Anna Daniels
The inclusion Marvel has been talking and talking and talking about seems to be partly just further talk around corporate board tables. While they’ve done well in bringing more women into the MCU, plus ethnic balance, LGBTQ representation is still a bit ambiguous.
Without Kevin Feige at the helm, there might not be any talk at all about such a thing. He keeps promising more LGBTQ characters will be happening in the MCU. So far, it seems overly forced and a bit hidden, at best.
Fans are starting to grow skeptical about whether this kind of representation will ever happen since Marvel is owned by Disney. Is the Mouse House really holding things back, or is it the decisions of some in the Marvel corporate realms?
There is evidence Disney wants to stay as conservative as possible
Some fans on places like Reddit still accuse Disney of pulling the rug out on LGBTQ people, despite the studio showing open support for such characters. As an example: the push by Oscar Isaac to make his Poe Dameron character have a gay relationship with Finn was said to have been quashed by Disney. Isaac then lashed out at the “Disney overlords” for deciding it wasn’t a good idea.
What seems to be happening now is to place gay characters in the background so it can easily be cut out in markets where there’s thought to be more homophobia. Of course, part of this problem comes in the lucrative international markets, including China.
Even then, Disney seems to be upholding their traditional values in their films. A number of people may be frustrated Disney now owns two of the most popular movie franchises in the world.
Perhaps others think Disney keeping things toned down is beneficial to cater to still large conservative audiences.
There are conservative voices at Marvel
Ike Perlmutter, the Chairman of Marvel, is known for being a Trump supporter and trying to uphold his conservative stances on MCU films. He even opposed having more women in the MCU because he thought there was proof those movies don’t do well at the box office.
There have been some other things Perlmutter has been against in bringing more diversity, leading Feige to once threaten to leave Marvel because of creative clashes. Since then, of course, Feige has been placed in a more powerful role, with Perlmutter not going anywhere.
What that means for the future of the MCU is still up in the air. At least Feige managed to have enough power to bring a legitimate LGBTQ character to the upcoming Marvel movie The Eternals. It’s going to be a character everyone hopes will be more than just in the shadows.
Based on the description of the character, it looks more promising. Regardless, those who want more LGBTQ representation are rightly frustrated there may be more deception
Who is Phastos in ‘The Eternals’?
As one of the centuries-old male characters of The Eternals, Phastos will have a husband in the film, something decreed by Feige himself. After only little glances of other gay characters in recent Marvel films, this character (played by Brian Tyree Henry) may have a chance to expand with a meaningful story.
Or, it may be like the others: Phastos’s relationship will only be mentioned in a brief scene so Marvel can again cut it out of certain markets if need be. This may be as far as Disney will ever go in bringing LGBTQ characters to MCU movies, or Star Wars either.
Acknowledging those characters exist within both universes is at least a start. If some argue there shouldn’t have to be details to make such characters be represented, it may be years before there are characters like this who become the star of the show.
Rumors of Captain Marvel maybe being lesbian have circulated, but up-front LGBTQ inclusion in the MCU may not happen for another decade or more. Unless there’s any chance Marvel can become an independent studio again.
Read the original article from The Cheat Sheet Written by: Cheat
