Avengers Endgame: The Russos Talk About Introducing First Openly Gay Character in the MCU

[VERY MILD SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME]

Marvel Studios is said to be planning to introduce us to an openly gay superhero with The Eternals, but the Russo Brothers have managed to introduce an openly gay character in Avengers: Endgame already. During the scene where Steve Rogers is talking to a support group, Joe Russo himself made a cameo in the film as a man talking about going on a date with another man. Russo talks a bit about integral the scene was to the Marvel universe as a whole.

Talking to Deadline, Joe Russo explains:

"Representation is really important… 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. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity."

After films like Black Panther and Captain Marvel, the studio is also looking for diversify some more with The Eternals, and the upcoming Shang-Chi which is said to feature the MCU's first Asian hero.

Anthony Russo also added on:

"The fact that the character is gay will get attention but it isn't where the scene started… When you have a story point that includes killing half of all humans on Earth, you're telling a bigger story than The Avengers. So that scene was important to us in telling the story of the larger world. We wanted to have a voice that was talking about the experience of people that went beyond The Avengers. That's why we felt we really needed it in the movie. Otherwise, it just became too hermetic and insular. That character that Joe is playing really came from that point of view, him being an everyman who has suffered from Thanos' act."

This is also just me, but I think it's great that we have Captain America being the one present in the support group. With him being the epitome of old-fashioned, I think it's important that we see that he's accepting of homosexuals, seeing that it's the old-fashioned way of thinking that usually gets that minority discriminated.

This is a bigger step than we thought it would be for Marvel, and all we can really do now is wait and see what's in store for the future.

Catch Avengers: Endgame in theaters April 26.

See Also: Avengers: Endgame Star Mark Ruffalo Reveals His Favorite Bruce Banner Line