There’s been a lot of talk about Marvel Studios banking on diversity for the upcoming Phase 4. After being rightfully called out for its majority white male lineup of heroes that came out of the first two “phases,” the studio began rectifying that issue with the release of billion-dollar blockbuster like “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel.” However, there are still plenty of strides to be made, particularly when talking about superhero sexuality. Which is something that “Spider-Man: Far From Home” star Tom Holland is keen on seeing in the future.
The young actor, whose latest ‘Spider-Man’ film is in theaters now, was recently speaking to The Sunday Times and was asked about the idea of LGBTQ characters showing up in future Marvel Studios films. In fact, he was asked point-blank if he’d be willing to portray a version of Spidey that is queer.
“Yeah of course. I can’t talk about the future of the character because honestly I don’t know and it’s out of my hands,” the actor said. “But I do know a lot about the future of Marvel, and they are going to be representing lots of different people in the next few years. The world isn’t as simple as a straight white guy. It doesn’t end there, and these films need to represent more than one type of person.”
Obviously, with the events of ‘Far From Home,’ it doesn’t appear that a story about Peter Parker exploring his sexuality is in the cards, for now. But Holland does bring up the fact that Marvel Studios is promising some big steps forward for LGBTQ representation in the future. Marvel boss Kevin Feige has been teasing that a major film in the next phase will include an LGBTQ lead character, with many thinking that will be “The Eternals.”
Holland isn’t the first actor to openly talk about the need for more diversity amongst the Marvel Studios films. Actresses Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson, who portray Captain Marvel and Valkyrie, respectively, have been pushing for betting representation for months, with the latter wanting to explore her character’s queerness in a future film.
So, as of now, Marvel Studios is lacking in LGBTQ diversity, but perhaps it’ll happen soon enough, and Tom Holland is ready.