New Eternals TV Spot Reveals Marvel Studios' First Gay Couple
Two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have come and gone in 2021 so far, and there is one more to go. "Eternals" is set to be the next — and 26th! — installment in the popular superhero franchise, yet meaningful representation all across the spectrum has somehow managed to elude the decision-makers at practically every turn. For those who didn't exactly count the bizarre instance of co-director Joe Russo's self-insert character in "Avengers: Endgame" as "meaningful" LGBTQ+ representation (and many, in fact, did not), "Eternals" has become the studio's next attempt to do right by a significant demographic that has been calling for studios to do better in this department. This latest TV spot for the superhero movie is light on new footage or surprising revelations, but it does at least show a glimpse of the franchise's first on-screen gay couple. Check out the footage below.
"When You Love Something, You Fight For It"
"Eternals" is set to take a big step forward with its depiction of Brian Tyree Henry's gay superhero Phastos and his husband, played by actor Haaz Sleiman. Sleiman went into further detail about the responsibility he feels in portraying his character opposite Henry's, both of whom have a son together. When asked if the film would actually include a kiss between the two, Sleiman answered:
"Oh, yeah, absolutely, and it's a beautiful, very moving kiss. 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."
This latest TV spot includes a brief snippet of their family dynamic as Richard Madden's Ikarus and Gemma Chan's Sersi arrive outside Phastos' suburban home, no doubt in an attempt to interrupt their happy home life with their pesky superhero shenanigans. "Eternals" already appears ready to be a marked divergence from the rest of the MCU with writer/director Chloé Zhao on board and the film apparently earning a PG-13 rating for "brief sexuality," but a proper and fully fleshed-out portrayal of Tyree and Sleiman's characters would go a long way towards making good on Marvel's frequent claims about doing better on this front in the past. Of course, many would agree that other superhero franchises have beaten Marvel Studios to the punch — namely, a certain symbiote and his "loser" host.
"Eternals" arrives exclusively in theaters on November 5, 2021.