Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirmed the upcoming The Eternals film will feature a gay character.
Feige made the confirmation on Good Morning America where he stated, “He’s married. He’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is.” He did not indicate which character is gay.
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Rumors have swirled over the past few months that Marvel Studios would include a LGBT lead in The Eternals. (Related: Marvel Studios Boss Kevin Feige Addresses LGBT Lead Rumors for Eternals Movie)
Feige previously addressed those rumors saying:
“Well it’s accurate in that we’ve talked about [it for] a long time. You look at the success of Captain Marvel and 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.”
The Eternals made headlines during D23 when Feige revealed that Game of Thrones veteran Kit Harrington would join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Black Knight. (Related: Marvel Studios Announces Game of Thrones Star Kit Harrington to Play Black Knight in Eternals)
The film, which is based off Jack Kirby’s creation The Eternals, has race and gender swapped a number of the characters. Lauren Ridloff discussed those changes with Good Morning America saying, “It’s such a great honor. It’s so cool to play a character that is traditionally a man, a blonde-haired man. How different could you get from myself?” (Related: Majority of Marvel’s Eternals Cast Are Race and Gender-Swapped from Jack Kirby’s Original Creation)
The cast includes Richard Madden as Ikaris, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Angelina Jolie as Thena, Barry Keoghan as Druid, and Gemma Chan as Sersi, and Kit Harrington as Dane Whitman aka the Black Knight.
Plot details for the film are light. One can expect it will see the Eternals facing off against their arch-enemies the Deviants. Concept art was released back in June that showed a younger Thanos with his family. In the comics, his parents were the Eternals A’lars and Sui-San. His brother is Eros aka Starfox. Thanos was born with the Deviant gene, thus his more gruesome appearance. (Related: Avengers: Endgame Concept Art Depicts Thanos with Eternals)
While it’s likely the Eternals will face off against the Deviants, it’s also possible they could come in conflict with the Celestials. A Marvel Studios banner at D23 hinted at the appearance of Arishem the Celestial Judge. It’s possible he could be a world-ending threat the Eternals have to overcome. (Related: D23 Marvel Banner Teases Arishem the Celestial Judge – Hint at X-Men?)
What do you make Kevin Feige’s confirmation? Does this sway your interest in The Eternals one way or another?