At the Eternals film premiere, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige had some very exciting news for LGBTQ+ Marvel fans: There are more gay superheroes coming to the big screen."There have been gay superheroes in the comics. It is more than past time in the movies," Feige told Variety on the red carpet. "It's just the start."
Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry in Eternals, will be Marvel Studios' first openly gay superhero. A previously released trailer gave fans a look at the hero's family, showing his husband and son meeting Ikaris (Game of Thrones' Richard Madden), another hero in the film.
At the premiere event, screenwriters Ryan and Kaz Firpo also discussed the decision to include a gay character in the new film. The pair were asked to talk about their "groundbreaking decision" to include the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first openly gay superhero.
"No, it's not groundbreaking," Kaz Firpo began. "It's real life... I grew up with two moms, and it was part of my life just in a very normal way. [Ryan and I are] from the Bay area; it's something we wanted to see reflected in this film. I think the way we've done it, and the way Chloé [Zhao] has brought it to life, it's beautiful. It's very nuanced. It's not hanging a lantern, we're not screaming it from the hilltops. It's just showing that this is real life and these are real people."
Haaz Sleiman, who plays Phastos' husband, previously spoke about being excited to play a part in the historic film. "It was a beautiful, very moving kiss," the actor said when he confirmed the couple would show affection on screen. "For me, it's very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be. Brian Tyree Henry is such a tremendous actor and brought so much beauty into this part, and at one point I saw a child in his eyes, and I think it's important for the world to be reminded that we in the queer community were all children at one point. We forget that because we're always depicted as sexual or rebellious. We forget to connect on that human part."
Also at the premiere, Gemma Chan, who plays Sersi, celebrated the film's diversity. "It feels like we talked about this quite a lot," the actress said. "When we met each other and had worked together for a bit, we realized that there were elements of each of us in our characters, and that's why we were cast. So, you know, it is diversely cast, but it doesn't feel tokenistic."
Eternals will hit theaters Nov. 5.
Source: Twitter