Marvel Studios boss confirms another LGBT hero for the MCU
Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Lia McHugh, Angelina Jolie, Don Lee and Lauren Ridloff of Marvel Studios’ ‘The Eternals’ at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
Marvel has confirmed there will be an openly gay character in the upcoming superhero film The Eternals.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige gave some details about the new superhero at the D23 Expo in California, but did not confirm the name or the actor playing him.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Feige said: “He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is.”
It was previously confirmed that Thor character Valkyrie – played by Tessa Thompson – will be queer in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Eternals features Bodyguard star Richard Madden as Ikaris, Games of Thrones actor Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight, Angelina Jolie as Athena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Gemma Chan as lead character Sersi.
Brian Tyree Henry will feature as Phastos, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Barry Keoghan as Druig.
Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry and Salma Hayek of The Eternals at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
The Eternals will also include the first deaf superhero in the MCU in the form of Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff.
In April, openly gay Marvel executive Victoria Alonso and casting director Sarah Halley Finn expressed their support for more diverse characters in Marvel films in an interview with Vulture.
“You’re gonna see even more new faces – and faces from all different background, all ages, all ethnicities, LGBTQ, people who are differently abled,” Finn said.
She added: “It’s a priority to have authenticity, to increase representation, to give greater representation to actors who have not traditionally been represented in mainstream movies on the big screen.
“We’re just determined to have it be how we do it,” Alonso confirmed. “And if we do it, maybe somebody else will do it… I encourage every studio, every indie production company, every filmmaker out there to make an effort.”
The Eternals is released in cinemas on 6 November 2020.
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