The MCU has achieved many things over the past 11 years, but something that it doesn’t have the best track record with is having a diverse range of heroes. In contrast to DC giving us Wonder Woman just four years after their shared universe was created, it took Marvel 10 years to deliver their first female-led movie in Captain Marvel. And Black Panther, starring a mostly black cast, only beat it by one year.
Naturally, there’s been an ever-growing call for the franchise to better reflect the variety of its fans in the near future. Stars like Brie Larson have agreed, arguing that Marvel needs to get better at representation and fast. And now, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland is the latest to concur with the movement. While speaking with The Sunday Times to mark the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Holland voiced his feelings that the MCU should reflect more than straight white men.
“The world isn’t as simple as a straight white guy. It doesn’t end there, and these films need to represent more than one type of person.”
Thankfully, those in charge appear to be thinking along the same lines. Avengers: Endgame made a baby-step in the right direction by featuring the franchise’s first openly gay character in one scene, as played by co-director Joe Russo. Likewise, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has promised several times now that the MCU will become a much more inclusive place over the next few years.
We may already know a few of the milestones coming to the franchise in Phase Four, too. The Eternals will reportedly give us the MCU‘s first gay main character while Shang-Chi is the first MCU movie based around an Asian superhero. There’s also a chance that Captain Marvel could come out as gay, as the filmmakers aren’t ruling out the idea. Whatever form the measures take, though, it’s clear that the Marvel universe is set to change in a lot of positive ways.
