As audiences flocked to cinemas around the world to watch Avengers: End Game, some LGBTIQ+ Marvel fans were excited to find out which of the film's characters would be revealed as openly gay.
A long-running rumour in the fandom, directors Joe and Anthony Russo had previously lent credence to speculation that End Game would include Marvel's first ever openly gay on-screen character, a welcome step forward for the franchise.
And the film delivered - sort of.
While none of the movie's central characters were involved, there was a brief cameo from Joe Russo, who played a gay man whose boyfriend had been dusted by Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.
“Representation is really important,” Joe Russo told of their decision to include the blink-and-you'd-miss-it role.
“It was important to us as we did four of these films, we wanted a gay character somewhere in them. We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that."
He added: "It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity.”
While some fans were disappointed by the brief moment of queer representation, Russo insisted it was a deliberate move.
“We wanted it to be casual, with the fact that the character is gay tied into the fabric of the storytelling and representing what everyday life is,” he said.
“We’re trying to represent everyone in everyday life. These are global movies that reach a lot of people. They are important to a lot of people and everyone has the right to see themselves on the screen and identify somewhere.”
While nothing is set in stone, it has been that Marvel Studios is now looking to cast its first openly LGBTIQ+ superhero for upcoming film The Eternals.
Additionally, has previously that her character in Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie, was bisexual, with a scene explicitly confirming her sexuality allegedly cut from the film.
