Although
Avengers: Endgame did technically introduce the first openly gay character to the MCU (not counting the Netflix shows), the reveal turned out to be a little disappointing for a lot of fans.
In the post-snap support group scene, a character credited as "Grieving Man" reveals that he's gay while speaking to Steve Rogers about trying to get back in the dating game after The Decimation. It's a throwaway line with hardly any emphasis placed upon it, but some people still took issue with the scene. The fact that the character was played by straight co-director Joe Russo probably didn't help.
During an interview with
io9, Kevin Feige was asked about the negative response from some fans.
“That was never meant to be our first focused character,” he said.
“That was just meant to be a matter of fact and a matter of life and a matter of truth. And I liked it that our hero, Steve Rogers, doesn’t blink an eye at that fact. It is just truth and is heartbreaking for his loss and for the life he’s trying to put back together. It was never meant to be looked at as our first hero. I guess it’s the first reference so it does, of course, get a lot of attention.”
Feige has previously promised that an LGBT superhero would debut in the MCU at some point, and he reiterates that this is going to happen very soon. We've heard that
The Eternals will feature an openly gay main character, but that's yet to be confirmed.
What do you guys make of Feige's comments? Let us know in the usual place, and have a look at what else the Marvel head honcho had to say about some Phase 4 projects and the future of the MCU.
Simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
Deadpool And The Other Fox Acquisitions
Feige confirmed that Marvel is now in the process of deciding how to go about introducing the X-Men and Fantastic Four into the MCU, and that he's having a lot of fun doing it. When asked about
Deadpool, in particular, he shot down a recent rumor that the Merc with a Mouth might be introduced in the third
Spider-Man movie or on one of the Disney+ shows.
"No, I mean we're certainly having conversations about the future of all of those Fox properties," Feige told ComicBook.com. "
How to weave them in and when to weave them in. That one, in particular, is not the case."
To be honest, that rumor always seemed a bit sketchy anyway since we already know
Deadpool will remain an R-rated property moving forward.
Black Widow
Feige also confirmed that the solo
Black Widow film will be a prequel, which is hardly surprising after the character was killed off in
Endgame. However, it does sound like there's going to be more to the movie than meets the eye.
"There’s a method to the madness," Feige explained when asked about the currently shooting project by
io9, hinting that some previously unrevealed MCU secrets could come to light.
"There’s always a method and doing things in an unexpected way is something we find fun. There are ways to do prequels that are less informative or answer questions you didn’t necessarily have, and then there are ways to do prequels where you learn all sorts of things you never knew before."
Feige then pointed to AMC's acclaimed drama
Better Caul Saul as an example of "a prequel that almost completely stands on its own apart from Breaking Bad because it informs you about so many things you didn’t know about before."
Possible Spider-Man/Venom Crossover
Despite being shredded by critics,
Venom turned out to be a massive success for Sony, and this has led to a lot of speculation that we will eventually see the character cross-over with a certain friendly neighborhood wall-crawler.
When asked about the possibility by
CinemaBlend, Feige admitted that it "seems likely," but that the decision ultimately lies with Sony Pictures.
"I think probably it's up to Sony. Sony has both those characters and, has Venom in their world. I don't know what their plans are for another Venom or if they’re doing that. But it seems likely at some point."
Because Spidey 's adventures take place in the MCU, it can be easy to forget that a different studio ultimately has the final say on how the character is utilized. Hopefully the Marvel/Sony partnership continues beyond a third solo outing for the Webhead.
San Diego Comic-Con
Despite
Deadline's report that Marvel Studios would have a presence at SDCC's Hall H this year, Feige stopped short of confirming as much when asked about it outright by Fandango's Erik Davis.
If they do show up, though, it sounds like there's going to be a lot of awesome stuff revealed during that panel.