What better time than Valentine’s Day to hear details about the first gay kiss in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
In a new interview from Logo, actor Haaz Sleiman, who proudly describes himself as “a gay, Muslim, Arab American man,” revealed that he’s one half of Marvel’s first openly gay couple in the upcoming superhero movie, “The Eternals.”
“I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by ‘Atlanta’s’ Brian Tyree Henry, and we represent a gay family and have a child,” said the actor.
He went on to confirm that the movie would also include the MCU’s first gay kiss, saying, “Oh, yeah, absolutely, and it’s a beautiful, very moving kiss. Everyone cried on set. For me it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be.”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige previously confirmed on “Good Morning America” last August that “The Eternals” would feature a gay couple. Feige described the featured character by saying, “He’s married, he’s got a family and that is just part of who he is.”
Media outlets also reported late last year that an early screening of footage from the film at Comic Con Experience 2019 showed Henry’s character Phastos holding hands with a male partner.
With the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicking off in 2008 with “Iron Man,” the road to Marvel’s first gay couple has been a long one. And though some characters, such as Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie from “Thor: Ragnarok,” are considered LGBTQ, scenes that could’ve shed more light on that haven’t made the final cuts of films thus far.
The first actual open LGBTQ character in the MCU was director Joe Russo’s appearance as a gay man mourning the disappearance of his partner in “Avengers: Endgame.” However, it was only a brief cameo, and the moment was met with some backlash for such a supposed milestone being somewhat inconsequential.
Now, with the recent news that Valkyrie will likely be shown in an LGBTQ relationship in the new “Thor” movie, including an endorsement from that movie’s director, Taika Waititi, and these comments from Sleiman, it seems that LGBTQ representation in the MCU is about to get super-powered.
Reps for Disney, Sleiman and Henry did not immediately return a request for comment.