enough magic to transform everyone in the dungeon into ducks, but it takes [[ConMan Pal]] to suggest that a dungeon full of beautiful women [[ShowSomeLeg might be more useful]] for actually escaping.
* Monster Girl from ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a girl who can turn into a monster]] -- a MALE monster. She's even [[spoiler: fathered a son]] in monster form.

* In ''ComicBook/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', Tiresias' youngest daughter, Bio/Bion/Vita/Vito/Roland/Orlando, began to develop this ability at the age of ten.
* In the comic ''ComicBook/LockeAndKey'', by Creator/StephenKing's son Creator/JoeHill, one (of many) magic keys can open doors and allow whoever steps through them to swap genders.

** In ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'', Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, is the end result of the Ultimate Clone Saga. She is a clone of Peter Parker, implanted with his memories and genetically modified in vitro to be female and develop additional powers. During the Clone Saga she fills the same role as Ben Riley did in the 616 Clone Saga. Afterwards she assumed the CIA/FBI created identity of Jessica Drew and returned to active crime fighting as Spider-Woman. She confessed that along with inheriting Peter's memories, she is still in love with Mary Jane Watson.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'' examples:

*** Endo of ''ComicBook/DeathOfWolverine: The Weapon X Project'' and ''Comicbook/{{Wolverines}}'' is introduced as a Chinese woman named Meifeng when Sharp frees her from the Paradise installation. It's eventually revealed that she was actually ''a man'' before Paradise got hold of her, [[spoiler:and the boyfriend/fiancé she's been desperate to locate after escaping is not only dead, but was actually his ''girlfriend''.]]
** ''ComicBook/AlphaFlight'' member Walter Langkowski spent several years as "Wanda," due to having possessed a dead female teammate's body.
** ComicBook/IronMan is even subjected to this; his armor (which, at this point, is partially fused with his body) gets hijacked by Ultron and reshaped into the image of [[ComicBook/TheWasp Janet van Dyne]], Ultron's "mother". After it's undone, the entire ComicBook/MightyAvengers team teases him about it.
** The Skrulls are a race of shapeshifters. Skrulls changing into other genders have been seen from their very first appearance (the four Skrulls that attempted to replace the Fantastic Four were all male). It's just that [[ChekhovsGun nobody had noticed the detail or thought on it]] until the example below.
** One obvious application of the Skulls' inherent ability didn't come to light (at least, in canon) until the male Skrull Xavin turned up in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' and asked for Karolina's hand in marriage. Karolina, being a lesbian, refused... until Xavin transformed into a female human, because for a Skrull to change his/her physical sex is as easy as blinking. While the psychological ease with which Xavin shifted his/her gender identity to match her new sex still seems to be fairly rare (most other [[NominalImportance named]] Skrull characters seem to have a strong preference to not change their sex even when disguising themselves as other species), it's apparently also not seen as any big deal in Skrull society.
** Loki of ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'' spent some time in a female body (eventually revealed to be that of the goddess Sif); he eventually returned to his usual body.
*** In Loki's [[ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard solo book]], while male most of the time, they can and do flip gender at will. They spent weeks in female form infiltrating Lorelei's band of thieves, then a few issues later flipped genders AGAIN to gain the trust of the Angels, in an all-female society, and didn't bother to switch back for the rest of the miniseries. Odin even refers to them as his child who is both his son and daughter at least on two occasions. This continues in the jerks [[ComicBook/VoteLoki next solo book]] too, complete with a character joking about Loki becoming America's first female president.
** Invoked in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'' storyline, "The Superia Stratagem". Supervillain Superia plans to establish "Femizonia" -- a female-ruled utopia from which she will TakeOverTheWorld. Captain America and his allies infiltrate her base to stop her, but Cap and Paladin are captured at one point, and subjected to Superia's feminization process. (She believes that, as women, the heroes will see the light and join her cause.) The two male heroes are rescued before the process does anything to them, however.
** Good Boy of the ComicBook/GreatLakesAvengers is a girl named Good who transforms into a masculine wolf.
** In ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', Adam Warlock goes through a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind VisionQuest in which he is turned female, culminating with her giving birth.
* An example from [[FrancoBelgianComics French Comics]] appears in ''Paulette'' by Georges Wolinski and Georges Pichard (1970): the old Joseph, a ''clochard'' that saved the eponymous protagonist, is suddenly magically transformed in a stunningly [[AttractiveBentGender attractive]] brunette (with the same age of the [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl blonde Paulette]]) and becomes her companion in a ton of misadventures. Though now Joseph is very younger, healthier and in a [[{{Pun}} better physical shape]], she is absolutely [[BlessedWithSuck not pleased to be female]], she has still the mindset of an old ''clochard'' (with a little bit of mischief added) and she [[LampshadeHanging talks]] frequently as a [[OldSoldier veteran]] of the UsefulNotes/FirstWorldWar (still in a very female and young body). She likes to repeat "''I could be your grandpa''" and similar other sentences. Also [[InnocentFanserviceGirl naked]]. We have to punctuate that this comic is a hurricane of FanService. At the end of the first adventure with Paulette, Joseph is able to become the old man again: however he has a ton of photos and PinUp of his nude stunning female self (with dedication... to Joseph!) When [[TheIdealist Paulette]] is kidnapped again, Joseph is [[MostWritersAreMale transformed]] [[FirstLawOfGenderBending definitively]] in the brunette and forced to be involved in [[LonelyRichKid Paulette]]'s endless surreal misadventures.
* In Alan Moore's ''ComicBook/{{Promethea}}'', Roger, a member of the supporting character team "the Five Swell Guys". Roger used to be a man until an [[NoodleIncident unseen incident]] at "Suffragette City" turned him into a woman. Roger's original form was never depicted in the comic.
* In the ''Creator/ArchieComics'' story "The Great Switcheroo", Comicbook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch's cat Salem casts a spell that changes the sex of everybody in Riverdale. The story plays a bit like a GenderFlip in execution, as none of the transformed characters know what their "true" sex is supposed to be, but it "really" happened, and Sabrina's eventual reversal spell isn't actually a ResetButton. There's even video evidence suggesting that the gang spent a day as the opposite sex, though none of them remember it.[[note]]''Archie'' #636 (2012)[[/note]]
* Issue 6 of IDW's ''ComicBook/SamuraiJack'' comic sees Jack reuniting with his old friend, the Scotsman... who's been turned into a woman by mischievous leprechauns for wrecking their fairy circle. The leprechauns strike a bargain with Jack to turn the Scotsman back to normal... but as they're sealing the deal they turn ''Jack'' into a woman too, [[ItAmusedMe apparently because they thought it would be funny]].

* Mighty Man of ''ComicBook/TheSavageDragon'' is an ancient entity passed from host to host at the point of death. The current host is female Ann Stevens (or New Ann...it's complicated) - the host, regardless of their sex, is able to transform into a tall blonde man with FlyingBrick powers, by tapping their wrists together.
* When IDW comics started their ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformersIDW Transformers]]'' comic, it was decided that [[OneGenderRace there would only be male Cybertronians]]. When they decided to include female transformer Arcee into the universe, they decided ''not'' to {{retcon}} their decision, and so they made Arcee the victim of a forced alteration by a MadScientist specifically to introduce gender to the race. She's understandably pissed off about it.

* Another French example would be ''Une Femme dans la Peau'' or ''Johanna'' about the middle-aged lecherous Antoine, who gets hit by a bus. ([[DistractedByTheSexy He was distracted.]]) A mad Nazi scientist [[BrainTransplant transplants his mind]] into the dead body of a beautiful girl who died of an overdose. Now, Antoine has to deal with being a blonde bombshell, trying to get enough cash to survive (he ends up taking a job as a pinup girl, because of course), and having to dodge the scientist's elderly Nazi-Remnant chums and stop them from using the procedure in a two-for-one FountainOfYouth/[[TakeOverTheWorld World Domination]] plot.
* At the end of the ''ComicBook/XXXenophile'' story "Vici, Vidi, Veni", an army invades territory that worships a god of lust, believing him to be a farce, and everybody in their empire gets turned into frogs. The smirking god asks the sole unchanged knight whether he now believes, and the survivor says yes. As a reward for the "conversion", he's promptly turned into a woman and made an acolyte of the god, being led off to the novice quarters (and, implicitly, [[GirlOnGirlIsHot hot lesbian sex]]).
* ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'':

*
In "[[http://www.deviantart.com/herospirit/art/Transplendor-Preview-934020173 Transplendor]]" by HeroSpirit, a phenomenon causes [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting Involuntary Shapeshifting]] in a large number of populace. The [[AppliedPhlebotinum Applied Phlebotinum]] is [[MagicGenetics Magic Genetics]] that causes many characters to change their bodies, many of whom are gender benders. The main character, Jamie, is a [[SexShifter Sex Shifter]], along with two of his other friends.

* The ''Satyri'' series (and possible future webcomic) by Website/DeviantArt artist Creator/DPRagan is about a series of virgin males who are cursed by a group of [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubi]], either by being pulled into hell and having their soul infected with a fragment of a succubus' soul, or by using a cursed item (usually bodywash) that causes their [[BodyHorror skin to melt off]], revealing their new, permanent form. The face is the last part to melt off -- if the victim doesn't give in to the horrible uncontrollable itching as their skin bubbles and melts at the edges the face will regenerate their human body over a few weeks of constant torture; the gender bending, however, is permanent. If they don't manage to keep their hands away (and it's not common knowledge to do so, most people don't last more than a few seconds), or if they managed to get pulled into hell for the personal treatment by [[TheVirus another succubus]], they are now permanently stuck as a Satyri -- a vaguely Satyr-like half-Succubus. Satyri traits include a tail, horns, elflike ears, Ungulate hooves (think "[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Draenei]]"), inhuman (yellow iris on black) eyes, unnaturally colored ''latex'' skin and hair (red, blue, and "bubblegum" being the most common), and an enforced lack of [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl nudity taboo]]. Wings are also common, especially with Satyri who have completely "went native" and turned into outright Succubi.

** In ''ComicBook/SupermanBatman'' #27, the Earth-2 version of Franchise/{{Superman}} finds himself in the body of his cousin ComicBook/PowerGirl, while the Earth-2 Franchise/{{Batman}} is in the body of his daughter, the Huntress.

* The misogynistic Stunt from ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'' gets [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2008-08-27 briefly turned into a woman]] after [[IdiotBall defiantly taking a bite of an onion]] [[SchmuckBait labeled "pleez no eat" in a land of chaos magic]].

* This is the premise of tale type ATU 514, "The Shift of Sex", of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index: the youngest of three princesses goes in her father's stead to serve under another king in [[WholesomeCrossdresser male clothes]], then is sent on quests for marvellous objects. On the last quest, the princess goes to steal a relic from God Himself, Saint Peter, a dev, a sorcerer or what have you, and they curse the heroine with a spell: "if they are male, let them be changed to female; if they are female, let them be changed to male". The heroine thus becomes a hero, and marries the second king's daughter as reward:

** In the Albanian story "[[http://www.albanianliterature.net/folktales/tale_07.html The Girl Who Became a Boy]]", uh... well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', a girl pretends to be a boy to give her family honor. After adventures and even getting married, she gets cursed into changing gender. This is surprisingly congruent with Albanian culture. The practice is dwindling now, but Albanian girls could swear themselves to celibacy and be considered men socially. This was often done to make sure there would be a "male" head of the household.

*** Endo of ''ComicBook/DeathOfWolverine: The Weapon X Project'' and ''Comicbook/{{Wolverines}}'' is introduced as a Chinese woman named Meifeng when Sharp frees her from the Paradise installation. [[spoiler:It's eventually revealed that she was actually ''a man'' before Paradise got hold of her, and the boyfriend/fiance she's been desperate to locate after escaping is not only dead, but was actually his ''girlfriend''.]]

* In the Albanian story "[[http://www.albanianliterature.net/folktales/tale_07.html The Girl Who Became a Boy]]", uh... well, ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Similar to ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', a girl pretends to be a boy to give her family honor. After adventures and even getting married, she gets cursed into changing gender. This is surprisingly congruent with Albanian culture. The practice is dwindling now, but Albanian girls could swear themselves to celibacy and be considered men socially. This was often done to make sure there would be a "male" head of the household.

* This is the premise of tale type ATU 514, "The Shift of Sex", of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index: the youngest of three princesses goes in her father's stead to serve under another king in [[WholesomeCrossdresser male clothes]], then is sent on quests for marvellous objects. On the last quest, the princess goes to steal a relic from God Himself, Saint Peter, a dev, a sorcerer or what have you, and they curse the heroine with a spell: "if they are male, let them be changed to female; if they are female, let them be changed to male". The heroine thus becomes a hero, and marries the second king's daughter as reward. Example: Chilean tale ''Literature/{{Florinda}}''.

* This is the premise of tale type ATU 514, "The Shift of Sex", of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index: the youngest of three princesses goes in her father's stead to serve under another king in [[WholesomeCrossdresser male clothes]], then is sent on quests for marvellous objects. On the last quest, the princess goes to steal a relic from God Himself, Saint Peter, a dev, a sorcerer or what have you, and they curse the heroine with a spell: "if they are male, let them be changed to female; if they are female, let them be changed to male". The heroine thus becomes a hero, and marries the second king's daughter as reward.

** In a strip aptly titiled ''Butterflies'', a woman is selling the "potion of transformation" which turns you into a smoking hot babe. A guy buys and drinks it, and turns into a pupa, complete with the shopkeeper explaining that [[TransformationHorror his skin is hardening and his digestive juices will melt his insides and rearrange him into his new form]], all the while he's [[PainfulTransformation screaming in agony]]. SmashCut to 8 months later when the guy is now a smoking-hot babe, checking himself out in the mirror and commenting that his new form is not really his type.

* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'': It comes up less often than you'd expect.
** In an early strip, a conquistador looking for the Fountain of Youth accidentally discovers the Fountain of Girl, which turns anyone who drinks from it into a busty blonde woman in a bikini. Everyone turns into the same woman, to be specific. This also includes animals, as he finds out after letting his pack mule drink.

** In a strip aptly titiled ''Butterflies'', a woman is selling the "potion of transformation" which turns you into a smoking hot babe. A guy buys and drinks it, and turns into a [[spoiler: pupa, complete with the shopkeeper explaining that [[TransformationHorror his skin is hardening and his digestive juices will melt his insides and rearrange him into his new form]], all the while he's [[PainfulTransformation screaming in agony]]. SmashCut to 8 months later when the guy is now a]] smoking hot babe, checking himself out in the mirror and commenting that his new form is not really his type.

* ''WebComic/{{Housepets}}'' includes two as a major plot point during the My Life As A Teenage Squirrel arc, in which a teenage couple are genderswapped and [[BalefulPolymorph speciesswapped]] out of the blue, and need to figure out why.

* ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}'':