Marvel's First Gay Superhero & Kiss Accidentally Confirmed By Eternals Actor

• BY MOLLY FREEMAN
• FEB 13, 2020

Marvel's first gay superhero is Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who will have the MCU's first gay kiss, confirmed by Eternals movie actor Haaz Sleiman.

Marvel's first gay superhero is Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), who will have the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first gay kiss, as confirmed by Eternals movie actor Haaz Sleiman. After Avengers: Endgame - and, to a lesser extent, Spider-Man: Far From Home - wrapped up Phase 3 of the MCU last year, Marvel Studios is kicking of Phase 4 in 2020. The two Marvel movies slated to hit theaters are Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Eternals. The latter will introduce a whole new team of superheroes to the MCU, played by an all-star cast that includes the likes of Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek.

As the MCU has progressed, there have been more and more calls for films with diverse lead characters. In 2018, Black Panther became the franchise's first black-led movie, while 2019's Captain Marvel was the first MCU solo movie starring a female character. Eternals promises to bring a great deal more representation to the MCU with a diverse ensemble cast. It's also been confirmed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that Eternals would include the MCU's first gay superhero, but it was unclear which hero it would be. Now, one of the supporting actors in the film has confirmed as much.

In an interview with NewNowNext, Haaz Sleiman spoke about his role in the upcoming Marvel movie, Eternals. Sleiman confirmed he's playing the husband of Henry's Phastos, though he didn't specify his character's name: "I just shot a Marvel film with the first openly gay superhero, The Eternals. I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, and we represent a gay family and have a child." When asked if Eternals would feature Marvel's first gay kiss, Sleiman confirmed it would. He said:

Oh, yeah, absolutely, and it’s a beautiful, very moving kiss. Everyone cried on set. For me it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be. Brian Tyree Henry is such a tremendous actor and brought so much beauty into this part, and at one point I saw a child in his eyes, and I think it’s important for the world to be reminded that we in the queer community were all children at one point. We forget that because we’re always depicted as sexual or rebellious. We forget to connect on that human part.

Last year, Avengers: Endgame introduced a gay character, the nameless support group member played by co-director Joe Russo, who became Marvel's first confirmed LGBTQ character in the MCU. Though technically a step forward for representation in the MCU, it was criticized for being such a minor part of the film, and for the role not going to a gay actor. Last spring, reports first surfaced that Eternals was casting a gay superhero, and ever since the film's cast was confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, many speculated it would be Richard Madden's Ikaris.

Instead, it appears the MCU's first gay superhero will be Henry's Phastos, and he'll share an on-screen kiss with his husband, the character played by Sleiman. Sleiman's comments fall in line with what Feige previously said about Phastos being married with a child, having a family of his own, though we didn't know at the time the studio head was talking about Henry's character. Based on Sleiman's comments, it seems Phastos' kiss with his husband will be more highlighted than the incredibly brief lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Hopefully Phastos' sexuality will be a key part of his character in Eternals, bringing much-needed representation to the MCU. But it's also important the character isn't entirely defined by his sexuality either, which is something Sleiman alludes to in his comments about Phastos. Fans will learn more about Phastos, his husband and their child as the Eternals release date gets closer.