Who This Post Is For
Whether you're a longtime comics fan, a parent of a child with Spina Bifida, or someone who just discovered Whirl Wheel and wants to understand Alec Gutierrez a little better — this post is for you. Understanding the condition that shapes our hero helps us appreciate not just the story, but the intention behind it.
What Is Spina Bifida?
Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that occurs when the spinal column doesn't fully close during fetal development, usually within the first 28 days of pregnancy. The name comes from Latin, meaning "split spine."
It's one of the most common birth defects in the United States, affecting approximately 1,500 to 2,000 babies born each year. Worldwide, it's estimated that 166,000 people live with Spina Bifida.
The Three Types
Spina Bifida exists on a spectrum with three main forms:
Spina Bifida Occulta is the mildest form, where there's a small gap in the spine but no opening or sac on the back. Many people with this form never know they have it.
Meningocele is a rarer form where a sac of fluid pushes through an opening in the back, but the spinal cord itself is not in the sac. Nerve damage is typically minimal.
Myelomeningocele is the most severe and most common form. The spinal cord and nerves push through an opening in the back, causing nerve damage and varying degrees of paralysis and other complications. This is the form that most significantly affects mobility — and the form that shapes Alec's experience.
What Living With Spina Bifida Looks Like
Spina Bifida affects everyone differently depending on where on the spine the opening occurs and how much nerve damage results. Common experiences include:
Mobility differences — Many people with myelomeningocele use wheelchairs or other mobility aids. Some have partial leg function and use braces or crutches. Alec uses a wheelchair, which is both his everyday reality and, as Whirl Wheel, his most useful and trusted tool.
Bladder and bowel differences — Nerve damage often affects bladder and bowel control, requiring management strategies that are a normal part of daily life for many people with Spina Bifida.
Hydrocephalus — About 80% of people with myelomeningocele also have hydrocephalus, a buildup of fluid in the brain, which is typically treated with a shunt.
Learning differences — Some people with Spina Bifida experience differences in attention, memory, or processing speed, though many have average or above-average intelligence.
What Spina Bifida Is Not
Spina Bifida is not a disease. It's not contagious. It's not a death sentence. And it is absolutely not a barrier to living a full, rich, meaningful life.
People with Spina Bifida go to school, build careers, fall in love, create art, compete in sports, and yes — save the day. The condition shapes how a person moves through the world, but it does not define the limits of who they can be.
That's the truth at the heart of Alec Gutierrez's story.
Why Authentic Representation Matters
When we created Alec, we made a commitment: to portray Spina Bifida and all other disabilities in our universehonestly, respectfully, and without reducing them to a plot device. Alec's wheelchair isn't a symbol of tragedy. His disability isn't something to be cured or overcome. It's part of who he is — as natural and integral as any other part of his identity.
For readers who live with Spina Bifida, seeing that reflected in a superhero matters enormously. For readers who don't, it builds understanding and empathy in a way that no textbook can.
Learn More
If you'd like to learn more about Spina Bifida, the Spina Bifida Association (spinabifidaassociation.org) is an excellent resource with information for individuals, families, and educators.
And if you want to see Spina Bifida represented with power and pride, pick up a Whirl Wheel comic. Alec's got a lot more story to tell.