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Fans Think Marvel’s First Trans Superhero Will Be In Thor: Love and Thunder

Kaitlin Reilly
Last Updated January 3, 2020, 3:50 AM
Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.
A trans character may not come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe "very soon," as people believed Kevin Feige hinted at during a recent Q&A at the New York Film Academy, according to sources for Variety.
Reportedly, when asked whether more members of the LGBTQ+ community— and specifically trans characters — would join the MCU, Feige intended to only confirm the part about LGBTQ+ characters in general.
A gay character will be a major part of The Eternals, which may be the movie "shooting now" that Feige was referring to with his comment at the Q&A.
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This story was originally published at 6:10 pm on January 2, 2020.
During a recent New York Film Academy Q&A with Marvel Studios President and Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige on Wednesday, an audience member inquired: Would the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever include a trans character in its upcoming films? Feige confirmed, per Deadline, that the MCU is in the process of doing so right at this moment. 
“Yes, absolutely yes,” Feige confirmed. “And very soon. In a movie we’re shooting right now.” 
The only question is — which one? One possibility is Thor: Love and Thunder, the upcoming fourth film in the Asgardian superhero saga currently in production, and set to introduce Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster as a new version of Thor. A Marvel Comic that takes place in Thor’s home of Asgard already includes a trans character: Sera, a woman who appears in the comic Angela: Asgard’s Assassin, hails from a line of all-male angels known as the Anchorite of Heben, and was assigned male at birth. In a Tumblr post, co-writer of the comic Kieron Gillen confirmed that Sera is trans. 
The complete cast list for Thor: Love and Thunder has not yet been announced, but back in July, rumors swirled that Marvel was seeking to cast a trans woman for an upcoming MCU role. An alleged casting breakdown for a role coded with the name "Jessica" called for "transgender actresses only."
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The Thor franchise includes queer superhero Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), who, in the Marvel comics, is bisexual and has relationships with women. Thompson claimed that a scene confirming Valkyrie’s bisexuality, which does not appear in the finished film, was cut out of the movie.
Marvel included a gay character in Avengers: Endgame when they featured a man at a support group (played by co-director Joe Russo) discussing the loss of his partner. Many found the moment, which was discussed prior to the release of the film, as too minor to be considered a significant representation of the LGBTQ+ community. 
Still, the upcoming movie The Eternals will have a gay lead, and speculation is that it will be Richard Madden’s character Ikaris.
“He’s married, he’s got a family and that is just part of who he is,” Feige told Good Morning America at the D23 Expo in California in August of 2019 without confirming the character’s identity. 
The Marvel Cinematic Universe expansion isn’t slowing down, and with so many movies planned, it’s a good sign that they want their characters to reflect the real world as much as possible. Just, you know, with superpowers. 
Refinery29 has reached out to Marvel for comment.
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