𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐠𝐛𝐭𝐪+ 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

having queer characters is nothing new for marvel comics. there are many characters which fall under that label who are actually well developed characters! like wiccan, america chavez, iceman, the list goes on!

however this same treatment is not given to the marvel cinematic universe.

sure, we got the anthony russo cameo where he mentioned being gay, and how we were able to see a bisexual loki who was only slightly mentioned to be genderfluid.

however these two are the only ones that come to mind when discussing canon gay characters.

it doesn’t help with Loki (2021) disregarding how he is genderfluid, by having the male presentations variants state that they haven’t seen a female loki. it felt wrong, like if they were simply casting that fact aside to be cater to the homophobic critics. as someone who does identify as genderfluid, it was rather uncomfortable. it didn’t feel right. it felt worthless to even add that fact if they didn’t even acknowledge it!

this is why we need more rep in the mcu. this isn’t enough.

the demographic for these films are teens, and adults. for teenagers, having that representation on screen may be comforting. they may be from a house where it is frowned upon, making them try and suppress anything about their sexuality and gender. but having a hero to look up to who actually represents your identity would be everything.

we look up to these characters. we believe in their motivations, and strive to be a role model like them. so a character that is openly queer can enforce that point.

eternals gives me hope for this. Haaz Sleiman (unnamed character) and Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos) play a canonical gay couple, and even having a kiss on screen!

this is not taken without criticism. numerous reviewers of the film have stated that they did not like these “woke” new movies, adding homophobic comments to their reviews. this undoubtedly made me upset. this shouldn’t be a big revelation to add this representation to these films. it shouldn’t be a “new” thing, but yet it is. and we’ll still be clouded with this criticism regardless of when it would be released.

eternals is a big step in what kind of characters we need to see in the mcu. characters that are not just stereotypes of their sexuality, or focus too much on it which takes away from their actual character arc. we need to treat them like if it were just a straight couple on screen. it shouldn’t be a big deal if there is queer representation in these large superhero movies.

but we’re stuck in this stage. adding more rep as each project comes out will convey the ideas of how marvel has always been a place for queer characters and always will be. there is nothing that will change that fact. it is only now we must transition those same concepts to the big screen. that is the biggest hurdle, but i know with time we will finally get that representation.

_ _ #featurethis _ _