Amid Shia LaBeouf Rumors, Colton Haynes Wants to Play Iceman

Though the rumor has it Shia LaBeouf is being eyed to play Iceman in future Marvel Comics Universe projects, there's someone out there who has a hankering for it. Enter Colton Haynes.

Iceman (whose civilian name is Robert "Bobby" Drake) is one of the OG X-Men characters created by comic legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in TheX-Men #1 back in 1963. More recently, Bobby has been portrayed as a gay man, and in a groundbreaking 2017 issue of the All-New X-Men, Bobby finally got to kiss his romantic partner (and rival inhuman) Romeo. As a result, many have called for the actor who portrays him to also be queer.

Haynes, who came out in 2016 thinks he's up for the challenge. Plus, the role wouldn't be completely unprecedented for him: he's already had experience playing a superhero. The native of Wichita, Kansas, is Roy Harper, codenamed Arsenal, in the television series Arrow.

Marvel has been making real progress in terms of inclusive and affirming storylines and characters in recent years. Brian Tyree Henry, who has been cast as Phastos in the upcoming film The Eternals, will portray the first gay Marvel superhero with an onscreen love interest. Phastos will have a husband and children in the footage -- and there's even an on-screen kiss.

Despite the rumors, it remains unclear when Marvel will add Iceman to an MCU offering. Still, one can't throw their hat in the ring too early.

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