Marvel's Queer Superhero Films Were All Just Pushed Back

LGBTQ+ superhero fans who were looking forward to Marvel's next releases will have to wait a little longer. As a result of the ongoing global pandemic, the company's next set of films have all been pushed. Of them: Thor: Love and Thunder as well as The Eternals, both of which are slated to show queer characters looking for or already in love.

When The Eternals finally premieres, it will show Marvel's first openly gay superhero onscreen. That character, Phastos, will be played by Brian Tyree Henry and will appear with a male partner and two children. Earlier this year, Haaz Sleiman revealed that he was playing the husband and that the two share a "beautiful, very moving kiss." That project was initially set to release in November 2020, but in a reshuffle of the dates, it now won't be out until February 12, 2021 according to Variety. In its place, superhero fans can expect Black Widow to open November 6, 2020.

But Phastos wasn't the only queer character we were waiting to see. Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie was set to explore her sexuality in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder. Directed by Taika Waititi, the project was supposed to see the new rule of Asgard "find her queen," as Thompson put it in a speech. That project, which was originally set to release in November 2021, has been pushed to February 18, 2022.

These changes come amid pivots for Disney's entire lineup, not just the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Other Marvel projects with new releases include Doctor Strange 2, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings. Other Disney films include the live-action remake of Mulan, which is now expected out July 24, 2020, as well as Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones.

A new world indeed.

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