Representation is becoming a pretty important issue right now in regards to the output of Marvel Studios, with President Kevin Feige and the various filmmakers in the MCU continuing to take measures to bring more diversity to the franchise, both in front of and behind the camera.
The recent Captain Marvel, for instance, was a big step forward in this arena, as it was the first female solo superhero outing for the franchise, as well the first to be directed by a woman. And though the MCU drew criticism from GLAAD last year for its lack of openly LGBTQ characters, Avengers: Endgame did fix that – somewhat, at least.
True, the Infinity War sequel didn’t have any gay heroes – at least, not any openly gay heroes – but it did have an openly gay character. And the MCU’s first, no less.
The moment has received a mixed response from fans though, with some applauding directors Anthony and Joe Russo for finally doing what the previous 21 movies never did while others think the minor character was too little at this late stage. No matter which side of the fence you fall on though, it can only be good news that Joe has now promised us that another gay character is on the way and not only that, but it’ll be someone we’re already familiar with.
Speaking on EW Morning Live, the filmmakers were asked if the character Joe played in Endgame was truly the first out gay character in an MCU movie, and here’s what they had to say:
“Yes, openly gay,” Joe emphasized. “There’ve been insinuations about other characters’ sexuality, but this is the first openly gay character.”
“Who else is gay?” EW asked.
“Uhhh,” Joe said, realizing he may have opened a door he shouldn’t have. “We’re gonna find out!”
“That’s a story for another day,” Anthony said.
Though the Russos may not have explicitly stated that someone else in the MCU is already gay and we just don’t know it, the implication here is pretty clear. Especially when you remember that Kevin Feige has already said that two openly gay characters will soon be revealed and one is someone that we’ve already seen.
When asked who the already established openly gay character will be, Joe wouldn’t budge, but did offer up the following:
“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.”
Of course, the most obvious guess for who this individual might be is Valkyrie, while some think it could actually be Captain Marvel. But whoever it is, like the Avengers: Endgame director says, we should find out soon enough.