Shea Coulee has now joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the upcoming Ironheart series, having starred for several years and accrued a cult following from RuPaul’s Drag Race, but who is she?
Coulee confirmed they’d been cast in the Dominique Thorne-led Disney Plus series, sharing their excitement at joining the ever-expanding universe of Marvel, with particular elation in returning to their first love: acting. But to those who aren’t familiar with their work, what have they worked on?
Who is Shea Coulee?
Jaren Kyei Merrell is an American drag queen whose known by their stage name, Shea Coulee (referred to with she/her pronouns as Coulee and they/them off-stage as Merrell). A non-binary and gay queen, Coulee has been a fixture of Chicago’s nightlife since 2012, making their RuPaul’s Drag Race debut in 2017. They finished in the top four, before later winning the whole shebang in Drag Race All-Stars in 2019.
A podcaster and singer alongside being a drag queen, they’ve also appeared in two music videos for Iggy Azalea — perhaps most notably in the 2019 track, “Sally Walker.” Coulee has released several singles of their own, with a single coming soon from the artist, titled “Your Name.”
Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be proof of career success nowadays, and this makes history as the first drag performer to land a role in the ongoing franchise. Set to appear at least in Ironheart, the series will be filmed in their hometown of Chicago, with them quite likely portraying a superhero that was originally based on them. Frankly, it’s perfect casting.
It’s an exciting change of pace for the MCU, which has been taking more risks as time has gone on, and looked to expand its audience by casting and hiring more diverse talents. It’d be hard telling someone in 2008 that in just 15 years, this franchise would feature indie filmmakers, drag artists, and talking raccoons. Well, unless you’re a time traveller like Doctor Strange.