Something we’ve known for a while about The Eternals is that it’ll introduce the MCU’s first ever openly gay hero. We’re not sure which of the movie’s starry ensemble will take that role, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has now shared some fresh details about the mystery character, saying the following:
“The Eternals will feature Marvel’s first openly gay character. He’s married and has a family and it’s part of who he is.”
The full ensemble for The Eternals was revealed at D23 yesterday and we now know that Angelina Jolie is Thena, Richard Madden is Ikaris, Salma Hayek will play Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani’s Kingo, Lauren Ridloff will play Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos, Lia McHugh is Sprite, Don Lee’s Gilgamesh, Gemma Chan’s Sersi and Barry Keoghan is Druig. The cast gathered in front of some concept art of their costumes on stage at the expo, too, which you can see below.
It’s unknown which of the male characters Feige is referring to in his comments above, but what’s important to note is that the producer could be talking about Dane Whitman AKA Black Knight rather than one of the Eternals, as he’ll make his MCU debut in the movie, as played by Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington.
Whatever the identity of this groundbreaking hero though, they follow on from Joe Russo’s unnamed individual in Avengers: Endgame, who’s officially the first openly gay supporting character in the franchise. Better representation is on the way across the board though, according to Marvel, and we know that Valkyrie will be looking for her queen in Thor: Love and Thunder, confirming Tessa Thompson’s previous discussion about the Asgardian being bisexual.
The Eternals is currently shooting in England and is due to arrive in theaters on November 6th, 2020. With any luck, then, we’ll start to learn more about its representation and what else to expect from the pic sooner rather than later.
