The Eternals will have an openly gay character with a family

Marvel fans have been clamoring for more representation within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly when it comes to LGBTQ+ characters. And although Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige promised more inclusion toward the end of Phase 3, the results were admittedly a little disappointing. Avengers: Endgame does have one gay character in it — a grieving man played by director Joe Russo — but his appearance is short and his role relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of the plot. It’s certainly not what fans were hoping for, even if it was a start.

But heading into Phase 4, Marvel seems to have much bigger plans for its LGBTQ+ characters. It was recently announced that Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) would have a female love interest in upcoming films, confirming the longtime rumors that she’s bisexual and essentially guaranteeing that a crucial character — she is the king of Asgard now, after all — will be a member of the community. And it seems that The Eternals will also feature a gay character, something that Feige alluded to at San Diego Comic-Con but elaborated on further during an interview with Good Morning America this week.

Feige confirmed that a gay character will appear in the film, and he suggested that this character would play a fairly major role. “He’s married,” Feige said, “he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is.”

This sounds like an exciting addition to an already diverse cast of characters, and the fact that the character’s sexuality is treated as more of a fact of the story than a reveal or a plot twist is encouraging for viewers who want to see themselves represented in more realistic and relatable ways. After all, inclusion isn’t about making a statement — it’s about showing the world as it actually is, with people from all walks of life.

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As far as which character Feige was referring to, he didn’t specify. As Syfy points out, none of The Eternals characters are gay in the comics. Perhaps Feige was referring to Kit Harrington’s recently announced Black Knight character, or to Richard Madden’s Ikarus. We won’t know for sure until more details emerge, but it’s an exciting development either way — and one that will hopefully satisfy fans who have been waiting to see something like this in the MCU.

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