What a time to be alive. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has two same-gender lead characters with heavy sexual chemistry who actually get to act on it for once. I know that sentence feels crazy to read. It felt crazy to write. And, every week, Agatha All Along feels increasingly crazy to watch.
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been so conditioned to doubt their own eyes, ears, and souls that, even after Rio told Agatha in the first episode of the witchy Disney Plus series that she preferred her “horizontal” and that her heart beat for her (then proceeding to sensually lick the palm of her hand), they were still wary of biting into the pair’s romance. So, when the two nearly kissed and Rio admitted to loving Agatha in episode four, people didn’t know how to act. Screaming in disbelief and pinching of the skin abounded.
“I’m going crazy,” one fan commented. “This scene… i… just… THIS SCENE,” another equally flabbergasted viewer expressed. We meant it when we said that it’s hard to verbalize what Agatha and Rio’s relationship really means for LGBTQIA+ MCU fans. And also, they’re just really freaking hot. I mean, have you seen Kathryn Hahn and Aubrey Plaza?!
There’s a lengthy history of two characters of the same gender saying the most terribly romantic things to one another in the MCU or exchanging longing looks and sexual innuendo. While some were always clearly only intended to be written as friends from the jump (Steve and Bucky, for instance, who are still the most popular slash ship in the Marvel fandom), others blurred the line to a point where it became hard to discern whether the studio was actively leading fans on.
Carol and Maria from Captain Marvel or Loki and Mobius from Loki were always written like they were holding something back. In The Marvels, it was hinted that Carol and Valkyrie (the latter a canonically, if subtly, queer character in the MCU) dated for a while (still, nothing was ever explicitly confirmed — the two simply held hands), thus tangentially confirming that Carol could have possibly loved Maria beyond the realm of the platonic. In the first season of Loki, the protagonist confirmed he’s been involved with “both” men and women, opening avenues that had previously been closed and lending more credibility to the romantic feelings people were getting from his dynamic with Mobius.
Maybe these signs were only ever meant to be picked up by queer viewers, like a secret language. A nod that they’re seen and that their peers exist within their favorite fictional universe, but with the caveat that this representation couldn’t become fully explicit just yet because the world wasn’t ready. This is a romanticized view of the situation where Disney could be considered to be pushing the boundaries by featuring these kinds of relationships in their billion-dollar franchise. A less optimistic perspective would accuse the company of using this barely-there queerness to lure LGBTQIA+ viewers (and their pink money) without ever actually delivering on their promises.
Whichever side you may lean towards, the fact remains that Agatha and Rio are making history. While they have not actually been physical with one another yet, beyond a sexually charged fight, an incredibly tender hug, and a near-kiss, it’s now impossible to accuse fans of the couple of reading into things that may not be there.
Agatha and Rio are clearly crazy about one another. And we’re crazy about them. The teasing, this time around, doesn’t feel like we’re being made fun of as audiences who would like to see two characters of the same gender be together in the MCU. Instead, it feels more like a well-paced, well-written build-up, that provides just enough release to keep us hooked for future larger doses. Like any great fictional love story should be crafted.
It’s surreal that, in a time where queer representation on screen is continuously expanding, it took Marvel this long to feature a same-gender relationship front and center in an MCU property (the MCU-adjacent Runaways had done so previously). Even so, this feels like a massive win, especially because Hahn and Plaza are bringing everything they’ve got to these parts and this relationship. It doesn’t hurt that they’re drop-dead gorgeous, either, I guess.
Published: Oct 4, 2024 05:31 am