Marvel's 'Eternals': How Gay Superhero Phastos Came to Be - Variety

Contents:

• 5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MCU'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SUPER-POWERED CHARACTER
• MARVEL’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO DEFEATS EVIL, MAK HISTORY ETERNALS TRAILER
• HOW ‘ETERNALS’ ESTABLISH THE MCU’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO AND SAME-SEX COUPLE A MOVIE: ‘IT’S LIFE-SAVG’
• MARVEL'S THE ETERNALS NFIRMS OPENLY GAY CHARACTER: 'HE'S MARRIED, HE'S GOT A FAY'
• WAR EPTS OVER NEW MARVEL BLOCKBTER’S GAY SUPERHERO
• GAY-INCLIVE MARVEL FILM 'ETERNALS' ALREADY BANNED 3 COUNTRI
• ETERNALS BANNED SDI ARABIA, QATAR AND KUWA AFTER DISNEY REF GAY CUTS – REPORTS
• THE MOST RECENT MARVEL STUDS’ ETERNALS CLIP CONFIRMS GAY COUPLE WH SON
• ‘ETERNALS’ REPORTEDLY PULLED SDI ARABIA AND GULF NATNS OVER GAY SUPERHERO
• THE GAY SUPERHERO ‘ETERNALS’ IS ‘WHAT AUDIENC HAVE BEEN WAG FOR,’ SAYS GLAAD (GUT COLUMN)
• ETERNALS STAR CALLS BRGG A GAY COUPLE TO THE MCU A 'LIFAVG' EXPERIENCE
• COULD 'ETERNALS' MOVE THE NEEDLE THE MIAST BY PUTTG A GAY CHARACTER ON SCREEN?
• ‘ETERNALS’ ACTOR HAAZ SLEIMAN ON BEG ARAB AND OPENLY GAY THE MCU, THE FILM’S ‘IGNORANT’ BAN MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRI (EXCLUSIVE)
• WHY THE 'ETERNALS' GAY COUPLE ACTUALLY ISN'T THE FIRST IN MCU HISTORY

5 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE MCU'S FIRST OPENLY GAY SUPER-POWERED CHARACTER

He's not the first queer MCU character; he's the first out, super-powered MCU character In 2019's Avengers: Endgame, -director Joe Rso played an unnamed gay man a brief scene at a support group. Pl, there's sr of background players var crowd scen that have pged my personal gaydar. Marvel Studs has jt released Eternals, the first film the pany's superhero anchise to feature a gay hero — and you're fiven if you're feelg any déjà vu.

MARVEL’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO DEFEATS EVIL, MAK HISTORY ETERNALS TRAILER

Prev films the Marvel Cematic Universe have featured "gay moments, " like Avengers: Endgame's brief scene which a non-superhero character, portrayed by director Joe Rso, scrib a same-sex date. (Marvel Studs/Disney/The Associated Prs)In Eternals, Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry) is a married gay man wh a young son, and his fay life is entwed to the heart of the story. "Not all LGBTQ superhero the ics world are up for character Wicn, a member of the Young Avengers who ma his first appearance a 2005 ic, has been wrten as a gay teenager om the start.

This extend to ntent that the thory emed "sexually perverse, " cludg homosexualy. "That hered  a new era of ics, which clud the troductn of Marvel's first openly gay superhero, Northstar (who is also a Canadian) terms of LGBTQ reprentatn, Deman said, much of what we see the ics world now is about tchg up. And a new Prcs Diana movie is out — we discs whether offers anythg new, and unpack our ceasels fascatn wh the after the was abolished, there remas a certa appeal searchg for LGBTQ subtext wh popular culture, acrdg to enjoy fdg LGBTQ-d characters, "where they n get to the further extent of those feelgs and relatnship, " whout havg to worry about a stud's nonil, nservative treatment of a gay character, she said, potg to Capta Marvel's Carol Danvers and Maria Rambe as one such pairg.

It also means explicly gay ntent rarely se the light of day a major stud Chat talks Eternals and SpencerThis week, Eternals was pulled om Sdi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwa, allegedly rponse to s cln of the same-sex uple.

HOW ‘ETERNALS’ ESTABLISH THE MCU’S FIRST GAY SUPERHERO AND SAME-SEX COUPLE A MOVIE: ‘IT’S LIFE-SAVG’

The Eternals trailer offers the brieft of glimps at Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), the first gay superhero a major Hollywood anchise. Dcribed as an “telligent ventor” an acpanyg summary, the character will reportedly break ground by sharg the film stud’s first onscreen gay kiss wh his hband, played by out, gay Lebane actor Haaz an terview, Sleiman said the climactic smooch was an emotnal moment on set, pecially given s importance to LGBTQ+ reprentatn. The first openly gay superhero a Marvel movie, and Haaz Sleiman (Ltle Ameri), who plays his hband.

Rodriguez/Getty Imag And Sleiman is proud to be a part of the first openly gay superhero storyle for Marvel.

"I'm married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta's Brian Tyree Henry, and we reprent a gay fay and have a child, " he add. Prevly, Marvel Studs print Kev Feige nfirmed that The Eternals would feature an openly gay character to help further onscreen LGBTQ reprentatn.

MARVEL'S THE ETERNALS NFIRMS OPENLY GAY CHARACTER: 'HE'S MARRIED, HE'S GOT A FAY'

Related ntent: Marvel's The Eternals nfirms openly gay character: 'He's married, he's got a fay'Marvel boss nfirms Tsa Thompson's Valkyrie as MCU's first LGBTQ superheroK Hargton jos Marvel's The Eternals for Game of Thron rnn wh Richard Madn.

The 45-year-old actor, who me out as gay 2017, uld srcely believe he was on the red rpet for a massive stud movie which his character, Ben, is the hband of one of the tle superhero, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry). It’s about do you actually feel for them, whether you’re gay or straight or whatever. The ial nversatns around seemed promisg; productn members often talked about the cln of Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) as the MCU’s first openly gay superhero well before the release.

Notable occurrenc are the brief mentn that a female character is married to a woman Onward, a meo appearance om Joe Rso Avengers: Endgame as a gay man at a support group, and an acknowledgment of Loki’s non-cishet genr and sexualy brief moments of Loki. The most recent occurrenc of this have been wh Disney Pixar’s Lu, where director Enri Casarosa ially phed back agast those who felt that Lu served as a gay or trans allegory, and wh Marvel’s The Faln and the Wter Soldier, when Anthony Mackie plaed about fans beg exced by the ia that Sam Wilson and Bucky Barn gave off queer vib. Several untri the Middle East have now banned Eternals after they requted eds be ma to their theatril cuts to erase the LGBTQ+ reprentatn and gay kiss, but Disney stood by  and cled to make the eds.

WAR EPTS OVER NEW MARVEL BLOCKBTER’S GAY SUPERHERO

The portrayal of the gay relatnship between Phastos and his hband Ben is unabashed and wholome, as the two are shown to love each other and to re arly for their son Jack (Esai Daniel Cross).

Eternals is the perfect movie to have clud this first openly gay superhero (asi om the fact that took 13 years and over 20 movi the MCU for to arrive).

Gay and lbian relatnships between cis people are the most monly reprented part of the muny, so is no surprise that Phastos’ relatnship was the first major w for the MCU. Marvel Studs print Kev Feige nfirmed another openly gay character will be g The Eternals.

GAY-INCLIVE MARVEL FILM 'ETERNALS' ALREADY BANNED 3 COUNTRI

Avengers: Endgame -director Anthony Rso appeared his film as a gay character a small role.

Henry's Marvel character will be the first openly gay hero to grace the screen the MCU. Marvel's Eternals has been h by review-bombers on IMDB due to s cln of a gay kiss and LGBTQIA+ reprentatn the film.

ETERNALS BANNED SDI ARABIA, QATAR AND KUWA AFTER DISNEY REF GAY CUTS – REPORTS

The reviews have not all been glowg, but none have mentned a legimate ncern regardg gay reprentatn Eternals. Actor Haaz Sleiman, who me out as gay 2017, plays character Ben “Eternals” who is the hband of superhero Phastos. “Eternals” also hosts the most diverse lp of any Marvel movie, cludg not only a first openly gay fay, but actors of many different ethnic backgrounds and the first af superhero.

THE MOST RECENT MARVEL STUDS’ ETERNALS CLIP CONFIRMS GAY COUPLE WH SON

This also isn’t Marvel’s first attempt at diversifyg s films; an openly gay character was clud “Avengers: Endgame, ” and the star character of “Loki, ” a seri on Disney Pl, is bisexual.

Eternals-banned-anti-gay-untri-sdi-arabian-kuwa-qatar-marvel-first-gay-superhero. While no official reason was provid for the removals, sourc suggted the apparent bans me rponse to the film’s pictn of the MCU’s first gay superhero.

While the nature of the eds was not specifilly named, was believed they related to the pictn of the Marvel Cematic Universe's first gay uple, superhero Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his hband Ben (Haaz Sleiman). The movie was due to be released throughout the Gulf regn on November director Chloé Zhao said last month she had her “fgers crossed” about the possibily of lol censorship of the film’s gay scen for foreign dienc.

‘ETERNALS’ REPORTEDLY PULLED SDI ARABIA AND GULF NATNS OVER GAY SUPERHERO

At the time, appeared there was ltle sire by Marvel or the filmmaker to subm to such homophobic requts. “I don’t know all the tails but I do believe discsns were had and there’s a big sire om Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut of the movie, ” Zhao hateful rponse to the film over s pictn of a gay superhero a same-sex relatnship was not jt limed to ternatnal censors.

RELATED | So Is the Eternals Gonna Have Any Gay Sex It? In Eternals, Phastos beme the first openly gay superhero the MCU. It took until Avengers: Endgame for the Marvel Cematic Universe to clu an openly gay character, and when they did, was only a mor character a blk-and-you’ll-miss- scene.

Phastos And Ben: Homosexual And Faial Love. It marks the first gay kiss the Marvel Cematic Universe.

THE GAY SUPERHERO ‘ETERNALS’ IS ‘WHAT AUDIENC HAVE BEEN WAG FOR,’ SAYS GLAAD (GUT COLUMN)

Homosexualy is still illegal across much of the regn and is punishable by ath both Sdi Arabia and Qatar. A spokperson for the untry’s Infom Media Development Authory nfirmed that was a rult of “homosexual referenc”. ”Lebane actor Sleiman, who me out as gay 2017, spoke about the importance of the scene at the film’s premiere.

The most recent clip for Marvel Studs’ upg Eternals film nfirms the film featur a gay uple wh their son. Marvel Studs boss Kev Feige claimed the film would feature a gay character and his fay durg an appearance on Good Morng Ameri back Augt 2019. In Febary 2020, actor Haaz Sleiman nfirmed he was The Eternals and tailed that his character and Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos are gay.

He told New Now Next, “I jt shot a Marvel film wh the first openly gay superhero, The Eternals. He ntued, “I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, and we reprent a gay fay and have a child. Sleiman went on to add that the film will feature the MCU’s first gay kiss.

ETERNALS STAR CALLS BRGG A GAY COUPLE TO THE MCU A 'LIFAVG' EXPERIENCE

When asked if there would be a gay kiss the film, he rpond, “Oh, yeah, absolutely, and ’s a betiful, very movg kiss.

Due to the cln of the gay fay, the film is facg a boytt om One Milln Moms. Unls Marvel remov the gay superhero and same-sex kiss, my fay will not watch this film.

In effect, givg same-sex unns the legal stat of marriage would grant official public approval to homosexual activy and would treat as if were morally ntral, ” they add.

COULD 'ETERNALS' MOVE THE NEEDLE THE MIAST BY PUTTG A GAY CHARACTER ON SCREEN?

As for the Church’s stance on homosexualy is clearly stated the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

It stat, “Homosexualy refers to relatns between men or between women who experience an exclive or predomant sexual attractn toward persons of the same sex. It ntu, “Basg self on Sacred Scripture, which prents homosexual acts as acts of grave pravy, tradn has always clared that ‘homosexual acts are trsilly disorred.

‘ETERNALS’ ACTOR HAAZ SLEIMAN ON BEG ARAB AND OPENLY GAY THE MCU, THE FILM’S ‘IGNORANT’ BAN MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRI (EXCLUSIVE)

The Catechism further stat, “The number of men and women who have ep-seated homosexual tennci is not negligible. “Homosexual persons are lled to chasty. What do you make of the cln of a gay fay Marvel Studs’ Eternals?

“Eternals, ” which featur a st of globally regnized Hollywood stars cludg Angela Jolie and Salma Hayek, reportedly has been pulled om cemas Sdi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwa over s cln of the Marvel Cematic Universe’s first gay new film, which featur tech geni Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) the MCU’s first same-sex kiss, has quietly been banned ahead of s planned Nov. Homosexualy is illegal across much of the regn and is punishable by ath Sdi Arabia and Qatar. A spokman for Sgapore’s Infom Media Development Authory told the Guardian that was a rult of “homosexual referenc.

Includ story-based reprentatn will be the MCU's first openly gay uple, which featur Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos as the anchise's most proment gay character to date. Eternals star Haaz Sleiman spoke wh Out Magaze on his role brgg the MCU's first openly gay uple to the big-screen upon the film's release November 2021. By the end of Phase 3, the clost thg Marvel Studs had to an openly gay character was director Joe Rso's meo role Avengers: Endgame.

WHY THE 'ETERNALS' GAY COUPLE ACTUALLY ISN'T THE FIRST IN MCU HISTORY

Now, Eternals is about to take the biggt step yet towards LGBTQ+ reprentatn yet the MCU by not only nfirmg that Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos is gay but fully showg his relatnship wh Sleiman's unnamed character. Seeg a powerful gay superhero kiss his hband and feelg the reactn that theater was a real-life example of why is important for our stori to be told – pecially films that travel to big ci and small towns around the world. Eternals actor Haaz Sleiman speaks to the posive impact of havg an openly gay relatnship reprented a Marvel film.

At the premiere of Eternals, Haaz Sleiman -- who one plays half of Marvel Studs' first openly gay uple -- spoke about the impact the film has s an terview wh Variety, Sleiman was asked what means for him -- as a gay actor -- to be playg the hband of a gay superhero a Marvel movie.