- “Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo revealed on SiriusXM that an existing character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gay.
- “There is a gay character coming up in one of their films, and I think [Marvel Studios President] Kevin [Feige] will make that announcement, I’m sure pretty soon,” Joe said.
- Disney has been criticized for “straightwashing” Marvel characters in the past, especially since many are queer in the comics.
- Now, fans are mocking the Russo brothers for the underwhelming announcement, after 22 blockbuster films with no LGBTQ representation.
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“Avengers: Endgame” directors Anthony and Joe Russo recently revealed that an existing character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gay – but fans in the LGBTQ community, many of whom have been begging for representation in the MCU for years, weren’t impressed with the announcement.
During an interview on SiriusXM radio, the Russo brothers were asked whether Anthony’s brief cameo in “Endgame” marked the first acknowledgment of queerness in a Marvel film.
“There’ve been insinuations about other characters’ sexuality, but this is the first openly gay character,” Joe said.
Read more: Marvel’s first openly gay character in ‘Endgame’ fell short of our expectations
"There is a gay character coming up in one of their films, and I think [Marvel Studios President] Kevin [Feige] will make that announcement, I'm sure pretty soon," Joe continued.
Back in 2018, Feige teased two openly gay characters in the MCU: "Both ones you've seen and ones you haven't seen."
The vague comment quickly made headlines, but the Russo brothers' psuedo-announcement has been roundly mocked by queer fans and LGBTQ allies online.
Disney has been accused of 'straightwashing' in the past
As Jess Joho wrote for Mashable, it has always made sense for the MCU to include non-straight characters.
"Superheroes often make great metaphors for something else. Marvel in particular has created heroes that read like overt metaphors for gender and sexuality," Francesca Coppa, a Muhlenberg English professor and a scholar of fandom, told Mashable. "There's all different ways these characters open up to queer identification."
Additionally, many fans believe that multiple characters have been "coded" over the years. This means they have relationships and moments that feel queer, but that hasn't been made explicit onscreen.
Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), Okoye, Loki, and Valkyrie are the most prominent examples.
Loki. Valkyrie. Korg. Ayo... Sometimes the LGBTQ+ community disappoints me with all their support for Marvel movies when they are blatantly straightwashing characters onscreen from the very beginning. I wonder for how long such fans will continue to do so.
— A.J Raven (@tempest071990) May 5, 2019
Disney has been criticized for "straightwashing" Marvel characters in the past, especially since many are queer in the comics - including Okoye, Loki, and Valkyrie.
In fact, scenes have been cut from movies like "Black Panther" and "Thor: Ragnarok" that would've made their non-straight sexualities explicit.
https://twitter.com/michelle_on_rye/status/1126313594537299971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Many fans believe that Marvel is clearly prioritizing making money over meaningful representation onscreen
Given all this, after 22 blockbuster films and no LGBTQ representation, fans are disappointed that Marvel would retroactively announce that an existing character is gay - especially without giving that identity attention onscreen.
Many believe Disney straightwashes movies because it doesn't want to alienate certain audiences, particularly in homophobic cultures and countries.
https://twitter.com/AndreReacts/status/1126257318239309824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
They must have been hiding in the trees this whole time- we need to stop with this queer baiting it’s not doing any favors to the lgbtq+ community. Funny how this announcement is made after these movies make their theatrical run so MCU doesn’t miss out in that foreign coin
— George (@Hypnotique89) May 9, 2019
Not to start stuff. But if marvel actually wants to give us an LGBT character they can start by confirming Valkyrie is Bi on screen. Because a deleted scene means jack shit
— emily 🖤🤍💜 (@HayleysDaniel) May 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/lisamarie_no_p/status/1126479394757804032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/Puncubus/status/1125127518690975746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"representation is a big thing! it's an emotional thing," one fan wrote on Twitter. "utilizing it as a marketing tactic (and THEN not even committing to the thing) is exploitative."
https://twitter.com/alissacaliente/status/1126344343613263872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Many fans are simply mocking the announcement as underwhelming, joking that Marvel executives see themselves as generous and radical by including one gay character in the massive cast of Marvel superheroes.
Read more: A definitive ranking of all the Avengers, from least to most powerful
me @ marvel, blessing us undeserving queers with the wondrous gift of a single, solitary, shining Gay pic.twitter.com/1byk4F3KUk
— 🌙RoAnna Sylver (Updates)✨ (@RoAnnaSylver) May 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/alissacaliente/status/1126346886686879744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/KharloKong/status/1126244002456645632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Some are comparing the Russo brothers' comment to J.K. Rowling's infamous knack for adding inclusive details to characters' storylines, but only after the "Harry Potter" books were finished.
I didn't know J K Rowling worked at Marvel Studios.
— Mithrandir (@7Mithrandir) May 8, 2019
https://twitter.com/Lee_H_Henry/status/1126482134468845568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Ultimately, fans who crave LGBTQ representation in the Marvel Universe say they won't be satisfied until they see it onscreen.