A New Transgender Character Is Coming To The Marvel Universe

Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, announced that a transgender character is coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Feige made the announcement during an event Saturday at the New York Film Academy with NYFA’s Director of Industry Lecture Series, Tova Laiter.

According to NBC News, during the question-and-answer session after the panel, a student asked Feige if there were any plans to add more LGBTQ characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “specifically the T, trans characters,” to which Feige responded, ” “Yes, absolutely. Yes.”

“Very soon,” Feige teased. “In a movie, we’re shooting right now.”

While he did not specify which movie would include the character, some fans are already speculating that the movie could be “The Eternals,” as it is currently in production.

This announcement comes a year after Marvel cast Zach Barack, who is believed to be the first out trans actor to be cast in a big-budget superhero film, “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Barack played Zach, one of Peter Parker’s classmates. The latest “Spider-Man” also included trans actor Tyler Luke Cunningham as a featured extra.

Last year, Feige revealed that Tessa Thompson’s character Valkyrie, first introduced in “Thor: Ragnarok,” is an LGBTQ character even though her sexuality had not been explicitly stated in previous films. A scene in “Thor: Ragnarok,” showing Valkyrie in a relationship with another woman, ended up being cut from the movie. Yet Feige said she would be involved in an LGBTQ storyline in the forthcoming 2021 film “Thor: Love and Thunder.”

When another student asked how MCU plans to become “more inclusive and diverse in the future,l Feige explained that “We wanted to keep showcasing heroes – from the comics – that represent the world that goes to see our movies.” Feige said that “When you’re sitting at a table, and everyone looks like you, you’re in trouble. You’re not going to get the best story out of it.”