Joe and Anthony Russo are speaking out against their critics and defending the inclusion of a gay character in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
While the Russo Brothers may have soared to the top of the box office with Avengers: Endgame, the supersized superhero sequel came under fire for its the hype surrounding an LGBTQ+ presence.
For anyone that needs a refresher, one of Endgame‘s early scenes involved Chris Evans’ Captain America in a post-snap world. Cap was struggling to come to terms with life after “The Decimation”.
Steve Rogers visited a support group, where he came across a character who was openly homosexual. While the man didn’t get a proper name or introduction, he was actually played by Joe Russo himself.
Speaking to io9, MCU boss Kevin Feige has defended the Russo Brothers. The studio head said, “That was never meant to be our first focused character…That was just meant to be a matter of fact and a matter of life and a matter of truth.”
Feige continued, “And I liked it that our hero, Steve Rogers, doesn’t blink an eye at that fact. It is just truth and is heartbreaking for his loss and for the life he’s trying to put back together.
“It was never meant to be looked at as our first hero. I guess it’s the first reference so it does, of course, get a lot of attention.”
Still, the laclustre reveal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first openly gay character caused a stir among fandom, especially considering there are so many LGBTQ+ heroes out there.
At least the world’s highest-grossing franchise is making some progress. There were recent rumours that upcoming movie The Eternals was looking for an openly gay actor to play the lead. Elsewhere, those at the top have promised that more of an LGBTQ+ voice will be heard in the MCU.
Elsewhere, Victoria Alonso — the MCU’s executive vice-president — told Vulture that she hopes the rainbow flag will keep flying: “We’re just determined to have it be how we do it,” said Alonso. “And if we do it, maybe somebody else will do it. I encourage every studio, every indie production company, every filmmaker out there to make an effort.”
Casting director Sarah Halley Finn reiterated, “You’re gonna see even more new faces — and faces from all different background, all ages, all ethnicities, LGBTQ, people who are differently abled.
“It’s a priority to have authenticity, to increase representation, to give greater representation to actors who have not traditionally been represented in mainstream movies on the big screen.”
Feige added, “We haven’t been shy about saying that that’s coming and that there’s much more prominent LGBT heroes in the future. Even though he kept his cards close to his chest, he said it’s “coming soon.”
For now though, we’ll just have to stick to fan fiction where Captain Marvel and Valkyrie are an item.
[Featured Image: Marvel/Disney]