The long-awaited Avengers: Endgame made a little bit of history by featuring the first openly LGBTQ character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), according to Gay Star News.
Joe Russo, one of the directors of the three-hour-long film, made the appearance as the unnamed character. He’s featured in an early scene of a support group for people grieving after Thanos killed half of all living beings – the plot of the last Avengers film.
Russo’s character tells the group leader, Captain Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans), that he went on his first date since the tragedy, talking about the man he went on a date with and both of their feelings about Thanos’ actions.
Rogers congratulates him for beginning to rebuild his life after the tragedy.
“Representation is really important,” Russo told Deadline about the inclusion of an LGBTQ character. “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. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity.”
However, many fans were disappointed in how small the role of the first LGBTQ character in Marvel’s decade-long run was – especially when many believed they were going to be one of the Avengers.
i’m fucking roflcoptering at the fact that the avengers endgame “gay representation character” is just a guy who gets a single line and could not be less important. great job guys
— abstraction of a rabbit (@puppetmotel) April 24, 2019
Avengers Endgame Spoiler //
oh yeah im just gonna say this if y'all go and suck marvels dick for putting that one confirmed gay character who wasnt even a hero and just a glorified extra im gonna slap all of you. That was BARE minimum at best dont give praise for that shit.— Ben | GoT S8 Spoilers | (@GuessImaMess) April 24, 2019
Omg there’s a gay character in @Avengers – he’s in one scene and doesn’t have a name but still.. progress I guess? Spoiler: it’s not Thanos
— Andreas Samuelson (@andy_samuelson) April 23, 2019
someone feel free to slide into my dms and tell me who the gay avenger is
— kay ☼ is sad and gay (@tonysreid) April 24, 2019
Brie Larson, who stars as Avenger Captain Marvel in the film, has been vocal about inclusion within the MCU, saying in an interview that she wanted Marvel Studios to “move faster” in including more LGBTQ characters – especially heroes.
“I don’t understand how you could think that a certain type of person isn’t allowed to be a superhero,” Larson said. “So to me it’s like, we gotta move faster. But I’m always wanting to move faster with this stuff.”
An LGBTQ Marvel hero may be close on the horizon, as the studio is reportedly looking to include an openly gay hero in 2020’s The Eternals.
Avengers: Endgame opened on Thursday and was one of the most anticipated of the Avengers series, as it was the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. It’s expected to break box office records.