Marvel’s Eternals is making history with the first gay superhero ever featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The teaser trailer that dropped May 24 introduces us to a whole new cast of immortal, crazy-powerful heroes who have softly guided humanity’s development while remaining in the shadows. Directed by recent Oscar winner Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), the film promises gorgeous visuals as well as Marvel’s trademark adrenaline-inducing action scenes.
Eternals will be a landmark film for queer Marvel fans. Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, will be the first gay superhero in a major Hollywood franchise, and Haaz Sleiman will act alongside Henry as the über-strong hero’s husband. Sleiman assures LGBTQ audiences that the movie will not disappoint.
The queer, Lebanese-American actor told fans he has a “gut feeling” they will be happy with the MCU’s portrayal of gay relationships, and doted on the kiss he and Henry share on screen. “It’s a beautiful, very moving kiss,” Sleiman shared with NewNowNext last year. ““Everyone cried on set. For me it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be.”
Avid Marvel fans will know that although the Marvel comics feature prominent and powerful queer characters, none have been fully adopted into the Cinematic Universe until now. Characters that are canonically LGBTQ in the comics have been heavily queer-coded in the MCU: Loki, Captain Marvel, Bucky Barnes, Valkyrie, and Deadpool to name just a few. But with the inclusion of Phastos’ identity in the “Eternals,” the MCU is finally making headway and will reportedly continue to do so in Thor: Love and Thunder and the Loki series being released to Disney+ this year.
Not only is Marvel breaking boundaries with queer representation, Eternals will also boast the most diverse cast in the MCU. In addition to Henry and Sleiman, we will also see our first deaf superhero, Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff, and three major cast members of Asian descent: Kuamail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, and Ma Dong-Seuk.
Nanjiani, a Pakastani-American actor, shared in an interview last year, “When I walked onto the set and saw a huge group of brown people who were going to be in a Marvel movie, I felt such gratitude towards Chloé for creating the situation. The scene was full of joy.”
It’s a new dawn for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. May they continue down the path of intersectional representation that the comics paved for them.
Watch the brand-new teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' #Eternals and experience it in IMAX theatres this November. https://t.co/1M2y2p0FH6 — IMAX (@IMAX) May 25, 2021
https://twitter.com/MarvelHDgifs/status/1397173899087863817
