With Phase 4 just on the horizon now, Marvel Studios is really starting to ramp things up on The Eternals, which looks like it’ll go a long way in defining the future course of the MCU.
With immortal characters and a plot that reportedly spans thousands of years, it’ll no doubt peel back the layers on the deep history of the universe and maybe even lay the seeds for the arrival of the X-Men. The project’s currently in pre-production but with the full cast and a release date having been announced at Comic-Con the other week, we’re now starting to learn more about it.
One thing that’s been rumored for a while is that the film will feature an openly gay hero and now, We Got This Covered can confirm who it is. After hearing earlier this month that Valkyrie will be the MCU’s first LGBTQ superhero, sources have now told us that that honor will actually go to Ikaris in The Eternals, who’s being played by Richard Madden in the movie.
Again, there’ve been reports of the upcoming Phase 4 flick featuring a gay hero for several months now, but it’s always been a bit unclear as to who that would actually be. Our intel says it’ll be Ikaris though and given that this is the same source who told us that Taskmaster will be the main villain in Black Widow, and that Viola Davis was returning for The Suicide Squad, both of which were later confirmed, we’re inclined to believe them.
After all, this news certainly fits with Joe Russo’s comments from the other month, when the director said that “the future of these movies will be an inclusive one. Diversity, both in front of and behind the camera, will be its gold standard.” Clearly, Marvel’s taken note of the box office performance of releases like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, both of which marketed themselves heavily on their diversity credentials, and have realized that this is what the fans want.
All things considered, it’s nice to see Marvel continuing to make moves to be a progressively minded and inclusive studio and once we learn more about Ikaris’ role in The Eternals, we’ll be sure to let you know.
