by Catherine Smith
The Marvel Universe is preparing to introduce its very first transgender character, according to CNN.
“And very soon. In a movie that we’re shooting right now,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said during a Q&A at the New York Film Academy.
Asked by a student whether there were any plans for more LGBT characters in Marvel’s films, “specifically the T, trans characters”, Kevin said: “Yes, absolutely. Yes.”
Feige didn’t provide further details, but Marvel’s list of upcoming movies include The Eternals, which Marvel has said will introduce its first deaf superhero and a gay character, and its first Asian-American superhero in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Last year Feige gave little information about the gay character in The Eternals, but did say: “He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is”
Feige also talked at length about Marvel’s future on the Disney+ streaming service and emerging platforms like virtual reality. He said Marvel would strive to be diverse and inclusive. Two movies coming out this year were directed by women and some new shows coming to the Disney+ platform also have female directors.
“We have three other shows we’ve announced, we haven’t announced the players yet, but spoiler alert — two out of three of them are women,” Feige said.
“It makes for better stories. I say, when you are sitting at a table and everyone looks like you, you’re in trouble. You aren’t going to get the best story out of that.”
“You look at the success of Captain Marvel and Black Panther. We want the movies to reflect the audience and we want every member of our global audience to see themselves reflected on the screen,” Kevin Feige previously said.
Feige has overseen the release of 23 Marvel movies, beginning with Iron Man in 2008, and has been a part of the Marvel Studios family for almost 20 years.
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Catherine Smith is a newcomer to Washington D.C. She met, and married an American journalist and moved to D.C from the U.K. She graduated with a B.A in Graphic, Media and Communications and worked in design and retail in the U.K.
Figures. So much for Marvel and its movies for me.