Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo confirmed that Marvel plans to reveal that one of its characters is LGBTQ.
Russo made the confirmation in an appearance with his brother Anthony on EW Morning Live.
At the very beginning of the show, Russo confirms his cameo in the film was the first openly gay character.
He states, “Yes, openly gay character. There has been insinuations about other characters’ sexuality, but this is the first openly gay [character.]”
Russo is then asked, “Who else is gay?”
He responds, ‘Uhhh. We’re going to find out.” His brother Anthony adds, “That’s a story for another day.”
Joe elaborates, ‘There is a gay character coming up in one of their films, and I think Kevin will make that announcement, I’m sure pretty soon.”
Russo’s confirmation echoes what Kevin Feige told The Playlist last June. Feige confirmed that the MCU would not only introduce LGBTQ characters, but also reveal that one of the current characters is LGBTQ.
Feige stated, “Both ones you’ve seen and ones you haven’t seen.”
More recently Feige discussed the rumor that Marvel was looking for a gay actor to play a gay lead in their Eternals film. He spoke to io9:
“Well it’s accurate in that we’ve talked about [it for] a long time. You look at the success of Captain Marveland Black Panther. We want the movies to reflect the audience and we want every member of our global audience to see themselves reflected on the screen. And that’s what we’ve been doing for a long time. And certainly, that’s what we’re focusing on going forward.”
He also previously told ET that the idea for incorporating LGBTQ heroes was “percolating.”
Feige and Russo haven’t been the only ones at Marvel to discuss incorporating a LGBTQ hero into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios’ Chief of Production Victoria Alonso stated at the Captain Marvel premiere that “the world is ready for an LGBT superhero.”
While it definitely appears Marvel will be introducing more LGBTQ character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The idea is not without its detractors. A petition from Life Site News demands that Marvel Studios “not indoctrinate children with homosexual ideology” in Eternals. The petition currently has over 11,000 signatures.
What do you make of Joe Russo’s confirmation? Which character do you think they will reveal to be LGBTQ?