With “Eternals” mere days away from arriving in theaters around the world, a lot of talk has been about the fact that the film includes Marvel Studios’ first real inclusion of a major LGBTQ superhero. And though the character is a major part of the new “Eternals,” that doesn’t mean the film won’t face heavy censoring for approval in certain conservative international markets. However, director Chloé Zhao has spoken with Marvel about this issue and hopes it doesn’t happen.
For those unaware, in “Eternals,” it’s revealed that Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, is a gay man that also happens to be one of the titular superheroes. For years before the film was released, Marvel Studios teased that Zhao’s feature would include the studio’s first real LGBTQ superhero on the big screen. However, as we’ve seen with features in the past, when studios submit films to be released in theaters in some of the more religious and/or conservative countries, the local government forces them to take out moments they don’t want, which often includes LGBTQ characters and situations.
Filmmaker Chloé Zhao understands this issue and explained to IndieWire that she has spoken to Marvel Studios and is hopeful there won’t be any changes to the final cut of the film so that it can play in some international locations.
“I don’t know all the details but I do believe discussions were had and there’s a big desire from Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut of the movie. Fingers crossed,” Zhao explained.
Of course, even though Zhao is now an Oscar-winning filmmaker and “Eternals” marks a huge step forward for inclusivity in superhero storytelling, Marvel Studios is owned by Disney and there are financial concerns when you aren’t able to release megablockbusters in every possible location. So, it’ll be interesting to see if Disney is willing to play hardball with certain territories and possibly risk a theatrical release to stand up for LGBTQ representation on film.
In addition to the gay character, “Eternals” also features a love scene between two main characters, which is shocking to most MCU fans, as the franchise is notorious for being very chaste when it comes to on-screen romance. The characters barely will show physical affection, even between lovers, let alone actual sexual depictions.
“For us to be able to show two people who love each other, not just emotionally and intellectually but also physically, and to have a sex scene that will be seen by a lot of people that shows their love and compassion and gentleness — I think it’s a really beautiful thing,” said the director.
However, in a world where Marvel Studios and Disney are the biggest names in box office success, perhaps this is the moment where they can force the issue. We’ll just have to wait and see.
“Eternals” hits theaters on November 5.