10 Biggest MCU Controversies Ever
3. The Consistently Poor LGBTQ Representation
There's been increasing pressure from the LGBTQ community in recent years for the MCU to introduce substantial queer characters, and it's safe to say that the results so far have been... meagre at best.
Despite the cast and crew of numerous MCU movies promising that x character is gay or an upcoming film will have "significant" representation, for the most part it's amounted to little more than whispered-about innuendo and brief visual confirmation which can be easily cut out to appease "less tolerant" - that is, bigoted - markets.
Where to begin? Avengers: Endgame had its "gay moment," which amounted to co-director Joe Russo - a straight man - making a cameo as a gay man who makes a few quick references to his sexuality.
Then there's Eternals, which promised major strides in representation with its gay main character Phastos (Bryan Tyree Henry).
And though Phastos' sexuality was depicted in numerous scenes - including showing him kissing his husband - Marvel buckled and agreed to cut these scenes for the film's release in Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt.
Next up we have Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which promised two LGBTQ characters and settled for a seconds-long cameo from America Chavez's (Xochitl Gomez) gay parents.
And most recently, and perhaps most egregiously, we have Thor: Love and Thunder, where despite early plot synopses suggesting the film would be focused on Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) finding her queen, this is non-existent in the final movie.
There's a point where it's difficult to see this wishy-washy "representation" as anything more than queerbaiting.
The LGBTQ community deserves better than pre-release promises that never come to fruition in the final film itself, because it's easy to suggest that Disney is simply making empty statements in an attempt to boost their box office figures with this demographic.
In 2022, that Disney is still so reluctant to feature upfront gay characters whose sexual orientation is as outward as any heterosexual character's is, frankly, embarrassing.