Eternals Director Hopes Gay Characters Won't Be Censored Overseas

Eternals will feature the first gay superhero in the MCU with Phastos played by Brian Tyree Henry. It's a huge milestone in the franchise as they push for more inclusivity which some might say is long overdue. However, director Chloe Zhao is hopeful that it won't be cut in other overseas markets that have different views when it comes to the LGBT.

In an interview with IndieWire, Zhao addressed the possibility of the film's gay moments being cut in other markets abroad. She said, "I don’t know all the details but I do believe discussions were had and there’s a big desire from Marvel and myself — we talked about this — to not change the cut of the movie. Fingers crossed."

The award-winning director also revealed that the idea to have a gay superhero was already written in the story before she signed on as the director. "The way Phastos’ story plays out in the film is that he’s someone who only sees humanity as a whole and believes that technology’s going to solve the problem," Zhao explained. "Obviously, he lost faith in us for some very tough things that we’ve done. And then he had to stop looking at us as a whole and look at one person he falls in love with, and one child, to regain the face of humanity. It’s like us turning on the news and thinking it’s completely hopeless and then going home, looking at our lover and our child and going like, ‘Well actually this is worth fighting for.'"

Zhao's concern with censorship is understandable since there are other countries that don't have a progressive outlook in regard to the LGBT community. But if you look at her quotes, there is a reason why they decided to include a gay superhero and it's not pandering by any means. It adds more to the authenticity and reflects the world that we live in. It might be set in the MCU, but their reality is still a reflection of our world. Let's hope that the general audience worldwide will be embracing it.

For the past few years, the MCU has been stepping towards more in terms of diversity and inclusivity with films such as Black Panther and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In Eternals, besides having the first gay superhero in the franchise, they will also have its first deaf superhero with Makkari played by Lauren Ridloff.

Also Read: Eternals Director Explains Decision to Make Batman and Superman MCU Canon

Eternals is set to be released in theaters on November 5.