While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies may run for 49 hours and 56 minutes (at time of writing), there has still not been a single same-sex kiss on screen. That's about to change with The Eternals, which will feature Marvel's first big-screen openly gay couple.
Speaking to Logo (via io9), Haaz Sleiman revealed that his character is married to Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos, one of the eponymous Eternals, and that they will have a child together. "It’s a beautiful, very moving kiss," he said. "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."
There have been rumblings that a gay character would appear in the MCU at some stage for a few years, with Tessa Thompson previously saying her character Valkyrie is bisexual. However, many fans have called on Marvel to show the character's sexuality on screen – something that has yet to happen (though might be shown in Thor: Love & Thunder). The Eternals looks set to finally deliver an LGBT+ kiss.
The Eternals reaches cinemas later this year and will be part of Marvel Phase 4. In the meantime, you can check out our pieces explaining The Eternals powers, and how the villainous The Deviants could factor into the upcoming movie.
