How MCU Establishes Its First Gay Superhero In ‘Eternals’

The world premiere for Marvel’s Eternals took place on October 18th. The film sees Haaz Sleiman playing an LGBTQ character called Ben in the film. Ben happens to be the husband of one of the title heroes, Phastos played by Brian Tyree Henry.

Eternals marks the first Superhero film to have an LGBTQ character

This marks the first time Marvel has showcased a same-sex couple – and one of the few times any superhero film has included a title LGBTQ character. In a landscape that has dominated all over the world with its superhero storytelling for over a decade, the impact of this representation can be quite prominent over the film’s global audience.

While talking to Variety, Sleiman, who came out as gay in 2017 revealed, “Beyond a dream come true, it’s life-saving. I wish I had that when I was a kid to see this. My god. I wish! Can you imagine how many lives this is going to be saving — kids, young queer folk, who are being bullied, committing suicide, and not seeing themselves being represented? And now they get to see this — it’s above and beyond.”

A day after the premiere of the film, Chloe Zhao who helms the film explained that Phastos’ husband and family were already a part of Marvel Studios’ initial conception of the character when she began the discussion about making the film with Marvel. Zhao was taken with the idea that Phastos, an ageless alien who came to Earth 7000 years ago to guide the human civilization through his powers – only to rediscover his lost faith in humanity via Ben and thereby, starting a family. It helped Zhao to see a way to walk the line between emotionally grounded storytelling and breaking the barrier for LGBTQ representation.

Here’s what Director Chloe Zhao Had To Say:

“What’s important is to show that it isn’t about a message we’re trying to put out,” Zhao said. “I think finding authenticity in moments like that is crucial for me, so it doesn’t feel forced, so you could actually relate to them. That’s the most important thing. It’s not just about being the first. It’s about do you actually feel for them, whether you’re gay or straight or whatever.”

Zhao also credited Henry for bringing a lot of authenticity to the role and filling out who Phastos really was beyond the script.

“He would show up, and, like, even the powers he’s doing, he came up with all these hand gestures,” she said. “That wasn’t me. The way he speaks to his son, that dynamic, the jokes they have between them — a lot of them are improvised.”

Reportedly, the audience also felt this connection, breaking into applause during the actors’ embrace scene in the film.

“I’m just — I’m happy for Brian,” Zhao said when asked about the reaction. “Happy for everyone involved. And happy for all the people who are going to see this. You know, people who not necessarily [are] like Brian, but just feel a moment of true human connection and it just happens to be of the same sex.”