He eventually comes to hate Thor for being next in line for the crown, and in a scheme to defeat the God of Thunder, actually creates the Avengers. He was adopted by Odin and Freya and raised as their own next to Thor and Balder. Born to King Laufey, King of the Frost Giants of Jötunheimr. Still, the biggest franchises tend to be the slowest to boast true representation.Many already know the complicated family history of Loki Laufeyson. introduced its first openly gay character in the DC superhero films in Birds of Prey last year, but she was a supporting player, not a star of the series. Other major franchises like Fast and Furious and Jurassic Park, despite having sprawling casts, remain steadfastly hetero. So far the X-Men films have not yet introduced an openly queer character on the big screen.
For instance, in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, a movie in which Dumbledore is a central character, Dumbledore’s love affair with the character of Grindelwald is somehow both central to the plot and yet never explicitly stated.Īnd then there are the franchises that simply don’t include LGBTQIA superheroes at all. Over the years, many fans have felt increasingly betrayed by its lack of inclusion in subsequent canonical Harry Potter stories. The news was met with mixed feelings: Celebration at the inclusion of the queer community in the books, and disappointment that Dumbledore’s sexuality was never explicitly stated or explored. Rowling never wrote that fan-favorite character Dumbledore was gay in her books but stated that was the case after they were published. Perhaps the biggest perpetrator of this teasing tactic is the Fantastic Beasts series. Why, fans have asked, not give Sulu’s husband some lines or even a name? Why not give Frozen’s actual protagonist Elsa a girlfriend (#GiveElsaAGirlfriend trended when Frozen 2 was announced)? Why not show Lando dating humans, androids and aliens of various genders? These fleeting moments have largely been met with frustration.
In the live-action Beauty and the Beast, Josh Gad’s LeFou dances with his crush Gaston in what the director called an “ exclusively gay moment”-albeit in the story arc of a silly sidekick. Donald Glover revealed that his character Lando Calrissian was pansexual in an interview but his queerness onscreen was limited to a vibe. Frozen briefly cut to a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of a gay shopkeeper’s husband and kids.
The Star Trek film series spent a split second showing John Cho’s Sulu hugging his husband. Other franchises are lagging in queer representation too Of course, the lack of queer stories is a direct cause of such speculation-without explicit representation on the screen, fans are left to wish and imagine that it were so. Shipping Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes was a popular pastime before Steve retired as Captain America. This isn’t the first time that fans have speculated that two characters in the MCU might have a secret relationship. “You would always meet your friends at the bar, but you can’t do that anymore, because something as pure and beautiful as homosexuality has been exploited by people who are trying to rationalize themselves.” “It used to be guys could be friends, we could hang out, we could do this, and it was cool,” Mackie said on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast when he was asked about fans’ interpretation of the relationship. (He was credited as “Grieving Man.”) And Marvel found itself in hot water when Anthony Mackie responded to a popular fan theory that his character Sam Wilson (the new Captain America) and his friend Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) are gay. Still, that character didn’t even have a name. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity.” We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that. “It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them. “Representation is really important,” Russo told Deadline at the time. Avengers: Endgame did include a cameo from director Joe Russo in which he plays a gay character who gets a few lines in which he talks about going on dates with men during a group therapy session led by Captain America.