Photos: Disney/Marvel Studios, NETFLIX ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

“Bit of both.”

All it took was those three words set off a social media Pride parade for MCU fans. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) said those words in regards to his sexuality on his own Disney+ television show, thus giving the Marvel Cinematic Universe its first queer lead. And then a few months later, moviegoers willing to risk COVID during its winter heyday got to meet Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) in Eternals. Phastos is part of a sprawling ensemble, but he got to do a lot more than just say three words. Phastos has a husband and child and he has superpowers and he gets to do superheroic things. And to rewind a sec — before Loki came out, WandaVision introduced us to the Maximoff twins Billy (Julian Hilliard) and Tommy (Jett Klyne). While the show didn’t get into their dating life, what with them being 10-year-olds, comic fans know that these two were at the forefront of Marvel Comics’ modern era (really the only era) of queer heroes back in the mid-’00s. 2021 was a hella queer year for Marvel, and 2022 had the potential to be even louder and prouder!

And… then Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness happened. The film crushed hopes that Billy and Tommy would magically return to the MCU as aged-up young adults with super powers, costumes, and boyfriends. Not only that, Multiverse of Madness squandered America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) by turning one of Marvel Comics’ toughest bruisers into a scared kid and reducing her lesbian pride to a rainbow patch on her denim jacket. At least America’s moms made it to the big screen. And now we’re halfway through the year and Marvel’s queer rep is otherwise as M.I.A. as same-sex kisses on Modern Family.

I could be surprised by the sudden about-face, but Marvel is owned by Disney, a company famous for patting itself on the back for introducing its “first” queer character on a nearly annual basis. And no, I will not be talking about Joe Russo’s incredibly underwhelming turn as Grieving Man in Steve Rogers’ support group in Avengers: Endgame. That is representation at its most doing-the-least. Members across the LGBTQ+ spectrum are used to seeing ourselves as Grieving Man or Dead Person or Sassy Woman or Scared Human or, if we’re put way in the background and partially obscured by scenery, Kissing Couple. That’s not enough and it’s gotta get better.

©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

To underline this point with a personal anecdote: my husband and I have been coping with living in a borderline dystopia by watching action movies for the past month or two. Queer representation has made some strides in some genres, and the obligatory PRIDE sections of every streaming service are packed with moody period pieces, thought-provoking documentaries, acclaimed dramas, terrifying horror, raucous comedies — we even have holiday romcoms. So… where are our action movies? Where are our superhero movies? Where are the movies where queer people get to be heroic and/or badass?

It is time to plug up this hole in the marketplace, Marvel, because you already have the characters. Loki’s right there and he and Sylvie better do a whole lot of inter-dimensional hooking up in Season 2 with each other and whoever else is around. That is their vibe! Thor: Love and Thunder is reportedly going to acknowledge Valkyrie’s (Tessa Thompson) queerness, and oh my god does she deserve her own movie or series.

Photo: Disney+

Dora Milaje commander Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and goofy rock warrior Korg (Taika Waititi) are gay in the comics. Why not at least confirm that they’re queer in the MCU too? If Marvel’s still only gonna give us scraps for now, at least make those scraps characters who are important enough to have action figures.

I also want to point out that Star-Lord is canonically bisexual in the comics and I would absolutely grab the popcorn and eagerly await the behind-the-scenes goss when Marvel Studios informs Chris Pratt about where his character is going next. Please, I beg you Kevin Feige, I want that messiness.

©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett Collection

There are even still dozens of queer characters chilling in long boxes, waiting to get into a screenplay. There’s Hercules, Hulkling, Demolition Man, Living Lightning, Angela, Moondragon, two Quasars, another Giant-Man! — Moon Knight’s best bud Frenchie is super gay, and the guy is in Marc Spector’s phone already. And once the X-Men get in play? Northstar, Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Psylocke, Mystique, Shatterstar, Rictor, Karma — y’all can do a whole team of queer X-People.

The real immediate step forward, though, is to pave over the continuity pothole that was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by giving us Young Avengers — Marvel Comics’ premier, predominantly queer superhero team. This would put America Chavez front and center and reintroduce the Maximoff boys as the teenage queer comic icons they are. The children are our future and, especially right f’ing now, Gen Z and the kids coming out after them need to see themselves as fabulous ass-kickers who do what’s right no matter what.

Photo: Disney+

And don’t come at me with the tired old “America isn’t ready for that” or “we have to cater to Russia and/or China.” I am sick of movies only being as progressive as the most repressive countries will tolerate. And you don’t think a queer-led Marvel something, if it is actually good and actually queer, won’t be an absolute smash hit wherever it lands, be it in theaters or on Disney+? The youths are queer as hell, and they will not only spend their meager wages (that’s a whole other issue) to see the LGBTQ+ Avengers wreck shop, they will give nonstop free advertising via shade and/or accolades all over every social media platform. The internet has never seen the likes of the chaos magic that would be conjured up by the melding of the MCU and Drag Race fandoms.

But this is what we need, because there is a very specific kind of tenacity, audacity, and ferocity that is so unique to queer culture that we have literally never seen in the MCU. Can you just imagine if any Marvel hero had stared Thanos dead in the eyes and went full Jasmine Kennedie, “This is your moment! Have it!” on him? Or an Avengers team slaying a battle with the same precision teamwork and killer dynamics of the House of Juicy Couture in Legendary? And speaking of Legendary — come on, imagine any heterosexual villain trying to pull off some straight evil in front of Legendary’s infamous judging panel. Y’all thought Multiverse of Madness introduced the Illuminati? I’ve been watching the IRL Illuminati passing judgement on HBO Max for three seasons now.

Photo: HBO Max

When you watch queer content like Legendary, Drag Race, Pose, The Queen, Paris Is Burning — these are all superhero stories! Do you even understand the confidence, willpower, and bravery it takes to be that publicly queer? Queer people, be you L or G or B or T or Q or I or A or 2S or +, know what it is like on some level to deal with some real Peter Parker kinda shit. We know what it’s like to grapple with identity like Scarlet Witch, to have our understanding of the world flipped inside out like Doctor Strange, to take a stand for what we believe in like Steve Rogers, to form a found family like the Guardians, to push beyond prejudices like Captain Marvel, to persevere through situations that want to destroy you like an Avenger. Marvel is years behind DC when it comes to routinely making use of these parallels — and most of The CW’s gay-as-hell superhero shows are done. Why isn’t Marvel taking the torch? Maybe it’s because I can think of only one out queer writer or director across all of the MCU’s output (Loki director Kate Herron, who made damn sure to confirm that Loki was queer onscreen; we thank her for her service).

We are now 14 years into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it is bigger and bolder than ever in so many ways except for one glaringly, increasingly obvious one. The characters are already there, Marvel, if you’ll just tell their stories. And there are plenty of fascinating, beloved, and popular comics characters you haven’t adapted yet. And there are so many queer storytellers who could bring something completely vital and totally new to the MCU. Queer stories are superhero stories, and Marvel: I love ya, but you gotta do better.