James Gunn Thinks MCU May Already Have LGBT Characters

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' director James Gunn speculates that the Marvel Cinematic Universe may already have gay characters.

James Gunn LGBT CharactersAs more films expand in terms of proper representation, audiences are beginning to see more LGBT characters in major productions. In this year alone, we have seen Disney introduce their first openly gay character with LeFou (Josh Gad) in Beauty and the Beast while Saban’s Power Rangers introduced Trini/Yellow Ranger (Becky G) as the first gay superhero on the big screen. But when are we going to see LGBT representation within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Well, if you ask James Gunn, we may have already seen them.

In a recent interview, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 director discussed that LGBT characters may already exist within the MCU. James Gunn elaborated on why audiences may have already acquainted themselves with such characters:

You know, somebody asked me will there by any gay characters in Marvel movies, and what I meant was there’s a lot of characters in the MCU and very few of them have we delved into what their sexualities are – whether it’s gay or straight or bisexual. We don’t really know. So, I imagine there are probably gay characters in the Marvel Universe, you know. We just don’t know who they are yet. There are a lot of gay people in the world. There are a lot of bisexual people in the world. There are a lot of characters in the MCU. We’ve barely gotten to know the sexuality of any of those characters…

It is only a matter of time until Marvel introduces their first openly gay character on the big screen. In fact, Kevin Feige expressed that we may be seeing an LGBT character in the MCU within the next decade.

Also, Avengers: Infinity War directors Anthony and Joe Russo expressed last year that “chances are strong” for the addition of LGBT characters.

Although audiences have yet to see an openly gay character on the big screen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one prominent LGBT character is seen within Marvel’s Netflix series. Jeri Hogarth, who is portrayed by Carrie-Anne Moss debuted in Jessica Jones. The character was gender bent from the original comics and was written as a lesbian. Hogarth has also made appearances in Daredevil and Iron Fist. She will next be seen in The Defenders.

All in all, the future for more LGBT characters within not only the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also the DC Extended Universe looks bright. It is always great to see more diversity on the big screen, and prominent roles for LGBT characters in film is a great way to honor that community.

Set to the backdrop of ‘Awesome Mixtape #2,’ Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the team’s adventures as they traverse the outer reaches of the cosmos. The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mysteries of Peter Quill’s true parentage. Old foes become new allies and fan-favorite characters from the classic comics will come to our heroes’ aid as the Marvel cinematic universe continues to expand.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 blasts into theaters on May 5, 2017.

Source: The Guardian

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic