Disney just announced that they’re pushing back the release dates of a few of their upcoming Marvel movies, and that means we have to wait to see the queer characters we’ve been promised.
While Eternals introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first gay superhero, one is the loneliest number, and Marvel had promised to introduce more queer characters and storylines into the MCU as soon as possible. But now, we’re going to have to wait an extra few months for many of these characters. This is especially bad news because Marvel has been teasing that some of its next films will have not just queer characters, but queer storylines as well. The upcoming Thor sequel is supposed to follow Valkyrie as she searches for a queen. That’s something we definitely don’t want to wait for.
But don’t worry too much. Each of the MCU’s next four films after Eternals will all reportedly feature queer heroes. So even if we do have to wait an extra few months for them, at least the representation we’ve been wanting for a decade will finally be here. (Even if it is a bit too little, too late.)
Here’s not just when we’ll finally see Valkyrie’s love interest, but also these other queer characters being introduced into the MCU:
Marvel's latest star-studded flick Eternals, directed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, is set for release on November 5, 2021 and is introducing the world to the MCU's first gay hero Phastos, played by Atlanta and If Beale Street Could Talk alum Brian Tyree Henry. As we learned in a recent teaser trailer, Phastos has his very own family (a husband, played by out actor Haaz Sleiman, and a son named Jack) giving us all the queer familial representation we could ever ask for in a bid-budget superhero film!
The sequel to Doctor Strange was originally going to be released March 25, 2022, but has been moved to May 6, 2022. This movie will introduce lesbian superhero American Chavez, who will be played by Xochitl Gomez.
Taika Waititi’s followup to Thor: Ragnarok has been moved from May 2022 to July 8, 2022. Ragnarok introduced queer superhero Valkyrie, played by Tessa Thompson, and in this sequel, she’ll get to be queer on screen. The movie will reportedly follow Valkyrie, the newly crowned King of Asgard, as she searches for her queen. Waititi will also reprise the role of Korg, a gay alien, who reportedly won’t have a romantic interest in the film.
Originally scheduled for a May 2022 release, the Black Panther sequel has been pushed to November 11, 2022. A recent rumor says that new cast member Michaela Coel will be playing Aneka, a queer member of the Dora Milaje. In the comics, Aneka is in a relationship with fellow Dora Milaje member Ayo, who has been in both the first Black Panther movie and in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. The rumor also says that the two will have their relationship be made MCU official in the movie.
Nia DaCosta’s Captain Marvel sequel was supposed to come out November of next year, but now has been pushed to February 7, 2023. The film features not just Captain Marvel, but young hero Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau, who we know from WandaVision. It will also reportedly introduce gay superhero Hulking, a Kree and Skrull hybrid who is a member of the Young Avengers and eventually starts a relationship with Wiccan, one of the sons of Wanda Maximoff and Vision.
