Marvel's first openly gay character features in Avengers: Endgame
26 April 2019, 13:26
A gay character, played by Joe Russo, appears in 'Avengers: Endgame'. This is a first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though Tessa Thompson confirmed that Valkyrie is bisexual and that a scene referencing this was cut from 'Thor: Ragnarok'.
Avengers: Endgame has introduced Marvel's first openly gay character and it only took them 20+ movies.
In the follow up to last year's Infinity War, audiences witness a milestone that sees an on screen character make reference to being gay–something which has, surprisingly, not happened in an MCU film until now.
Don't fret, this is only a teeny tiny spoiler, however, if you haven't seen the film and want to know absolutely NOTHING about it, feel free to look away.
As you probably know, Avengers: Infinity War ended with Thanos snapping his finger and decimating half the population of the known universe.
In Avengers: Endgame, a minor character who attends a support group is grappling with the aftermath of Thanos' snap. He discusses going on a recent date with another man in which they both got emotional over their snapped loved ones.
The character is played by Joe Russo, one half of the film's Russo Brothers directing duo.
Speaking to Deadline, Joe Russo expanded on the significance of the character.
“Representation is really important,” Joe Russo explained. “It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them. We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that."
Anthony Russo also expanded on the context of the character. "When you have a story point that includes killing half of all humans on Earth, you’re telling a bigger story than The Avengers. So that scene was important to us in telling the story of the larger world. We wanted to have a voice that was talking about the experience of people that went beyond The Avengers."
Though this is the first instance of an openly gay character depicted on screen, there is potential for more LGBTQ+ stories in the MCU. Tessa Thompson has confirmed that Valkyrie is bisexual and that a scene referencing this was cut from Thor: Ragnarok.
Many fans are also expecting that the upcoming Eternals film will potentially feature a gay superhero lead–a definite first for Marvel.
Joe Russo's cameo may be a small part but it's certainly an important step in making sure the MCU realistically depicts the outcomes of events like Thanos' big snap.
