Speed (left) and his twin brother Wiccan in ‘WandaVision’
Marvel Cinematic Puppet Master Kevin Feige has sparked internet buzz about a long-awaited addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: The Gay Avengers.
In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feige spoke about growing speculation that the upcoming films will finally introduce a number of key queer characters to the Marvel film franchise. He gave a particularly provocative response when addressing the integration of The Young Avengers, a group of teenage heroes that includes several LGBTQ members.
Related: Just In Time For Pride, Marvel Announces Gay Captain America
“As a comic book fan, everything in the comics is always our inspiration and our landmark. How these things fit together and in what form, it always subverts expectations, it’s always half the fun of meeting them, ”Feige told the magazine. “But, yeah, you can definitely see that Phase 4 introduces all kinds of new character types with endless potential. Now, all of us at Marvel Studios feel like Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man 1, as new actors and performers come in and we tell them they’re part of a bigger universe. They just now have to do the necessary work to build their audience. I’m happy to say that everyone here, certainly where I’m sitting now, is doing an amazing job and can’t wait to show them the world.
Feige’s comments follow teases in WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier that hinted at the introduction of several favorite characters from the past few days. This includes the gay mutant Wiccan, the son of Vision and Scarlet Witch, who [Spoiler Alert] appeared in a hallucination of his mother in WandaVision. Although the show ended with Wiccan erased from existence, Scarlet Witch continued to hear her voice in an end-credits coda. In the comics, Wiccan’s origins followed a similar storyline, which ultimately ended with Wiccan becoming a “real boy.”
Already, several other key Young Avengers have been teased or announced as coming to the MCU, including Miss America, Kate Bishop, Stature, and Patriot. In addition to teasing the introduction of Wiccan, Marvel has already announced the first categorically queer characters to come to the MCU portrayed by Haaz Sleiman and Brian Tyree Henry in The Eternals.
