Repeatedly delayed, The New Mutants faced another setback this week as Disney removed the film and Mulan from its release schedule over concerns about coronavirus (COVID-19). The final X-Men film produced by Fox the studio's acquisition by Disney last year, The New Mutants depicts what director Josh Boone describes as a "beautiful love story" between Maisie Williams' Rahne Sinclair and Blu Hunt's Danielle Moonstar. As such, the film brings with it what's potentially the first LGBT representation in a Disney release.
While it would be a big step forward in LGBT representation for Disney if this same-sex relationship played a big role in the film, Disney's track record inspires skepticism. The Mouse House has a history of claiming "first ever" LGBT representation in its films, and then failing to follow through in a meaningful way. The live-action Beauty and the Beasts' understated nod to LeFou's sexuality, for example, disappointed audiences, as did the blink-and-you'll-miss-it lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Disney Pixar's Onward recently earned credit for finally advancing Disney's quality of LGBT representation, though that representation was still limited to a single character in a short scene who has no onscreen interaction with their same-sex partner. Certainly a Disney movie has never included the level of representation that The New Mutants is implied to have.
The New Mutants is inspired by the "Demon Bear" arc from the comics by writer Chris Claremont and artist Bill Slenkiewicz. In the story, Moonstar, aka Psyche, has repeated nightmares about the Demon Bear that killed her parents. Eventually she goes outside into the snow and demands that the spirit reveal itself. This manifests the bear into reality, and it nearly kills Psyche. The rest of the story follows the other mutants as they attempt to defeat the Bear while Psyche is sidelined to a hospital operating table. Magik and her soul sword, along with the other New Mutants on her team, finally bring down the Demon Bear in the Badlands (the spirit plane home of the Bear).
Sinclair, aka Wolfsbane, and Psyche are not in a romantic relationship in the comics. In fact, while on the New Mutants team, Wolfsbane develops a crush on Sam Guthrie, aka Cannonball, who also appears in the film and is played by Charlie Heaton. Wolfsbane's relationships in the comics are all with men and the same goes for Psyche, though the two are said to have a deep and special bond. Plus, if the film follows the Demon Bear arc too closely, it will keep Wolfsbane and Psyche separated for most of the film's action.
However, it appears the film will reverse the "gals being pals" trope that typically erases female romantic intimacy in favor of platonic readings of their relationships, and instead will allow the characters' connection to blossom into a romance. Williams indicates that although her character is involved in a same-sex relationship, the plot of the film is not concerned with characters exploring their sexuality nor does the couple or their friends use labels to describe Wolfsbane and Psyche's feelings for one another. However, she notes that the telepathic connection the two characters share lends itself well to a love story, and that the relationship feels very genuine.
The movie looks like an unapologetic horror movie with superhero elements. This blending of genres could make for a very busy film that includes sequences of heavy tension and scares, as well as big action set-pieces. If the emotional core of the story is an unambiguous same-sex romance, then it would be a huge step forward in LGBT representation in Disney/Marvel films, even if the characters have minimal interaction over the course of the story.
One reason to hope: The New Mutant trailer shows Wolfsbane and Psyche in an intimate position. This seems to pretty much guarantee that the film with have at least one significant moment of emotional and physical connection between the two female characters. While a single moment in a trailer is not the same as a meaningful relationship unfolding over the course of an entire film, it is a sign that at the very least the connection between the two characters, explicitly romantic or otherwise, will be present within the film.
Boone seems genuine in his desire to respectfully depict an LGBT relationship in his upcoming film and there is evidence the film includes genuinely meaningful representation for the LGBT community. However, if the movie's same-sex relationship is kept too ambiguous, then The New Mutants could find itself on an ever-growing list of "Disney First LGBT" films that fail to deliver meaningful representation to an audience that is clamoring for screen time.
Directed and co-written by Josh Boone, The New Mutants stars Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Roberto da Costa/Sunspot, Blu Hunt as Danielle Moonstar/Mirage and Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes.