Marvel’s The Eternals Openly Gay Character Is Married With a Family

Increased LGBTQ+ representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something that not only have fans been asking for, but Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has been teasing for some time. Fans even got a few tentative steps towards that increased representation when Avengers: Endgame featured an openly gay character in a very brief role. But when it comes to an openly gay character in a lead role, that hasn’t yet happened — but it’s coming and soon. According to Feige, The Eternals will feature an openly gay character who is married and has a family of their own.

Speaking with Good Morning America, Feige confirmed that The Eternals will feature a major gay character who is simply living his life as anyone would, married and with a family.

“He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is,” Feige said.

Notably, Feige did not reveal who that openly gay family man is but fans have been speculating for some time that it could be Ikaris, who will be played by Game of Thrones alum Richard Madden. Ikaris is one of the main characters in Jack Kirby’s original The Eternals comic.

Whoever The Eternals‘ openly gay character ends up being, it’s important that it’s just one facet of who the character is. It’s also important that the character is the first, not the only. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie will also fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Thompson revealed at San Diego Comic-Con that Valkyrie, who was last seen being made King of Asgard by Thor at the end of Avengers: Endgame, will be looking for a Queen to rule alongside her in New Asgard in Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s a move that will technically make Valkyrie the MCU’s first LGBTQ+ hero.

“The answer is yes,” Feige told io9 at the time. “How that impacts the story remains to be seen with that level of representation you’ll see across our films, not just in Thor 4.”

The sprawling cast for The Eternals includes Angelina Jolie (Thena), Richard Madden (Ikaris), Kumail Nanjiani (Kingo), Lauren Ridloff (Makkari), Brian Tyree Henry (Phastos), Salma Hayek (Ajak), Lia McHugh (Sprite), Don Lee (Gilgamesh), Kit Harington (Dane Whitman/Black Knight), Gemma Chan (Sersi), and Barry Keoghan (Druig). Chloé Zhao will direct from a script by Matthew and Ryan Firpo.

The Eternals is set to bow November 6, 2020. Other upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall of 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? In Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Other MCU properties without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

Are you excited for an openly gay character with a family in The Eternals? Let us know in the comments below.