The Eternals will feature Marvel's first onscreen LGBTQ kiss: 'It’s a beautiful, very moving kiss'
After more than a decade of superhero movies, Marvel is finally featuring its first LGBTQ relationship with an onscreen kiss in The Eternals.
The upcoming MCU film stars Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta) as Phastos, a.k.a. the first openly gay superhero in a Marvel movie, and Haaz Sleiman (Little America), who plays his husband. And on Thursday, Sleiman opened up about filming the emotional onscreen kiss that their characters share.
“It’s a beautiful, very moving kiss,” Sleiman told NewNowNext. “Everyone cried on set. For me, it’s very important to show how loving and beautiful a queer family can be. Brian Tyree Henry is such a tremendous actor and brought so much beauty into this part, and at one point I saw a child in his eyes, and I think it’s important for the world to be reminded that we in the queer community were all children at one point. We forget that because we’re always depicted as sexual or rebellious; we forget to connect on that human part.”
And Sleiman is proud to be a part of the first openly gay superhero storyline for Marvel. “I’m married to the gay superhero Phastos, played by Atlanta’s Brian Tyree Henry, and we represent a gay family and have a child,” he added.
Previously, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige confirmed that The Eternals would feature an openly gay character to help further onscreen LGBTQ representation. “He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is,” he said.
Plus, The Eternals will also feature Marvel’s first deaf character, played by Lauren Ridloff, to continue breaking down barriers.
The Eternals is set to hit theaters on Nov. 6.
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