Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Lia McHugh, Angelina Jolie, Don Lee and Lauren Ridloff of Marvel Studios’ ‘The Eternals’ at the San Diego Comic-Con International 2019 (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
After leaving fans guessing for months, the first openly gay Marvel superhero has been revealed in the trailer for The Eternals.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that there would be an openly gay superhero at the D23 Expo in California in August, but did not confirm the name of the character or the actor playing him.
But now, according to Out, a trailer screened to a some privileged fans at the CCXP 2019 expo has shown that actor Brian Tyree Henry will play the gay superhero, as the character Phastos.
In an interview with Good Morning America in August, Feige said the character would be “married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is”.
This was also confirmed, as Henry featured in the trailer holding hands with a male partner accompanied by two children.
The Eternals will also feature Bodyguard star Richard Madden as Ikaris, Games of Thrones actor Kit Harington as Dane Whitman/Black Knight, Angelina Jolie as Athena, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Barry Keoghan as Druig. Gemma Chan will play lead character Sersi.
The Eternals will also include the first deaf superhero in the MCU in the form of Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff.
Marvel casting director Sarah Halley Finn expressed their support for more diverse characters in Marvel films in an interview with Vulture.
“You’re gonna see even more new faces – and faces from all different background, all ages, all ethnicities, LGBTQ, people who are differently abled,” Finn said.
She added: “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.”
The Eternals will be in cinemas on November 6 2020.