The Eternals: Kit Harington ‘so proud’ of Marvel’s first gay couple and gay kiss

Marvel Studios’ Eternals trailer

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Marvel is boldly breaking new ground with the introduction of an openly gay superhero in a major global blockbuster. Previously, studios have shied away from any such depictions, with an eye on not disrupting lucrative markets in parts of the world where this might lead to a box office reductions and even a ban on the movie. China, for example, removed all scenes showing that Freddie Mercury was gay in Bohemian Rhapsody. But Marvel supremo Kevin Feige said: “There have been gay heroes before in the comics. It is more than past time in the movies. It’s just the start.”

At the Hollywood premiere for the Eternals last night, the cast, writers and producers all spoke about the importance of representation and diversity in their movie.

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington told Variety: “It’s where it needs to be right now… It’s a fifty-fifty split of women to men in the main cast. It’s an incredibly diverse cast. It’s got the first gay superhero in it. It’s taken a while, and surprisingly so, actually. This movie is addressing that, very much so. And I’m proud to be in that movie.” 

The Game of Thrones star plays Dane Whitman, a human who works at the Natural History Museum in London and is dating on of the Eternals, Sersi (Gemma Chan). However, fans already know that his character is expected to transform into the third incarnation of the Black Knight, who was originally a villain, but his nephew Dane seeks to restore honour to the name.

The gay couple in the film are the Eternal Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his human husband, played by Haaz Sleiman, who spoke emotionally about the role on the red carpet.

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Sleiman told Variety how important director Chloe Zhao’s film is to the LGBTQI community.

The out and proud Lebanese actor said: “It’s beyond a dream come true. It’s life-saving.

“I wish I had that when I was a kid growing up, to see this, my God. Can you imagine how many this lives this is going to be saving?

“Kids, young queer folk who are either being bullied, committing suicide, not seeing themselves being represented… And now they get to see this. It’s above and beyond.

“And the fact that Brian is also black, that’s also beautiful to me – that we’re both people of colour.”

Screenwriter Kaz Firpo, who worked on the movie with his cousin Ryan Firpo, discussed why portraying Marvel’s first gay superhero was important to him.

He said: “It’s not groundbreaking, it’s real life… I grew up with two mums… It’s something we wanted to see reflected in this film and I think the way Chloe has brought it to life is beautiful, it’s very nuanced. We’re not screaming it from the hilltops, it’s just showing this is real life and these are real people.”

The new film reveals that the ancient Eternals have been living on Earth for seven thousand years, secretly protecting the world against the Deviants.

Salma Hayek plays their leader Ajak, alongside Angelina Jolie as Thena, Richard Madden as Ikaris and Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo.

The film also includes Marvel’s first deaf superhero, Makkari, who possesses the power of super speed. She’s played by Lauren Ridoff who said that not just deaf people but all groups, whether minorities or not, will “feel seen and represented” in this film.

THE ETERNALS IS OUT IN CINEMAS ON NOVEMBER 5

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