Is Captain Marvel the Gay Man of the MCU?

We’ve been comfortably nestled in the superhero era for the past couple of decades, thanks in large part to Marvel’s near-constant stream of MCU releases. Starting in 2008 Iron Man, we’ve seen a new Marvel hero hit the big screen almost every year since.

In 2019, Captain Marvel hits theaters as Marvel’s first solo film with a female lead. The film introduced Brie Larson as Carol Danvers and kept audiences hooked with its focus on a strong and capable female character, with absolutely no romance at all for the duration of the film. It was a bold and decisive move for Marvel, but it paid off. It also led to an increase in questions about the character, especially for the less-romantic first film. Carol mean, responsible attitude, combined with shorn locked in Avengers: Endgame and commentary from Larson, theorizing that the character could be one of the MCU’s first LGBTQ+ titles. Add to that her initial lack of romance and many fans have decided that Carol is a lesbian icon, completely stop.

This is not necessarily true, but it is also difficult to argue definitively. While Carol Danvers isn’t gay by Marvel Comics rules, the character we’ve seen adapted to the big screen may be. Larson himself has pushed for more diversity in the franchise and has made many comments about potential lesbian relationships in future films. This means that the theories are true and The Marvels will introduce the first MCU central character from the LGBTQ+ community.

Comments by Brie Larson

Larson has long been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has publicly campaigned for better representation in film. She’s made a big push to have more gay heroes appear in the MCU and seems to have even suggested that her own character should be made gay. In an interview with Diversity, she said she thinks reps need to “move faster.” After the interviewer, Marc Malkin, said he believed he would never see an LGBTQ+ superhero on screen, Larson expressed disappointment.

“It breaks my heart to hear that, because there’s no reason at all,” she said. “I don’t understand how you can think that a certain type of person shouldn’t be allowed to be a superhero. So for me, it’s like, we have to move faster. But I’ve always wanted to go faster with these. “

Click to zoom

Larson also suggest towards her own sexuality in many cases, driving the gay community into a frenzy but rarely directly mentioning how she defines her identity. This led to rumors that she was gay and further fueled the theory that Captain Marvel would also prefer female friends. However, she has yet to definitively confirm that she is a lesbian, and even if she is, that doesn’t guarantee that her character will reflect the real world that is about to come. this launch.

Even so, Larson has driven much of the conversation about LGBTQ+ representation, especially in Marvel movies. She would be a great choice for a lesbian character, between her status – at least – as an ally, and her character’s place in the MCU. There are some tricky optics that might need to be navigated, like making sure people realize that just because she’s a strong, independent boss bitch doesn’t mean she Yes is a lesbian, but, if handled with care, she could be the perfect fit.

Is Captain Marvel gay?

All of that being said, making Carol Danvers gay in the MCU would deviate from the lore established in the Marvel comics. This isn’t exactly unusual for the MCU, which often creates its own version of characters, their setting, and their overall story, but it’s worth noting. While there is a version of Captain Marvel that is gay, it’s not Carol Danvers. Phyla-Vell once played Captain Marvel, among other heroic monikers, and was in principle a lesbian. Many fans were hoping to see her appear in an MCU release, but so far, she’s not the focus of the story. Instead, we have Carol.

In the comics, Carol dates several prominent male characters. She is known to enjoy the company of everyone’s favorite weblinger himself, Peter Parker, as well as James Rhodes, aka Rhodey, and even Tony Stark himself. One of her earliest relationships was with the original Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell (a man), but she often appears in the comics as a woman with a classic career. Relationships are rarely at the forefront of her mind, and while some of her stories highlight her love preferences, Carol tends to carry her storyline without Need more romance.

If the MCU chooses ⏤ instead of treating Carol as gay ⏤ to simply stick with the theme, that makes a lot of sense for representation as well. As noted above, there are a few optical issues that make Captain Marvel the first solo, main, heavyweight character to be gay. The main thing is simply this: she fits too many stereotypes. She has classic lesbian hair in Endgame, she’s strong and independent, she’s a military woman – the list goes on. The thing is, not all lesbians fit into a box, and presenting an antiquated idea of ​​what lesbians are could give the MCU a bit of a backseat. They’ve missed the mark on representing LGBTQ+ quite a few times, and it’s about time they got it right. While Carol may offer the perfect opportunity for this, they can also spoil her character by trying to put better representation in her films.

Whether she’s become the first prominent lesbian in the MCU or remains out of a relationship, the Captain Marvel character has come to represent the issue of visibility in superhero movies. We have both Brie Larson and the team at Marvel Studios to thank for this, and can only hope that they continue to have an open and nuanced conversation about inclusion and representation going forward. And, whenever we finally get to that main gay hero, we hope that Marvel will treat them with the care and respect they deserve.