The Marvel Cinematic Universe is, without a doubt, one of the most successful film franchises of all time, but despite its extreme popularity, Marvel Studios has still received some flak for its lack of representation.
However, over the past fear years, we’ve seen the superhero universe make some significant improvements in this area, thanks to the release of films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel. And with projects like Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel in the works, it looks like the MCU will continue to grow more and more diverse.
In fact, as we’ve heard ever since the film entered development, The Eternal’s is set to feature Marvel Studios’ first openly gay superhero. And while we still don’t know the identity of the character, Kevin Feige has shared some new details on the hero.
"He's married,” Feige told Good Morning America during the recent D23 Expo. “He's got a family. And that is just part of who he is."
These comments don’t identify any specific member of The Eternals, but it does confirm previous reports that the character is male. Nonetheless, Feige’s statement makes it clear that the hero’s sexuality will be acknowledged on screen, something the studio was criticized for not doing with Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok.
Directed by Chloé Zhao, The Eternals stars Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff , Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Angelina Jolie, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan and Kit Harington.