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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is apparently about to get a little more inclusive. Over the past two years, movies like Black Panther and Captain Marvel have put female and black characters at the forefront of a universe that has mostly been dominated by white men. But aside from director Anthony Russo playing an unnamed gay character for a few minutes of Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has declined to represent LGBTQ characters. That’s about to change, says Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige.
During a Q&A at the New York Film Academy last week, Feige was asked about LGBTQ representation in future Marvel movies: “Are there any current plans on bringing more LGBTQ+ characters into the MCU, specifically the T — trans characters?”
“Yes, very soon,” Feige responded. “In a movie we’re shooting right now.”
While early headlines took this to mean Feige’s response was about a transgender character, EW has learned that Feige was referring to a previous revelation that, yes, a future Marvel movie would include an opening LGBTQ+ character. Sources told Variety that Feige’s “very soon” response was in regards to the first part of the question about LGBTQ+ characters and not a specific trans character.
Feige has previously discussed LGBTQ+ representation in the upcoming film The Eternals. Though The Eternals has a starry cast (including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and a newly fit Kumail Nanjiani) its source material is a little less well-known than other Marvel projects, and there may be some departures in adaptation. Though none of the original Eternals comics feature a gay character, Feige described one of the film’s characters thusly at D23 this summer: “He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is.” It’s unclear whether this character is trans or if Feige is talking about different characters — or different movies for that matter.
When it comes to live-action superhero stories, Marvel has actually fallen a bit behind DC when it comes to transgender representation. Starting in 2018, The CW’s Supergirl cast trans actor Nicole Maines to portray trans superhero Dreamer.
Watch the full Feige clip above. The question about trans characters comes around 23 minutes in.
*This article has been updated to clarify Kevin Feige’s comment.
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- Marvel’s The Eternals confirms openly gay character: ‘He’s married, he’s got a family’
- Marvel boss confirms Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie as MCU’s first LGBTQ superhero
- Kevin Feige explains how he uses Harry Potter as a reference for the MCU
