Why Queer people are getting more screen time in the MCU
With Pride month underway we have to take a closer look at our mainstream media. The biggest and hottest movies and series at the moment all come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So let’s put on our rainbow sunglasses and take a closer look… Where are all the LGBTQ+ people? And are they represented properly?
Disney, the big boss above the MCU, has been a company that kind of ignored Queer people for a while. Back in 2013 the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend was trending and many petitions were signed to ‘force’ Disney to give them their first Queer character. The movie Frozen was breaking record after record in the mid 2010’s, with the main song “Let It Go” serving the Queer community as an (unplanned) anthem. Thus the character Elsa would have been the perfect candidate to make a bold statement. However, Disney responded with a simple “the story is focused on her powers and it’s not defined by her romantic interests”. Which to me seems like such an easy way out. Yes, some romantic interests are the main focus of movies. But a sexual orientation is part of life and not a definition to create a story. This was just a little seed planted into Disney’s head that gave the Queer narrative the ability to grow…I think.
Captain Marvel
Before we dive into the Queer characters we have to ask ourselves a bunch of questions: How do you know if someone is a Queer character? Do they need to make out on screen? Do they need to look a certain way to portray that ‘standard’ gay look? Well, that last question was definitely answered by Disney with Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson. In the MCU, Captain Marvel is a strong female character with a bit of a tomboy vibe. She is close ‘friends’ with Maria Rambeau, but we don’t see any romantic vibe between them… yet. There are some rumors that this will be explored more in the sequel. Cutting her long blonde hair to a shorter look during Avengers: Endgame, certainly helped us believe that Captain Marvel can be part of the Queer community. However, nothing was acknowledged explicitly and was still open for any interpretation.
Valkyrie
Another character that gained a Queer following is Valkyrie. It does help that the character is played by Tessa Thompson, an out and proud Queer individual. When Valkyrie first appeared in Thor: Ragnarok, back in 2017, she showed all her fierce-ness on the big screen. The movie ended and I decided to learn more about the character and the actor that played her. I fell in love with both because I could identify and see myself in them. My Halloween costume was sorted right there. But this is exactly the problem: not everyone will go the extra mile and learn more about the characters and the backstories. I only found about the Queerness of Valkyrie because I looked it up. But, there’s hope! In 2019 Kevin Feige (basically the God of the MCU) and Tessa herself confirmed that Valkyrie will be looking for her Queen in the next Thor movie. That movie will be released shortly, so I’m excited!
Loki
The clock is ticking and the world is getting more woke by the minute. Disney, couldn’t fall behind. The big question was: who will be the first MCU character to come out? The answer? Our favorite villain: Loki. Portrayed by the lovely Tom Hiddleston, Loki has always been a special character with a certain flair. He was the biggest villain in the first Avenger movie, so in a way it was a brave move to make him the first character to acknowledge his sexual orientation. If you haven’t seen the series Loki yet (have you been living under a rock?) then forgive me for spoiling the next part. In the ‘coming out’ scene Loki has a conversation with alternative female Loki about love interests. Female Loki asks him if he ever had any long term relationships with either a princess or a prince. To which Loki answers: perhaps a little bit of both. The younger audience might not get this reference per se, but the majority should at least. The fact that Loki admitted he has been attracted to both sexes is history making for Disney. Never before did a character spoke up about their sexual orientation. No more guessing, no more assumption, but simply a bold statement. Well done, Disney.
Phastos
And then there was Phastos, an Eternal with amazing engineering skills. Played by the brilliant Brian Tyree Henry, this character only appears in about a third of the entire movie. His family and male partner are only shown for about ten minutes in total. You could have blinked and would have missed the Queerness on screen. Most people probably didn’t even realize it, which is a positive in a way. It is normalized, and there was no focus on it. But on the other hand, could it have been shown a bit more? There’s a fine line between a Queer narrative and forcing to show how woke you are. In this movie, Disney made the choice to normalize it to the point it was easily missed. But, when Phastos decides to join his peers there was a surprise romantic kiss by the door. This was the very first gay kiss on the big screen for Disney, bravo!
America Chavez
Last but not least, and the latest on screen Queer character in the MCU, is America Chavez. Appearing as a supporting role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Xochtil Gomez portrays a Latin teenager with special powers (I won’t spoil this time). She has been brought up by two mothers, which is also shown on screen as a flashback (sorry, spoiler). There’s no kissing, nothing ‘too gay’. Yet, this has still been a topic of discussion… America also identifies as Queer, although this is not explicitly mentioned in the movie. She wears the Pride Progress flag as a pin on her denim jacket. There’s again room for speculations, but Gomez has hinted that Chavez is a Queer Latina but doesn’t want her sexuality to define her. Which is totally fair. I’m curious to see how this character will make more groundbreaking screen time in the MCU.
Now, if you think all of these stories are supported with open arms, think again. Especially Brian Tyree Henry and Xochtil Gomez have been receiving hate messages for their portrayal of Queer characters. But this is exactly why we need to see them more and more. Because it has to be shown, it has to be normalized, there is no alternative reality where only straight people live (although Marvel just opened the multiverse, so who knows). No, Queer people exist, EVERYWHERE. So also in the MCU. All of these characters are small steps in representation of Queer people. At the same time, there are so many other minorities that still are awaiting their first representation. Like: transgender people, non-binary people, intersex people and much more. Thank you Disney for finally opening up the Queer closeted door, now let’s let everyone out! Happy Pride!
