As the saying goes, one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. There are/have been plenty of romantic pairings in the MCU (Tony and Pepper, Natasha and Bruce, Wanda and Vision, etc) but all of them have been heterosexual. Now, Marvel Studios will be taking a huge step forward by not only including a same-sex couple but also by featuring a same-sex kiss in their upcoming film The Eternals.
In an interview with NewNowNext, Haaz Sleiman, who’s a supporting cast member on The Eternals discussed his character’s relationship with the superhero Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry).
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. 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. 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.
Now, I’m pretty sure some people in the comment section will say something along the lines of “Urgh! Just make good movies instead of SJW nonsense.” Here’s the thing. Including an LGBT character in the film (or centring it around women and people of colour) will not automatically make it good. This could very well be a horrendous movie.
But diversity and representation itself is never a bad thing. Some of my favourite superheroes are white, heterosexual males — I love Batman, Iron Man, Wolverine, etc — but I also want to see people of all walks of life, people of different creed, colour and sexuality.
Having said that, there’s a very real possibility that The Eternals could be banned in Malaysia given that our government does not allow the portrayal of LGBT characters on screen (unless said character is a dipsh*t who “repents” or dies by the end of the film). Even if it isn’t banned, expect heavy censorship. Which of course, sucks as censorship is a form of oppression.
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