Marvel is always shifting the world of superheroes as we know it. Premiering worldwide this weekend, Captain Marvel is set to become the most powerful hero in the MCU, also serving as one of the first female-led Marvel films. This week, it was also rumored that the studio would be starting casting soon for an openly-gay superhero in The Eternals. Obviously, that's a pretty big deal and a very welcome addition to the Cinematic Universe. At Captain Marvel's premiere event, a top executive at Marvel all but confirmed the news, stating that the "world is ready" for a gay superhero.
Speaking with Variety, Marvel's production chief Victoria Alonso spoke about the importance of both Captain Marvel and The Eternals, saying that it's only right for them to start championing a more inclusive space in the MCU. Without revealing much information about their decisions for Eternals, Alonso said, "We are going to cast the best ‘Eternals’ cast that we can and when we’re ready to announce it we promise you we will."
She went on to discuss why Marvel is so committed to diversity in their roles. "Why wouldn’t we be? Why wouldn’t we be?" she asked. "Our entire success is based on people that are incredibly different. Why wouldn’t we? Why would we only want to be recognized by only one type of person? Our audience is global, is diverse, is inclusive. If we don’t do it that way for them, we will fail. If we don’t put pedal to the metal on the diversity and the inclusivity, we will not have continued success. Our determination is to have that for all of the people out there watching our movies."
If the reports about Eternals are true, it would be the first film in the MCU to have a gay lead.