I’ll Spend This Entire Weekend Thinking About That One Scene From “The Marvels”
The following review of The Marvels has spoilers, particularly for Captain Marvel’s storyline with Valkyrie. Proceed with necessary caution if you’re intending to see the film.
In Marvel Studios latest film, The Marvels, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson) is once again saving the world. This time she has rescued a group of Skrulls, aliens who have been locked in a decades long civil war with the Kree. She’s put as many Skrulls as she could on her spaceship, flying away as their refuge is blown into stardust. It’s a temporary solution.
But Carol knows this friend. She can call her for help. A sharp streak of purple that cracks through the stars later, and Valkyrie appears.
King Valkyrie is as mesmerizing as ever in a three-piece black and white suit, her braided hair folded into a bun on top of her head with tendrils framing her face, at least three gay rings adorning her fingers. Extremely valid critiques of Marvel’s hide and seek approach to queer sexuality aside, Tessa Thompson has always carefully and purposefully imbued Valkyrie with her own queerness. She fought for it, she called out the studio when Valkyrie’s same sex love interest once landed on a cutting room floor. And now here she stands, a queer Black woman playing a queer Black warrior of a superhero.
Valkyrie is worried. Instantly, her face goes soft. She holds Carol close. She asks, voice heavy, “Are you alright?” It’s not like Carol to call like this.
We learn that Valkyrie calls Captain Marvel “Marv,” for short. A pet name, if you will. Every second is a minute, minutes stretch for time unknown. They seemingly cannot stop touching each other, holding hands, caressing forearms, talking in hushed warm tones that after a half decade of seeing them both on screen, we’ve never heard from either one before. They hug for a second or two longer than would be deemed merely “friendly.” I hold my breath.
Carol needs Valkyrie to take the remaining Skrulls someplace safe. She smiles, agreeing to offer them a port in the storm. But her eyes? Her eyes never stop searching Carol’s eyes. Are you alright? never stops prickling from behind her pupils. Carol’s eyes crinkle with recognition in return. Stories pass between them that aren’t for us, the audience, to know.
These are women who care and have cared for each other, who have found a home in each other, despite their respective loneliness. Having Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson, growing masters of their craft, play together on screen means that so much more carries than what’s on the page of a thin blockbuster script designed to delight with the thrill of a carnival ride instead of complicated character beats. (To be clear, I love action blockbusters. I don’t believe every script needs to be quiet arthouse fare. But it’s hard not to notice that The Marvels had three scriptwriting credits, including director Nia DaCosta, and wonder what kind of studio influence impacted the final production of the film.)
Valkyrie looks past Carol’s shoulder to the crowded ship — Carol’s step-daughter niece, Monica (Teyonah Parris), her protégée Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), the Skrulls she has tried to keep safe for over 30 years. The Asgardian reminds her that asking for help is strength, not a weakness. It’s good to have team. “You can stand tall, without standing alone.”
Then Valkyrie leans in to Carol, slowly, so gently, the camera framing both of their profiles. She says the rest of her words tucked into a soft lingering kiss, placed at Carol’s cheekbone. There’s the kind of gay you can see, and the kind of gay you can touch, and then there’s the kind of gay that you just know.
Thus far the MCU’s Captain Marvel is not technically gay, but also?
I waffled about writing this review, to be honest. I struggled with it for days longer than I should have. After being burned so many times by Marvel and Disney over the last 15 years, watching as the studios continue to ask its gay audience to settle for the bare minimum, I’m reticent to give them more space or credit than they deserve. In 2019, ranking Carol Danvers’ outfits by lesbianism, gay gasping at her instantly recognizable queer haircut in Endgame, felt optimistic — a promise of a what’s to come. Now it’s crystalized, for me at least, that promises of “next time there will be more” will always have the goal post moved. Are we at a place where Carol’s queer-coded white tank top and a kiss on a cheek is really still worth being written about? In doing so, am I being complicit in saying that queer audiences are not deserving of our fullness?
I weighed this with our Senior Editor who also helms Autostraddle’s film and television coverage, Drew Burnett Gregory. Drew quipped: “The way every big studio wants no gay and every actor wants gay… heroes.”
It’s stayed with me. Like Tessa Thompson, Brie Larson has advocated for Carol Danvers’ queerness. In 2019, during the lead up to what was once seen as Marvel’s grand finale Avengers: Endgame (I think we all understand it now to be more of a mid-point), Larson told Variety, “I don’t understand how you could think that a certain type of person isn’t allowed to be a superhero. So to me it’s like, we gotta move faster. But I’m always wanting to move faster with this stuff.” Fitting that she was echoing Carol Danvers’ life motto. “Higher, Further, Faster.”
Speaking of “higher, further, faster,” The Marvels moves rapidly. Arguably, too rapidly. Clocking in at one hour and 45 minutes, it has the shortest run time of any other film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it shows. With a legacy of Marvel films that have suffered from bloat, I never thought I’d bemoan that one needed more time with its characters. The Marvels excels at making efficient use of its tight minutes, but the first act reads choppily. It’s hard to feel settled, even if you’ve seen the precursor film and both television shows for each central character (for those curious, I’d say that seeing Captain Marvel and the television series Ms. Marvel are central to The Marvels’ plot, seeing WandaVision is recommended because it’s excellent, but not necessary to follow along in this instance). However, once The Marvels slows down to find itself — once Valkyrie makes her cameo — there is a lot of good here.
Nia DaCosta’s indie working class political thriller Little Woods remains one of my favorite films, a showcase for both DaCosta’s restraint and ability to manipulate time as well as Tessa Thompson’s acting chops. The two have remained close friends and Thompson was DaCosta’s first call after being hired for The Marvels (she is the first Black woman director, and the youngest, to ever helm a Marvel project). It’s clear that DaCosta took Captain Marvel seriously on her own terms. By which I do not mean “make a serious movie” — quite the opposite. To take the Captain Marvel franchise seriously means embracing its 90s aesthetic girl power humor, Carol’s deadpan tone, its lightness. DaCosta made room for The Marvels to be bright and playful, filled with characters that are impossible not to love (Vellani’s Kamala Khan and her entire family are standouts in this regard; she has the future of the MCU in the palm of her hand and Marvel would be smart to give a standalone movie right away).
It also meant that DaCosta had to take Carol Danvers’ queerness seriously, even when inhibited by studios and even when it’s not on the page. In addition to the scene with Valkyrie, Carol’s first love (depending on which fan you ask) Maria Rambeau makes an appearance that I will not spoil, only to say that the production chose a hairstyle that can only be described as “someone handed the hairdresser a photo of a Tracy Chapman album cover and said, ‘do this, but add frosted grey tips.’” Carol and Monica, Maria’s daughter, have opportunities to work through their family trauma that feel rooted for a space opera. And as Kamala Khan, Iman Vellani is every bit a teen fangirl who… we’ll just say that if you spent high school reading fanfiction between classes and also now read this website, you’ll see yourself in her quite a bit.
This isn’t enough. It can’t be. But higher, further, faster, baby.
Let’s All Enjoy This One Millisecond of Tessa Thompson in “The Marvels” New Trailer
In a final push to get people to secure their tickets for the Captain Marvel sequel, simply titled The Marvels, which comes out this weekend, Marvel Studios pulled out the big guns. And by “the big guns” I mean the canons that are on each of Tessa Thompson’s arms. Because Valkyrie, the love of my nerdy geeky ass life, is back in The Marvels final trailer. And she is gazing upon Carol Danvers’ face with the warmth of a thousand suns.
This is not Valkyrie in The Marvels trailer. I just wanted to make sure you got the joke about her arms. Have you seen them? My god.
It’s a nice confirmation of a long-standing rumor that Valkyrie would be making a guest appearance in the film for years now (some eagle eyed fans caught a glimpse of Tessa Thompson’s headshot in the background of a Captain Marvel behind the scenes all the way back in 2021).
Of course, fans have long wanted Valkyrie and Captain Marvel to be the cosmic superhero power couple of the MCU. Valkyrie’s been gay coded since she was first introduced making a strap-on joke about a laser gun. Carol’s first feature-length debut was so gay that Autostraddle dedicated an entire post just to ranking her outfits by lesbianism. Captains of the Carol/Valkyrie ship include none other than Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson themselves, who used the entirety of their 2019 press run leading into The Avengers: Endgame to spread the good word of fandom’s unrelentless gay agenda. Plus, there were some heavily unsubstantiated rumors in 2020 that a girlfriend for Carol might be on the horizon.
Alas, I have to be real with you. Valkyrie is only in The Marvels trailer for a millisecond (two milliseconds, if you include the voice over before we see her face). Now, is that enough to stir back up the Marvel fan within me and force her to finally get life together and buy a ticket? Of course it is. Am I probably being queer baited by the House of Mouse once again? You know it. But I only have one precious silly life, and if I want to spend two hours of that life looking upon Tessa Thompson being hot in a three-piece suit and Brie Larson as a lesbian superhero (I said what I said) breaking spaceships apart with her bare hands, then it is my god given right to do so and you cannot stop me.
If you’re coming to The Marvel for the plot — and I mean the actual plot, not the thing gays do when we say “I’m here for the plot” and the plot is Tessa Thompson’s face — here’s what you need to know: Since the end of Avengers: Endgame Carol Danvers has been off-world fighting baddies, meanwhile her step-daughter niece Monica Rambeau grew up to be a superhero in her own right (now played by Teyonah Parris as an adult). She has a lot of hurt feelings about Carol, which we assume are about Carol abandoning her as a child, but that’s not confirmed yet. The two of them will also be meeting Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani, superhero name Ms. Marvel) who is a Muslim teen nerd from New Jersey and a Carol Danvers’ superfan. The three heroes will be joining forces to battle Dar-Ben (Zawe Ashton) who is mad at Carol for… reasons we don’t know yet. But things will go bang bang clang boom I am sure, and I believe wholeheartedly that it will be great.
The Marvels has seen some brutal pre-release ticket sales slumps, in large part because of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. The strike means that no stars of the film could promo it (though director Nia DaCosta has been on a quite press run, she’s the youngest director and the first Black woman to helm a Marvel release. I love her work!). Studios should give actors a fair deal that includes common sense understandings of the impact AI will have on creative industries and actors’ likeness. Without the work of actors, projects like The Marvels wouldn’t exist. Just had to get that off my chest! Back to Valkyrie and Carol Danvers, I wish them a lifetime of gay happiness — whether that be in fan fiction or maybe one day on the big screen.
Pop Culture Fix: Ousted Lesbian Exec Refused Marvel’s Gay-Erasing “Quantumania” Edits, New Book Reveals
Marvel Studios Demanded Gay-Friendly Signs Erased From Quantumania, Lesbian Exec Victoria Alonso said No
(Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
The comprehensive book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, by Joanna Robinson, Dave Fonzales and Gavin Edwards, debuted today, and it contains some interesting behind-the-scenes information around censorship of LGBTQ+ content for some conservative international markets, and about the tenure of Victoria Alonso, once the highest ranked Latina lesbian executive in Hollywood, who was suddenly terminated this past March.
Alonso originally joined the studio in 2006, dating back to before the first Iron Man film, as chief of visual effects and postproduction. In 2021, she was promoted to President, Physical and Postproduction, VFX and Animation Production. Her March 2023 dismissal was seen as surprisingly abrupt and contentious — at a time when Marvel’s VFX workers were beginning to speak out about mistreatment and overwork. In April, the story got more complicated when it was revealed that there was a settlement over Alonso’s termination, and rumors swirled that she’d been let go for doing PR for Argentina, 1985 — a passion project film produced by Alonso that was in the middle of an Oscars run for Best International Feature Film.
At the time, in response to those rumors, Alonso’s lawyer Patricia Glaser released the following statement: “The idea that Victoria was fired over a handful of press interviews relating to a personal passion project about human rights and democracy that was nominated for an Oscar and which she got Disney’s blessing to work on is absolutely ridiculous. Victoria, a gay Latina who had the courage to criticize Disney, was silenced. Then she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible.”
In MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the authors describe some of the cuts made by Marvel to de-gay its films for the Chinese market, including “cutting a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it relationship in Wakanda Forever and excising the queer-friendly signs and flags in the background of the San Francisco scenes of Quantumania,” which required some digital tweaks by the VFX department:
…but it frustrated Victoria Alonso, a queer woman, so much that she refused to make the edits. So did everyone on her team. D’Esposito then went around her and outsourced the job to a VFX contractor. This was a crack in the unified front of Marvel’s leadership team, one of many that would lead to a messy and public fracture.
This came after, also according to the book, “Alonso had broken one of [Marvel head Kevin] Feige’s cardinal rules: don’t speak out publicly against the company” for joining public pressure encouraging Disney to speak out against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2022. According to the authors’ sources, after the “Don’t Say Gay” outcry, Fiege reportedly cautioned Alonso to “‘keep her head down’ and ‘do the work.'”
It’s long been assumed by fans that Marvel has made cuts to gay storylines and relationships in part to make their films more palatable in conservative markets, though Alonso’s work in relationship to those cuts and projects has not been discussed before now. MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios is available wherever you get your books.
Feature image of Victoria Alonso by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Other queer pop culture news for your day:
+ According to showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Riverdale‘s final season originally had a more ambitious plan, thwarted by budget concerns: “Originally, when we pitched the season, one of the ideas that we pitched was that the first 13 episodes would be in the ’50s, and then starting around Episode 14 or so, we would start moving in time. So Episode 14 would be set in the ’60s, Episode 15 would be set in the ’70s, and then the ’80s, the ’90s… kind of working through to the present day.”
+ There’s a new trailer for the hotly anticipated Color Purple musical film, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Fantasia Barrino. Carmen just wants to know if it will finally be gay:
+ Reclaiming ‘Buffy’: How Amber Benson’s ‘Slayers’ Reintroduces Spike, Tara and Anya — and Finally Gets ‘Justice for Cordelia’: Variety talks to the cast of the new Audible production.
+ LOVE IS A LIE? Soccer Stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger Are Indeed Divorcing, Thus Deeply Saddening the Lesbian Community
+ Orphan Black Echoes!!
See you tomorrow. #OrphanBlackEchoes pic.twitter.com/VmpaltD6LT
— Orphan Black: Echoes (@OrphanBlack) October 11, 2023
+ Ranking the Greatest Scream Queens in Film History (we did a “ranked by lesbianism” ranking last year, obviously the gay one is better because it’s gay)
+ Going Behind the Scenes With LGBTQ+ Filmmakers Uncovering Queer Stories in New Hope, Pennsylvania
+ Hot: Polaroids from the big queer festival Muna called ‘Lesbopalooza’
Did Guardians of the Galaxy 3 Very Quietly Intro a Canonically Queer Character?
I’m about explain the post-credits scene for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so immediately let’s go ahead and say SPOILER ALERT on everything past this point. Did you stop reading? I’m not playing around here. One last chance!
Great. Now for the rest of us, We’re here to talk specifically about the first post-credits scene, in which Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 provides a tiny morsel of a new canonically gay character, Phyla-Vell.
First, a brief explanation of how we got here! In the third act of Guardians of the Galaxy, you meet a group of children, all with stark white hair, who have been created and exploited by the movie’s Big Bad, the High Evolutionary. In that group there’s one young girl who in particular stands out in a few glimpses. The children are saved by Drax the Destroyer and the rest of the Guardians, and brought to the planet of Knowhere to begin their new lives.
So far, so good? In the post-credits scene we see this same girl, now suited up with the next generation team of the Guardians of the Galaxy. In this moment she’s referred to by name — “Phyla” — and we learn that among other things:
- She has the ability to conjure light energy in her fists
- She can make her eyes light up (imagine similar to Monica Rambeau, for my WandaVision/Captain Marvel fans)
- Her favorite musician is Britney Spears
Clearly, young Phyla has great taste in pop music, but what’s most important here is that while in the movie Phyla is a young girl freshly rescued, in the comics she is an adult with a girlfriend: her fellow Guardian of the Galaxy, Moondragon.
Phyla-Vell and Moondragon in Marvel / Annihilation: Prologue #1, written by Keith Giffen, art by Scott Kollins, Ariel Olivette, and June Chung, lettering by Cory Peti
Now, in the MCU, Moondragon is the daughter of Drax, who was killed offscreen even before the first Guardians movie. So while it’s unlikely that Moondragon is coming back, given the circumstances, it is nice that her father is the one who saves Phyla — if we want to be generous and look for a loose spiritual connection of sorts.
It’s disheartening that once again the MCU has chosen to introduce a canonically queer character from the comics, only to age her down so that they don’t have to deal with her sexuality directly in the film. Just last year, the studio did the same trick with America Chavez, arguably one of Marvel’s most famous lesbian superheroes, who’s in her early twenties in the comics and was played as a young teen by Xochitl Gomez in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. They did keep Chavez’s lesbian moms for the briefest of seconds, and they kept a pride flag on her denim jacket, but we deserve to ask ourselves… is that enough? It’s not.
Similarly, the MCU aged down both of Wanda Maximoff’s queer twins, Billy and Tommy, with their introduction in WandaVision and Multiverse of Madness, from their usual late teen selves to being young pre-teens (though it does appear that at least Billy will be older in the upcoming Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and played by Heartstopper star Joe Locke).
All of this is, of course, on top of storytelling decisions that shortchanged queer plots for both Valkyrie in the Thor movies, as well as Ayo and Aneka in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
I have seen some nerds whose opinion I trust argue that de-aging Phyla-Vell, along with Billy, Tommy, and America Chavez, is to set up a Young Avengers storyline. Though Marvel officially has not announced a Young Avengers project, there’s compelling evidence that all the pieces are in play. Still, even that scenario, it’s hard not to feel slighted that losing some of these characters’ canonic queerness would be considered an acceptable sacrifice. Phyla-Vell has been described as Marvel’s resident sword lesbian, and I wanna see it!
Now that we’re all caught up, I did want to say that overall, this was easily one of the best Marvel experiences I’ve ever had at the movies — and I’ve seen 29 out of 32 of them (I find Tony Stark too annoying to sit through standalone Iron Men, sorry to this man).
I wouldn’t describe myself as a huge Guardians fan. James Gunn — who has since left the MCU to head up the reboot of the DC Universe for Warner Bros. — put together a goodbye that was stunning both in scope and emotion. Marvel has a history of not doing right by the gays, a fact that we’ve covered many times before and will continue to do so. But if you’re an MCU nerd who’s been turned off by the uneven storytelling in Phase Four thus far, I cannot recommend this final Guardians enough.
Just do yourself a favor and consider this small morsel of gay in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 post-credits to be a cute bonus.
Quiz: Which Marvel Hero Is Your Wife?
It’s quiz time again, friends! This week, let’s get you a wife! A hero wife! All you’ve got to do is make a few simple choices and we’ll reveal your Marvel soul mate! Wow, it really is a snap to find the one single person in the world who fills your heart with joy. (Get it? Snap? SNAP! Still too soon?)
Which Marvel Hero Is Your Wife?
Also.Also.Also: Here’s All the Gay Parts That Were Cut From “Wakanda Forever”
It’s been a long day. A very, very long day.
Queer as in F*ck You
A Gay Kiss Was Cut From Wakanda Forever’s Original Script, as a part of its bid for a Best Screenwriting Oscar, Marvel Studios had to release a version of its Black Panther: Wakanda Forever script. This is a normal part of the process, but all week nerds have been pouring over it to see what got cut, what could have almost been. Out zeros in on a kiss on the lips — so, more than what was shown as a forehead kiss in the final scene of the final cut of the film — between Ayo and Aneka (two of the Dora Milaje). It would have occurred at a time when Ayo would have told Aneka that could could be reinstated as a member of the Dora Milaje (in this version of the film, when Okoye is kicked out of the Doras by Queen Ramonda, Anka follows her — it’s a really good subplot, and the entire thing was scratched).
I also have read some script cuts on Twitter and in another one, Aneka refers to Ayo as her “beloved” while trying to convince her to let Okoye help them find Shuri. For all my Riri/Shuri shippers out there, there are extended versions of both their kidnapping scene — where Shuri helps Riri through a panic attack — and another one at the end when Shuri gives Riri her car back. And not gay but relevant to my interests, Queen Ramonda is originally of the River people tribe, like Nakia.
I’m sure there are lots of reasons for these cuts including movie length of time, and the ever moving carousel that is the whole Marvel ecosystem (it’s my personal theory that a lot of the Okoye subplot got cut because she’s rumored to have a Disney+ series in her future), but also Marvel has a long history of leaving the gay scenes on their cutting room floor. And none of us need reminders of that!
Anyway is this all just a way for me to fit in a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Angela Bassett on her Golden Globes win this week? Who is to say?
https://twitter.com/carmencitaloves/status/1612986273819680768
Candace Parker is on Celebrity Jeopardy tonight and on the one hand, I always love seeing more of her because she’s my fantasy wife, on the other hand I can’t lie — I’m disappointed it’s gonna end like this, Candace Parker Says ‘I Learned My Lesson’ After Seriously Struggling on Celebrity Jeopardy!
Saw This, Thought of You
The Secret Power of the 8-Minute Phone Call. From Himani: “I feel like we get a lot of advice questions in various forums about ppl struggling to keep up with friendships in adulthood and this seems like a useful thing to try.” I agree!
When Mercury Retrograde Ends, Mercury Retroshade Begins. “Life comes at you fast! Sorry!”
Why Dystopian Fashion Is Trending For 2023, I’m sorry what
Political Snacks
What Too Many of the New GOP Committee Chairs Have in Common. From the author, “Of the 17 new Republican committee chairs, 11 refused to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, and 12 asked the Supreme Court to help overturn the outcome.”
Progressive Rep. Katie Porter Launches Bid for Feinstein’s California Senate Seat. Rep. Barbara Lee is also running!
Michaela Coel Joined “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Specifically to Play a Lesbian
In her cover profile for Vogue, published today and written by Chioma Nnadi, Michaela Coel talks about her excitement for next month’s Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. Specifically, Coel notes, she was drawn to her character, Aneka’s history in the comics, “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer.”
In the comics, and in particular I’m talking about Ta-Nehisi Coates’ famed run of Black Panther from 2016-2018 and Roxane Gay’s spin-off Word of Wakanda (which is how I learned how to read comics in the first place), Aneka — who will be played by Coel in the film — is a captain and combat instructor for the Dora Milaje, the women warriors who are the royal family’s security and protectors of Wakanda. Aneka falls in love with Ayo, played by Florence Kasumba in various MCU properties, and together they leave the Dora Mliaje to lead a separate group, the Midnight Angels. The Midnight Angels create what’s essentially women’s commune on the outer planes of Wakanda and use their skills to help train other Wakandan women in self-defense to protect themselves. Imagine if feminist land dykes were Afrofuturist and you’ll start to get the picture. It’s great.
Speaking of Aneka’s queerness and drive to protect other women, Coel says “I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.” She continues, speaking about the current anti-gay law being brought forth in Ghanaian parliament, poised to be some of the most strict and dangerous in the continent. If passed, the proposed law would make identifying as gay (or a gay ally) a second-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. “People say, ‘Oh, it’s fine, it’s just politics.’ But I don’t think it is just politics when it affects how people get to their daily lives… That’s why it felt important for me to step in and [play the role of Aneka] because I know that just by my being Ghanaian, Ghanians will come.”
After rumors that a brief queer flirtation between head of the Dora Milaje, Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Ayo was cut from the 2018 Black Panther film, on top of a litany of similarly “cut for time” or “extraneous to the story” queer scenes or characterizations that have been removed from a variety of MCU films, most often on the backs of queer women of color, it’s hard to hold my breath for a queer Aneka in World of Wakanda — I’m just a Black queer nerd who really can’t afford another superhero-sized heartbreak. But there’s a specific tone of how Coel speaks about Aneka that makes me think this time it might be different. Coel’s not talking about Aneka’s identity, she’s talking about Aneka’s politics, the entire whole of who she is.
For so many of us, queerness is not about who we lay with at night — it’s about who we are when we wake up in the morning.
The reason I fell in love with the World of Wakanda comics was not just because of its queer love story, but that two Black women loved each other so much, saw beauty and power in the reflections of themselves across their lover’s face, that they wanted to care and love for other Black women. Queer Black women, being written by a queer Black woman, in all of our majesty. The knowledge that our royalty, our richness, our magic was in each other all along. It’s queerness as a root praxis, not a swooping kiss when the credits roll.
It’s hard to imagine bringing in Aneka to Wakanda Forever if her queerness is not going to be written into the script, because it’s her defining characteristic. It’s also not worth ignoring the obvious, Kevin Feige and the powers that be at Marvel studios have disappointed too many times before. That said, there are other glimmers of hope. In July’s Wakanda Forever trailer, Aneka can be seen in her Midnight Angels uniform. In the newest film posters released this week, Okoye is also wearing the Midnight Angels’ signature blue. The Midnight Angels are born out of a Black queer love story. To straight wash them would not only be cruel, it would dismantle the fabric of their very existence.
Coel seemingly knows as much, directly linking her portrayal of Aneka in what’s certain to be the highest grossing Black film, potentially ever in history if it can topple its predecessor, to the lived realities of queer people in her family’s home in Ghana, who are fighting for to survive. And in the pages of Vogue, no less.
When we talk about “queer representation” — especially in blockbuster movies, such as, I don’t know, the ones about superhero lineage Kings and Queens who wear indestructible suits made from vibranium — it’s easy to get caught up in the statistics. According to GLAAD, for example, out of the the 44 films from major studios in 2020, only 10 contained LGBTQ characters. Out of all studio releases in 2020, there were just 20 LGBTQ characters, a decrease from the year before’s 50. But focusing on the numbers also allows for studios to escape with doing bare minimum, mere boxes to check off. A character can mention “I have a dead ex-girlfriend who you’ve never seen” and now that counts. A kiss that can be missed in a blink of an eye, now that counts. It’s tricky to talk about in concrete terms, but “representation” can be a glass sealed box. What feels like freedom can just as easily stifle.
Because really, it’s never been about the numbers, it’s about telling our stories in the fullness of who we are.
Boobs on Your Tube: She-Hulk Gifts Us a Rare Marvel Gay
Well, we’ve done it! Another wildly successful Autostraddle TV Awards has come to a close — and this year, we’ve got some acceptance speeches and tweetses.
Also, this week, Kayla’s here to teach you how to dress like Max Chapman. Shelli reviewed the delightfully messy House of Ho. She also broke down all of House of the Dragon’s queer connections. Riese watched (but didn’t love) The Devil in Ohio for the queer storyline. Heather’s patience paid off: JoJo Siwa finally showed up in a rainbow tux on High School Musical: The Series. Drew interviewed Jinkx Monsoon. And! She’s coming at you live from the Toronto International Film Festival.
Notes from the TV Team:
+ The Good Fight returned for its sixth and final season this week and already, Carmen Moyo (played by out actress Charmaine Bingwa) is getting in deep with another criminal client. Apparently, she learned nothing from Oscar Rivi! This season, I’m excited to see Carmen — who’s been so relentlessly focused on work since we met her — get a storyline that focuses more on her personal life. — Natalie
She-Hulk 104: “Is This Not Real Magic?”
Written by Valerie Anne
Give Nikki a girlfriend 2k22!
Ever since the first episode of She-Hulk, Nikki has been on my radar. Something about her energy felt a little queer to me, so I was on high alert for clues. My first clue came when she mentioned that she had a date and nary a name nor a pronoun was uttered. Another clue came in this episode when she was talking about Jen’s dating life and said there was a “person” for her out there somewhere. Even if Jen only dates men, Nikki’s language being naturally inclusive is another potential piece of the queer puzzle. But then when she took Jen’s phone and started swiping through her matches on her dating app for her (something I too have done for my straight friends, just for funsies), she gave me all the evidence I need to count her among the very few queer characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “Hetero life is grim.”
I hope that’s not the only glimpse into Nikki’s queerness we get this season, but no take-backs! She’s ours now!
Queer confirmation aside, this episode was a fun romp of magic and mischief. The only quibble I have is that this show really tried to convince me, a person with eyeballs, that no one in LA thinks human-shaped Jen Walters is attractive even though she looks like Tatiana Maslany.
The episode ends with Jen finding out Titania is suing her over the newly trademarked name She-Hulk, and in her classic fourth-wall breaking way she says, “I bet there’s a fun tag.” And there is indeed, because it featured everyone’s new favorite side character: Madisynn with two ns and a y, but it’s not where you think.
Queen Sugar 701: “And When Great Souls Die”
Written by Natalie
The seventh (and final) season of Queen Sugar opens with an expansive view of the waters near St. Joe’s. It’s a gorgeous shot — crafted by Kat Candler, one of the show’s cadre of female directors — that’s become a hallmark of Queen Sugar‘s run. That this show could end without a single Emmy nomination for directing or cinematography is an indictment of the entire awards show racket.
But while Queen Sugar‘s visuals have been consistently awing, the writing — and, in particular, the writing around Nova Bordelon’s sexuality — has always been hit or miss. The season seven trailer got my hopes up: in it, Nova’s ex, Chantal, makes an appearance, and Nova dances with gay-for-play extraordinaire, Tracie Thoms. And, much to my surprise, Queen Sugar starts to deliver on that front almost immediately in its new season.
Nova is still with her cultural anthropologist boyfriend, Dominic, but everyone around her is just waiting for the other shoe to drop. At the farmers’ co-op meeting, Nova encounters Ralph Angel’s guest, Mo Evans, and the sparks fly. Mo knows Nova by reputation and admits that she’s checked out her most recent work featuring the descendants of a local 1800s massacre. RA feels the energy between them and, after the crowd moves on, urges his sister to not go there. Mo’s in town to formalize the co-op as part of the South Louisiana Co-Op Federation, and he’s weary of anything messing that up.
“Don’t go pulling a Nova, Nova. I know how you move,” RA tells her. “Don’t. I’m serious.”
Meanwhile, Aunt Vi’s got her own questions about the future of Nova’s relationship with Dominic. It’s been six months, Vi notes, and that’s when Nova usually starts to get antsy. Nova tries to defend herself — she was with Calvin for five years, after all — but given that he was married for four of those years, she realizes maybe that’s not the best argument. She insists that Dominic is great and Vi is thrilled to hear it because Nova “can go through men like water.” Nova corrects her aunt, she hasn’t only dated men, and Vi reminds Nova that she never introduced the family to the ladies.
Nova admits, “There’s no drama with Dominic. We just work together, it’s…nice.”
Nice and drama-free ain’t never been Nova’s way, so it’s clear her relationship with Dominic is not long for this world. Is it all very heavy-handed? Lord yes. They are moving with all the subtlety of a bull in a China shop. That said, as someone who has criticized Queen Sugar for not even acknowledging Nova’s pansexuality even in the smallest ways, it’s such a relief to see it. The revelation that Nova never introduced any of her female love interests to the family absolutely tracks with what we know of her and her tenuous relationship with her father. I’m interested to see if that bit of Nova’s history changes by the series end.
grown-ish 508: “Certified Lover Boy”
Written by Natalie
Cal U is abuzz with the release of the D-List, a ranking of the university’s men by…well…you know. It’s a campus tradition meant to turn the tables on men who have objectified women with similar lists for, basically, all of eternity. A surprise entry on the list? Junior. Zaara’s roommate’s five-star review has him being coveted by every girl (and some boys) on campus and causes Annika to reconsider putting Junior in the friendzone. Witnessing it all makes Zaara glad that she’s not the type to “get sprung.” Instead, Zaara’s more a love ’em and leave ’em type: hooking up with a girl (Yazmine) and then ushering them quickly out the door.
But then something unexpected happens: Zaara can’t get the girl she kicked out of bed out of her head. How does Zaara go from being a commitment-phobe last week to “sprung” this week? Who knows, but she’s here, she’s queer and she’s considering monogamy. Scared by how consumed she’s become by Yazmine, Zaara rushes to Annika for a solution. They pledge to be each other’s sponsor…to help one another deal with these cases of sprung fever. They promise no more texting or social media stalking the objects of their obsession.
Zaara’s first text from Yazmine tests her resolve and, frankly, it doesn’t last long. When she encourages Junior to get out of his comfort zone and try something new, he pushes her to take her own advice and consider a relationship. She texts Annika with an update and the next time we see her, she’s in bed with Yazmine again. Even Yazmine was surprised to get a return call so quickly.
“I thought intimate wasn’t your vibe?” Yazmine questions.
“Maybe you’re my vibe,” Zaara answers before pulling Yazmine back in for a kiss.
Am I a little frustrated that there wasn’t more substance behind Zaara’s shift? Yes. But earlier this week, the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative released a study about the erasure and stereotyping of Muslim characters on popular television…so while I’ll always cheer for more and better, two South Asian women — one of whom is Muslim — in bed together feels like a good place to start.
Roswell 413: “How’s It Going To Be”
Written by Valerie Anne
Is this what it looks like inside when I watch gay cartoons? My present-day self hugging the version of me from the 90s?
In the series finale of Roswell, we begin amidst the chaos. Clyde, more powerful than ever, kidnaps Rosa and brings her to Shivani to harvest her regenerative cells. Clyde says this might kill Rosa and Shivani has to decide if her life is worth potentially resurrecting her daughter.
After some searching, Liz tracks Allie down and asks her for help stopping Shivani. The alien dust is blocking her brain and she needs the person who shaped her brain to help her fill in the blanks.
Of course, once the harvesting is done, Clyde reveals to Shivani that he actually can’t resurrect her daughter at all, he just needed to fix his star map. So he chucks her across the room; broke her heart, broke her bones. Classic Clyde.
Eventually the pod squad stops Clyde, through cleverness and grit, and they can get to the good stuff: Michael and Alex’s wedding. Michael sings I’ll Be, keeping with the show’s 90s music theme, and it’s all very lovely and gay.
After the wedding, Liz goes to find Max to propose, but before she can, Max tells Liz he needs to go back to Oasis to save his home planet. Devastated, Liz stress eats some pancakes when her old mentor finds her. Allie reassures her that her relationship is strong enough to survive a little interplanetary travel. In return, Liz encourages Allie to go to Shivani to help her say goodbye to their daughter, too. Before she leaves, Allie pops an antenna headband on to reminder herself of her time in Roswell, and says it “fits like a glove.” As someone who loved the original Roswell, watching the Liz of my childhood hug the present-day Liz in the Crashdown Cafe made my heart happy.
In the end, Max says goodbye to his pod; Isobel and Kyle snuggle by a fire, Michael goes on his honeymoon with Alex, and Max promises to marry Liz as soon as he comes back. This isn’t goodbye forever, just goodbye for now.
Industry Episode 206: Short To The Point of Pain
Written by: Riese
I have no idea why I watched every Season One episode of this program about mostly terrible people doing a lot of cocaine and helping other terrible people get rich while yelling at each other using financial jargon I do not understand BUT I do think it was because I felt certain a lesbian would turn up but aside from a brief predatory moment, one did not.
I believe I have stuck with Season Two because I love Augustus Sackey (David Johnson) and also because a lesbian did show up, right out of a sexy French film: the glamorous Celeste Pacquet.
As Yasmin returned to the desk post-pandemic at Season Two’s start, her dissatisfaction in her role and the culture collided with her enchantment with Celeste, leading her to seek a new position: working for Celeste in Pierpoint’s Private Wealth Management Division. (I think this is what happened, I’m not totally sure)
But more importantly, there was SIMMERING SEXUAL TENSION all season long, teased in the trailer, and every week I felt we were getting a little bit closer to an explosion: either an explosion of sexual tension between Yasmin and Celeste or an explosion in my brain at this show for teasing us with Sexy Girls Can’t Help But Be Sexy For Each Other Queer Subtext in the year of our lord 2022.
Early in the episode, Yasmin confesses to Celeste over drinks that she masturbated thinking about Celeste the night before, and Celeste says sleeping together would be the a good idea but also the worst idea. I was personally crestfallen. Shortly thereafter, Celeste invites Yasmin to a lunch — the day before Celeste becomes Yasmin’s new boss! — but all she ends up eating is Yasmin. It’s honestly a very hot sex scene.
Of course when it’s all over Yasmin gushes that she’s never come so many times in her life. Celeste is like, “yeah duh,” ’cause she’s a seasoned pro. But as she explains to Yasmin that her wife approved the liaison because they have an open relationship, Yasmin’s interest in Celeste seems to immediately transform. I dunno, I feel like if she’s looking for something illicit and dangerous, f*cking her boss is already in that category regardless of whether or not it’s cheating! Anyhow, I hope they bone again next week.
Raising Kanan Season Two (So Far)
Written by Carmen
I have been sort of kicking the can down the road on how to best write about the second season of Raising Kanan, which is currently airing on Starz. Hailey Kilgore’s performance as Laverne “Jukebox” Ganner — Kanan’s cousin — remains one of the best and most thoughtful portrayals of a teen lesbian, let alone a Black teen lesbian, on television. Hell, she was an Autostraddle TV Awards nominee for her performance in Season One, and she shows no sign of stopping yet. Jukebox is just as riveting as she was last year, just as soulful, carrying in equal weight pain and smile that lights up any room.
The overall problem — from a recapping standpoint — is that the second season of Raising Kanan is moving at a snail’s pace compared to Season One. A family crime drama about a drug dealing matriarch and her teen son, this season has really ascribed to the classic Black motto “it’s chess, not checkers” and it has luxuriated in getting all its pieces in place on the board, admittedly to mixed results. But now we are halfway through the season, and it’s time to see where Jukebox falls in this queenpin’s gambit.
Juke has moved out of her homophobic father’s house and in with her Aunt Raq, Kanan’s mother, who has always supported her. She’s still trying to get her music career off the ground, but the producer at her uncle’s studio has let her know that her tomboy masc appearance won’t… move records. The racist parents of her ex-girlfriend still have it out for her (her girlfriend, Nicole, died of an overdose last year, and Nicole’s parents still blame Jukebox for the drugs Nicole stole from her). She’s been looking into her estranged mother, played by Destiny Child’s LeToya Luckett, who hasn’t been in her life since she was a baby, but is back, in a church, and wants to reconnect with her daughter — but there’s a lot of secrets around her mother that her Aunt Raq seems not to want to tell her.
But what’s actually happening is really underneath all those plot points. And that is the quiet, but no less gorgeous and stunning, character building moments that Hailey Kilgore is putting into Jukebox. She’s a steaming kettle left on the back burner ready to explode, each episode adding another pressure point, another tension. And when she goes off, it’s going to be marvelous. I can’t wait to see.
A Queer Read on Tatiana Maslany’s “She-Hulk: Attorney At Law”
Before we start, I’ll answer the burning question: Is She-Hulk gay? My answer is…it’s complicated. First of all, it’s only been one episode, so even though technically we have no evidence any of the characters are queer, there’s plenty of time for that. Second, Jameela Jamil quite literally burst onto the scene in this episode, and SHE’S queer, so that counts for something. Also, my homosexual heart has been burning brightly for Tatiana Maslany for almost a decade. But my “it’s complicated” answer is because while we don’t know yet how Jennifer Walters would label her sexuality, there’s something very queer about her story.
Before I explain why, a warning: this review will contain spoilers for the first episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
I missed that smile!!!
At first glance, it seems Jennifer Walters has an origin story similar to many others, but this show tells you that it’s going to be a different kind of story right off the bat. First of all, her paralegal, Nikki, with whom she has cute banter reveals that she knows Jennifer can hulk out. Then, Jennifer breaks the fourth wall and talks directly at the audience, telling us that this is going to be a “fun lawyer show.” But first, she’ll tell us aforementioned origin story, otherwise we won’t be able to focus on the law stuff. Which she’s very determined to make us care about.
So we flash back to when Jennifer first hulks out, how she ended up in a bar bathroom looking like hell warmed over. In the bathroom, she’s greeted by women who gave her a makeover and told her to leave her/him/them if they left her looking like this. In stark contrast, as soon as she steps outside the bar, she gets catcalled by men who don’t take no for an answer and start slowly encroaching like a wolf pack approaching prey. She hulks out on them but Bruce knocks her out before she can hurt anyone.
When she wakes up, she’s in Bruce’s Smart!Hulk lab, and he goes through the basics of being a hulk. But the thing is, just because they are similar in one way doesn’t mean they’re the same. Just because they’re both hulks doesn’t mean they move through the world the same way.
And of course, even though Bruce is a Nice Guy, he immediately underestimates Jennifer. She’s strong as hell and a fast learner and she’s immediately in control of her hulk; his trauma caused him to create two separate identities, something he’s had to wrestle with for years. Jen’s familiarity with rage means her hulk is just an extension of her. She’s in control, because as a very small woman, and especially one in a male-dominated field, she’s always had to be. Because women have to consider things like this, and are acutely aware that too often, your reaction could be the only thing keeping you from physical danger. It’s just the reality of the toxic, patriarchal society we live in.
This episode was called, “A Normal Amount of Rage,” which I thought was funny.
This conversation also had similar vibes to elder queers vs baby gays; the world is different now, being superpowered isn’t as rare or hush-hush as it was back in Bruce’s day. And Hulk himself being an Avenger paved the way for another hulk to exist without as much prejudice, but that doesn’t mean Jen doesn’t respect his journey. Their situations are similar, but they are not the same.
(Side note: I now want a parody sketch or fanart/comic strip of She-Hulk meeting a non-binary hulk called They-Hulk and the two of them calling Bruce He-Hulk despite his constant protests.)
Anyway, Jen thinks it’s a good thing she can control her hulking, not only so she’s not a danger to society, but also because she has no intention of ever doing it again. Bruce can’t believe someone would actively choose to NOT be an Avenger, and questions her duty as a powered person; sure, with great power comes great responsibility… but do you have to accept that responsibility? Jen just wants to be a lawyer! Though even in that, it’s a question she poses herself as she gets ready for her case at the start of the episode.
If this were a thesis paper and not a review, this is where I’d dive into a deep analysis of how this applies to queerness. Especially in the age of the internet, when everyone has a platform of sorts, what responsibilities do we have as queer people? What responsibilities do queer celebrities with BIG platforms have to be out? Is it enough to appear as an ally, or do they have a responsibility to come out to normalize not hiding? Does staying in the closet as a celebrity under the guise of “being a private person” perpetuate the stigma of it being something you should hide, or equating sexuality with sex too literally? But on the other hand, is that fair to ask of queer celebrities who are just trying to exist and do their jobs and not be held up to different standards because of who they love? But alas, this isn’t a thesis paper and I do not have the word count to get into all THAT.
Also, go read Niko’s article about She-Hulk as it relates to transness, please and thank you.
Bruce warns Jennifer that hiding half of who she is is no way to live, and as someone who lived a decade in the closet between realizing with certainty I was queer and coming out, I could have told Jen that hiding it isn’t going to make it any less true.
Also I cannot emphasize enough how absolutely itty bitty Tatiana looks next to Smart!Hulk and how freaking adorable it is when she’s looking up at him and sassing this man whose sneeze could send her into orbit.
Overall I had a blast watching the pilot. Every Marvel show takes a different tone but one thing most of them have in common is that even if there are Big Speeches or heavy moments, they all seem a bit… lighter than the movies. And even the character designs feel a little less action hero, a little more comic book.
I have a lot of questions about her. Including but not limited to: why bust through the wall instead of storming through the doors?
This show is no exception. Jen is funny and cute and somehow despite the fact that Tatiana Maslany played 900 characters in Orphan Black alone, Jennifer Walters feels like a brand new player. (Also, the post-credit scene made me laugh out loud alone in my apartment.) The show has character and it’s fun and frankly I can’t wait for more.
Pop Culture Fix: Marvel’s Gonna Play Us Again With Michaela Coel’s (Queer) Aneka in “Wakanda Forever,” Huh?
Okay well y’all have absolutely convinced me to buy an air fryer. I’m gonna order it today! But first: Your mid-week Pop Culture Fix.
+ Okay so buckle up. Marvel’s about to play us again and I’m going to eat it up anyway. Michaela Coel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever character is, officially, Aneka. In the comics, she’s T’Challa’s choice for Dora Milaje combat instructor. I don’t want to spoil too much, but Aneka and Ayo (played by Florence Kasumba in the films) are in a queer relationship and they make some really complicated but understandable decisions that put them at odds with the rest of the Dora Milaje. Like big time at odds. There was a rumored flirtation between Ayo and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira) that was apparently cut from the first film. So, of course, now everyone’s wondering if Aneka and Ayo are going to have their day in Wakanda Forever, especially because the armor Aneka is wearing in the trailer is the armor from the comic books that she gets when she goes against the Dora Milaje’s wishes. Marvel’s history with LGBTQ characters says no, no gay — but my heart always says yes, yes gay. I guess we’ll see which one wins this time!
+ The full trailer for A League of Their Own is here and I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell you this but this show is SO GAY y’all.
+ Why queer rep is exploding in video games.
+ Tessa Thomson’s terrifying turn is elevating Westworld’s entire fourth season.
+ How They/Them is changing horror for queer people.
+ Dragon Ball Z‘s forthcoming horror game finally confirms Frieza is bi. Isaiah Colbert
actually makes an amazing case for this theory. “As shown in the trailer, smoke bombs, flying drones, Tien’s solar flare technique, and even the dragon balls are fair game as a means to escape Raiders. But the most bizarre escape tactic goes to Dragon Ball-era Bulma’s bold attempt to flirt with a Second Form Frieza—and it works,” for starters.
+ Queer artists nominated for this year’s MTV VMAs.
+ Shudder’s Queer for Fear looks thoughtful and wildly entertaining.
+ Sarah Paulson has signed on for the new horror thriller, Dust. For someone who doesn’t like to be scared, she sure does do a lot of scary movies and TV shows. I think I blame Ellen for this?
+ Chucky is back with a season two trailer full of gory queer fun.
+ Big Joanie celebrate queer romance in “In My Arms” video.
+ Ten things Heartstopper gets very right about queer teenage relationships.
+ Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball is queer euphoria.
+ Keke Palmer’s whole career has been leading up to NOPE.
+ Queer WNBA superstar Chelsea Gray was last night’s Commissioner’s Cup MVP! Kelsey Plum: “She’s the MVP tonight, but she has been leading our team the whole season … She doesn’t get the love and credit she deserves, and I’m really, really glad that people saw that tonight.”
+ Kate McKinnon debated leaving SNL for years.
+ Niecy Nash-Betts teases what’s coming in her Rookie spin-off.
+ Anonymous VFX artist discusses anxiety attacks and absurdly long hours on Marvel movies.
“Thor: Love and Thunder” Promised Us Gay Valkyrie, So What Happened Here?
The following review of “Thor: Love and Thunder” has spoilers for Valkyrie’s gay storyline. The most significant spoilers are marked off with the designation [spoilers begin], however reading ANY of this review comes with the presumption that you have either seen “Thor: Love and Thunder” or don’t mind being spoiled overall. And away we go on a flying winged rainbow horse called Aragorn! 🦄⚡️🌈
I first knew that I’d buy tickets to Thor: Love and Thunder back in 2019, when at San Diego Comic Con Tessa Thompson said that Valkyrie’s first priority as the King of New Asgard would be to find her queen. Ok wait, that’s a lie, I first knew I’d buy tickets to Thor: Love and Thunder back in 2017 during Thor: Ragnarok, when Tessa Thompson used a oversized space gun to make a joke about a strap-on. But I knew that I’d be buying tickets on the first day — Covid risk and all (I wore a mask the entire time) — when a Love and Thunder trailer came out last month, and Tessa Thompson was licking what appeared to be gold blood off of a sword with her whole entire tongue. I am but a simple woman, my sweet King Valkyrie was finally going to be gay on screen, after being queer coded for years with her canon bisexual scene left on the cutting room floor. I was going to be there to see it.
Of course, earlier this week we learned that the dreams of Valkyrie finding her queen were not going to happen. Instead the on screen confirmation of Valkyrie’s queerness would come from a mention of her dead girlfriend. I grinned and bared it. I’d already bought the tickets. By the time a viral tweet started circling about Natalie Portman (Mighty Thor/ Dr. Jane Foster) lying when she called Thor: Love and Thunder “so gay” — it only stung a little.
Before the THOR 4 screening last night Natalie Portman called it "so gay". Devastated to report — and really, you won't believe this — that she lied
— Jack (@jackarking) July 6, 2022
Measured in terms of popcorn and air conditioning in July, there’s a lot of fun in Thor: Love and Thunder. It’s a worthy successor to Thor: Ragnarok (my favorite, and despite what Natalie Portman claimed, still the gayest Thor movie). Love and Thunder is full of the same irreverent humor, bright colors, and tales of space Gods that helped Ragnarok break the mold of previous buttoned-up Thor films and become a classic of the genre. It juggles too many plot lines, but does so efficiently, including an opening act featuring all of the Guardians of the Galaxy and also a recreation of Dr. Jane Foster’s plot from the Mighty Thor comics, in which she battles cancer by picking up Thor’s hammer and becoming her own version of a Thor. Yes, cancer battles are dark, but Thor: Love and Thunder somehow finds appropriate moments of levity that I didn’t expect, and for reasons I cannot explain, it mostly works? Speaking of dark themes that shouldn’t work but do — Christian Bale is a haunting standout as Gorr the God Butcher. His whole thing is that he wants to kill all the Gods in the universe for vengeance and Bale is simply sublime as the stuff of nightmares.
That’s all well and good, but I left Thor disappointed. Then the disappointment gave way to a fireball orbiting around me like rings of Saturn (hey! We are talking about a Thor movie here). It’s not only that Valkyrie, the King of Asgard and leader of her people, doesn’t have anything close to her own love story in a movie literally called LOVE and Thunder (well, it’s more than a little about that) — it’s that Valkyrie overall is criminally and bewilderingly underused.
What’s fun is that Valkyrie’s very clearly queer; few women wear a suit as well as Tessa Thompson and the Gods bless us as King Valkyrie cycles through several, each hotter than the last. She briefly flirts with a greek goddess. As always, Tessa Thompson hums with what’s quickly becoming her signature “I’ll take you, and if you don’t watch out I’ll take your girl, too” energy beneath every gaze — and as always, it is perfect. And, given the context, it is a big deal to finally have Valkyrie’s queerness named on screen.
What’s upsetting is, of course, the scene where this confirmation happens — which was spoiled for many before the movie was even released. While traveling across the galaxies, Thor and Jane share a romantic moment on the deck of their ship. Inside Valkyrie, a little tipsy, confesses to Korg — a Kronan warrior whom I usually describe as “cheerful Rock monster” — that she stopped believing there was still love for her when her girlfriend, another Valkyrie, the love of her life, died in battle. Presumably we saw this death in a flashback during Thor: Ragnarok, though the movie doesn’t make that connection explicit.
[spoilers begin] The scene itself is a mild annoyance that I could get past, but what’s worse is that Valkyrie’s confession is almost manipulated immediately by Gorr to emotionally torture her (in a scene that, it must be said, Tessa Thompson just heart wrenchingly delivers) before she becomes a hair’s breath away from being the latest statistic in queer tv and film’s most hurtful trope. Then, for reasons that are not suitably explained, she sits out of the third act completely. I expected that with Jane Foster returning, Valkyrie (who was originally introduced to the series after Natalie Portman declined joining for the third movie) would have to vie for screen time. I did not expect that someone who at The Battle of Earth — gotta love those comic book movie names — and helped to defeat Thanos (!!) would be so thoroughly and unceremoniously sidelined.
In fact, her ending is so abrupt, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover in a few weeks that once again some part of Valkyrie’s plot ended up on a cutting room floor.
And that brings us back to fireball. The one that’s burning me. Marvel keeps getting away with this! There was no excuse that in 2017, the morning after flirtation between Valkyrie and another woman was edited out before Ragnarok’s release or that the death of her supposed greatest love was left as a question mark, only to be clarified in a movie five years later. There was no excuse that in 2018 a quietly queer flirtatious moment in Black Panther, reportedly between Okoye and Ayo, met the same erased fate. It was nearly laughable in 2019 when the first queer canon character finally came to the MCU, it was a glorified extra role in the early minutes of Avengers: Endgame (their 22nd film!) that could have easily been removed from the plot with no consequence.
Chloé Zhao’s Eternals in 2021 brought Marvel’s first same-sex kiss, which coincidentally could also be easily cut with no notice if necessary, Brian Tyree Henry’s excellent work as Phastos notwithstanding. 2021 also came with Loki coming out as bisexual, but in a single throwaway line during the third episode of his television show, which I mention with no disrespect to Loki director Kate Herron, who’s also bisexual. I’m sure even that single line was hard fought for. Earlier this year, in 2022, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness’ America Chavez, a famously lesbian Latina superhero in the comics, had her queerness reduced to a small Pride pin on denim jacket and a less than 20 second scene with her lesbian mothers, which again — are you picking up the theme here? — could have been cut without changing anything in the script! Disney of course, did not cut it, and if they wanted a pat on the back for their “brave” choice, look at that — I’m fresh out of participation trophies.
Now we’re full circle back to Valkyrie, who’s big anticipated queer reckoning — after her first cutting room floor incident — was merely a mention of an off-camera and dead girlfriend. Here we are again.
We deserve more than this. If skipping a single scene is all it would take to erase someone’s queerness for an audience, then it is not enough. We deserve more than “blink-and-you-miss-it” representation, or to pretend that representation is good — when we know it’s not! — because we’re scared that if we ask major studios for more, it will be taken away altogether. We deserve real storytelling, not crumbs. Even among Gods of thunder, perhaps especially then.
Marvel comics are notoriously queer, and owe so much to queer and trans perspectives, but the multi-billion dollar movie and television empire spawned off its back seemingly never will be, at least not in any meaningful way. That should probably not still be maddening at this point, but I guess I like ramming my head against a wall or something because I can’t stop screaming (or watching).
Ultimately, in a movie that promises love to span each universe, nearly everyone finds some version of a love-filled ending, except the sole queer woman of color. Even Korg — yes, the cheerful Rock monster dude! — finds gay happiness to call his own. Funny how the Black bisexual woman can’t say the same, now isn’t it?
Pop Culture Fix: The MCU’s Kicking Up Gay Gossip for the New Year
Friends, hello, and welcome to 2022 and your first Pop Culture Fix of the year!
+ Here’s a rumor I love and want to believe so badly! Okoye will have a girlfriend in Black Panther 2??
+ Here’s another good rumor: Florence Pugh and Hailee Steinfeld will maybe team up for Black Widow 2???
+ And a final MCU rumor for the day is that Valkyrie’s gonna be in The Marvels.
+ All of this information led Carmen and I into our classic scuffle wherein I ship Maria Rambeau and Carol Danvers for life, and Carmen wants to see Carol hook up with Valkyrie. There’s no link to this bullet point, I just wanted to, once again, MAKE MY SHIP STANCE KNOWN.
+ Gentleman Jack is on its way back!
+ This is the last time I’m mentioning Miranda Lambert’s “gay anthem,” Y’all Means All, I swear, but here is the final song.
+ The 13 queerest moments in Yellowjackets so far.
+ Niecy Nash on playing a “strip mall superhero.”
+ Vogue has just launched a new column called I Want What They Have about celebrity couples that give them hope for their romantic futures. First up, Emma Specter on Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe.
+ Over at NYT, Beandrea July is doing a spotlight of Pariah at 10 (years old, not o’clock).
+ Another day, another gay on Freeform.
It's hard to be a person. I felt that.
____@SingleDrunkTV premieres Thursday, January 20 on Freeform. Stream on @Hulu Friday, January 21 https://t.co/SVAGQ6dITR— Freeform (@FreeformTV) January 3, 2022
+ Sailor Moon’s birthday was over the long holiday weekend, and Vulture retweeted one of their all-time best lists: Every Sailor Moon Weapon, Ranked by Emotional Carnage
I Still Can’t Believe Marvel’s Never Heard of Bisexuality
I Still Can’t Believe is a TV Team series where we remember the things happened on television that baffle us — in good and bad ways — to this very day.
I’ve been rewatching all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in timeline order because I caught a glimpse of both Tessa Thompson with a lightsaber and Cate Blanchett in that leather suit when Thor: Ragnorak was on TV the other day, and I thought to myself, “No, Hoagie, you need to earn that.” So I started with Steve Rogers in World War II, like good nerds do. I’m not even through MCU Phase One and already I’ve found myself yelling, “Kiss! KISS!” at Bucky and Steve; and, “GAY YOU’RE GAY!” at Maria Rambeau and Carol Danvers, like I did in my head when I saw these things in theaters.
That against the backdrop of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Disney+’s latest Marvel entry, which featured Bucky and Sam Wilson getting gayer by the episode — going to couples therapy, rolling around on top of each other the grass, browsing other men holding tigers on dating apps — while the show’s writers and directors gave interviews after basically every episode laughing about “Ha, ha, ha! Yes, we can see why you’d think that’s gay due to it looking and sounding gay, but it’s not gay!”
I still can’t believe, in 2021, that Marvel’s never heard of bisexuality!
Captain Marvel is so gay that the writers had to add a line of dialogue to try to convince the audience Maria and Carol slept in different rooms.
You know, on account of the house they shared and the daughter they were raising together.
Let’s just start with the easiest thing: The MCU characters who are already queer in the comic books. There’s Valkyrie, played by real life queer human Tessa Thompson. There’s Loki, who is also genderfluid in the comics. And, more recently, there’s Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Star-Lord. Then there are Marvel characters who aren’t in the MCU, like X-Men’s Mystique and Deadpool. None of them have been canonically queer on-screen, even though promises persist and Ryan Reynolds is insisting Deadpool be gay when the character is folded into the MCU. How easy it would have been — and still would be! — to have any of them smooch on another queer person, or even a queer alien! So easy! Just so easy! Smashing your mouth against someone else’s mouth is, in my expert opinion, a lot easier than wearing a harness attached to springs and wires and pretending to fly!
Okay but, let’s say there’s no more room for new characters in MCU movies. Ten million characters is enough. Fine. Fair. What about the characters who are already very clearly in love with each other and have filmed scenes with both action and dialogue that prove it? Maria Rambeau and Carol Danvers, just for one example. Living together, working together, raising a daughter together, running at each other against the setting sun crying and clutching at each other while making promises and saying how they’re the only ones who ever knew who the other person really was, how they only ever believed in and were at home with each other.
Do people ship us? Sure. Are we very clearly gay for each other? No. There is, even, a symbolic man between us right now.
When two women are not very clearly gay on-screen together, they are filmed like Pepper Potts and Black Widow in Iron Man 2: side-by-side looking at stuff that’s not each other, talking about stuff that’s not each other, and going their separate ways at the end of the movie without any acknowledgment of when they might see each other again. They walk beside each other and the camera invites you to look at them, instead of showing you how they can’t stop looking at each other.
When two women are very clearly gay for each other on-screen, they are filmed the way so many bazillion cishet scenes have been filmed before: staring longingly at each other, getting closer and closer to each other, never breaking eye-contact, never talking about other love interests, eyes and body language only for each other, each separation significant. LIKE MARIA AND CAROL.
Has there been anyone else?
You know there hasn’t.
It’s the same for Bucky and Steve, of course, and then Bucky and Sam, in the Captain America world. The way they live and die for each other, pine and grieve for each other, put their faces really close together and lie on top of each other, risk it all to keep the other one safe/bring the other one back from the dead. Bucky gets classically, heterosexually fridged as a motivating plot device for Steve! Bucky comments flirtily that Steve should keep his full-body spandex Captain America suit! Bucky literally says to Steve, “I am with you until the end of time” like some kind of Disney prince!
Okay, now, using “I feel” statements, why don’t we talk about how you both feel about Steve Rogers, because, let’s be honest, this could get weird.
Look, we are living in a time when TikTok has declared everyone under the age of 25 queer, in a year when gay people are such a lucrative market that Disney is making its own line of Pride apparel, and when A-list actors are begging to be gay in big budget comic book movies. There’s no excuse for these straight shenanigans anymore. Bisexuality already exists in MCU’s movies. Marvel just needs to acknowledge it. Or, at the very least, stop denying it.
Pop Culture Fix: Janelle Monáe Wants to Play Storm, Preferably in the “Black Panther” Sequel
Feature image via Lupita Nyong’o’s Instagram
A Pop Culture Fix for your Monday, my friends!
+ In an interview with Empire, Janelle Monáe chatted about recording Dirty Computer in Atlanta at the same time Black Panther was filming. She had f Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan ’round, and decided she’d like to be in the sequel: “One of my dreams has always been to play Storm. I don’t know if she comes in Black Panther, but it would be a dream to have her in it. I don’t know where they are with that. A lot of women have played Storm and they’ve done an exceptional job, and I would love to be in that line of artists and get to do Storm justice.” Now that’s one of my main dreams too! (I don’t know how Storm could fit into this Black Panther, but if not, I’d like to see Janelle originate a new character!)
+ And here are the season four episode titles for Wynonna Earp. I hope “Look at Them Beans” is a whole episode about Nicole and Waverly getting a cat and marveling at its toe beans.
+ Keke Palmer is on the cover of Cosmo this month and the profile by Hunter Harris is wonderful. (Spoiler alert: She loves Love Island as much as you do.)
+ From Emily VanDerWerff over at Vox: The quiet power of Eve Lindley playing a romantic lead on AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere.
+ Olympic swimmer Martha McCabe came out last week.
+ Quvenzhané Wallis will star in Kevin Durant’s basketball drama”on Apple TV. Expect Natalie and I to have a lot of feelings about it!
+ HBO has cancelled Run after one season.
+ Meet the puppers of Last of Us 2.
+ Which Baby-Sitter’s Club member are you based on your star sign?
+ The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will end after season four.
Pop Culture Fix: Tessa Thompson Is Determined to Make Marvel’s Cinematic Universe Gayer
It sure is Monday and this sure is your first Pop Culture Fix of the week!
+ Tessa Thompson joined Ramy Youssef for an Actors on Actors conversation last week at Variety. On the MCU (which is the most headline-worthy quote, but not the best part of her interview by far, so go watch it!):
The truth is these movies travel globally in such huge ways, and if you can represent people that are of color, if you can represent people with disabilities, if you can represent the LGBTQIA community inside of these films, it’s a pretty big deal. I think it’s really important for everybody, but for young people especially, to be able to show up to those movies and see projections of themselves. So I’m really excited that we’re able to continue to push the bounds of that and that I’m able to do that with Valkyrie. Because there’s so many cool queer characters in the comic books, and they should have a place on screen.
+ I started watching Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeats this weekend after Valerie and multiple commenters told me how good it is, and dang y’all were all right! And just in time, Shannon Miller over at the A.V. Club: Kipo’s Benson is leading the next wave of queer representation in youth animation.
+ Shrill‘s Lolly Adefope on Fran’s vulnerability, agency, and growth in season two.
+ From Emily VanDerWerff at Vox: Midsommar has a deeply trans narrative hiding in plain sight.
+ At Vogue, Emma Specter invites you to spend 24 hours with Laverne Cox.
+ Leo Baker, a gender-queer non-binary professional skateboarder, will be in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, making them the first trans athlete to be depicted in a video game.
+ An oral history of the Baby-Sitter’s Club movie.
+ Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner recall falling in love with each other 50 years ago.
+ Alison and Emily are back together now that Pretty Little Liars is really over, I guess?
+ Jasmine Davis hadn’t planned on coming out as trans — then came The Chi.
+ After leaving NCIS, Shalita Grant wanted to embrace comedy on Search Party.
+ The L Word: Generation Q showrunner Marja Lewis Ryan talked to The Cut about the art that shaped her.
+ Never Have I Ever will be back for season two on Netflix.
+ Denise Ho: Becoming the Song follows Hong Kong’s first lesbian pop star on her journey of activism.
+ Legends of Tomorrow‘s sixth season won’t be smoothing sailing for Sara and Ava.
Pop Culture Fix: Wait, Captain Marvel Is For Real Getting a Girlfriend?
Welcome to your first Pop Culture Fix of 2020, friends!
+ I don’t know how legit this is, but maybe Captain Marvel is getting a girlfriend?
+ Also: Marvel Studios president teases trans character for upcoming film.
+ Angelica Ross and Munroe Bergdorf discuss a decade in trans rights.
+ 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days has the franchise’s first same-sex couple.
+ Lena Waithe’s Twenties has a premiere date.
+ Lily Tomlin finally got arrested with Jane Fonda!
+ How Batwoman arrived at just the right time for Rachel Skarsten.
+ Culture in the 2010s was obsessed with finding community — and building walls
+ Glamour’s 104 women who defined the decade in pop culture (including: Kristen Stewart, Sarah Paulson, Laverne Cox, Tarana Burke, Lilly Singh, Ellen, and Caitlyn Jenner)
+ The Atlantic‘s ten best movie scenes of the decade includes Carol and Moonlight
Sunday Funday Is Helping Tessa Thompson Teach Brie Larson How to Top
Good morning, happy Sunday beautiful babies! It’s unseasonably cool in Austin and I am relishing in this. I’ve cleaned my house literally from top to bottom (as in, I stood on step stools and cleaned out the AC vents with bleach) and both of my cats are being extra snuggly because I refuse to turn on the heat until the internal temperature reaches 55º (because we’re broke lol). I love it so much. We get so little good here in regards to cool weather, so this weekend has truly been a gift! I feel revived, even if I didn’t do any homework. What did you do to revive yourself this weekend?
+ The long running queer-of-center podcast The Read had its TV premiere on Fuse TV! You can watch the first episode on Youtube.
+ The feminist history of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”
+ Chirlane McCray reveals she used to be a lesbian as she backs an initiative to help LGBTQ youth.
+ Elizabeth Warren’s queer appeal (ALSO DID I MENTION SHE CALLED ME?!?!?)
+ Disney Channel Original Movie Twitches (a CLASSIC) is streaming live for the week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU5bOu_I_IM
+ I’m VERY excited for this new food show on Netflix which, to quote Laneia has, “just one white dude and then THREE ENTIRE WOMEN, TWO OF WHOM ARE WOMEN OF COLOR AND TWO OF WHOM ARE QUEER i’m so happy i’m going to watch this on a loop for a week”
Excited for our new show Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner by @uglydelicious to come out @Netflixfood. Got to hang with @sethrogen, @chrissyteigen, @lenawaithe, and kate mckinnon, exploring new places and trying new foods that I never have before. Watch on @netflix October 23rd. pic.twitter.com/YU6UasBWRy
— david chang (@davidchang) October 9, 2019
+ Young activists of color are leading the climate change fight!
+ Stream Hayley Kiyoko’s newest songs!
+ Check out this regular degular queer like you and I who twerked with Lizzo!!!!!!
https://twitter.com/drsamischalk/status/1182641548279910404?s=21
+ Dua Selah’s newest music video premiere.
+ Brie Larson wants to learn about topping, would you like to help her?
brie larson: how do i top lesbians?
tessa thompson: uh i’m sure the lesbians can show you right after this panel pic.twitter.com/kHXcqBkpYy— my.ka ✵ (@beyoncesverse) October 12, 2019
Have a great week, beautiful unicorns. I think you’re just hecking swell and I hope that you are able to receive that this week. Love you to pieces, go dance on a cutie this week, you deserve it.
Pop Culture Fix: Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie Is Looking for Her Queen (Will it Be Captain Marvel?)
This is your weekly Pop Culture Fix, and I’m your host, Heatherman Jack.
+ At the SDCC panel where we found out Natalie Portman will be returning to the Thor franchise AS THOR, Tessa Thompson also had a thing to say, which is that Valkeyrie’s first order of business as King of Asgard is to FIND HER QUEEN.
+ EXCUSE ME TAYLOUR PAIGE WILL PLAY VIOLA DAVIS’ LOVE IN MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM.
+ Your girl Jasika Nicole has been promoted to series regular on The Good Doctor!
+ She’s Gotta Have It won’t be back for a third season on Netflix.
+ Rose Leslie is leaving The Good Fight.
+ Supergirl’s back… with bangs! (Related: How to save lives in the Arrowverse. Bonus Batwoman content.) (Speaking of Batwoman, her friendship with Supergirl will be explored further in the coming season.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_FBPbfkcrk&feature=youtu.be
+ Black Lightning‘s back with big wishes!
Nafessa Williams: “There’s a lot going on with Grace in her head and in her heart, so I hope we can come to some kind of resolution and give the fans what they want because I know how much fans appreciate that relationship. I also hope we get to see more of what’s she’s like on a personal side, non-romantic. Like who is her best friend, what are some secrets she shares with her best friend, what is she like with her friends? I’d like to see that. I’d also like to [see her and Jennifer] kick ass together. Can you imagine two Black superhero sisters with braids and fly hair, flying and doing stuff? I’m ready for that.”
+ Janelle Monáe is replacing Julia Roberts in Amazon’s Homecoming!
+ Mj Rodriguez and Amber Riley are teaming up for Little Shop of Horrors.
+ Harley Quinn’s animated series feels p. queer.
ICYMI: Harley Quinn is getting her own NSFW animated series, coming this October to DC Universe. pic.twitter.com/mFjtjCFclX
— IGN (@IGN) July 22, 2019
+ Please enjoy this peek at several Laura Zak-penned episodes of Twelve Forever.
+ Didn’t we almost have it all?
It's not a goodbye, it's a see you later. 😢 #OrangeForever pic.twitter.com/2piV2oZkVG
— Orange Is the New Black (@OITNB) July 23, 2019
+ There are some queer faves on IndieWire’s list of 100 Best Indie Movies of the Decade.
+ Hunter Schafer charmed the heck out of everyone on Late Night With Seth Myers this week.
+ Starz’s new spy-fi show The Rook is already contributing to the LGBTQ+ canon
+ In conclusion:
https://twitter.com/lenawaithe/status/1152959356486344704
15 Gayest Moments From “Avengers: Endgame,” Which Was Great But Unfortunately Not Gay
Have you heard of this little movie called Avengers: Endgame? It only made over a billion dollars last weekend. Yes, I said Billion with a capital B. I’m the biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) nerd. I’m writing this article from a desk that has Valkyrie, Princess Shuri, and Okoye bobbleheads to my right. I’ve seen 19 of the 22 Marvel movies more than once (sorry Dr. Strange and Iron Man!). I’ve seen all the ones with major women characters at least five times and I’ve seen Black Panther at least ten times in the last year alone. I saw Endgame opening night. I was built for this moment.
I’m a gay geek girl who loves being gay, and when I watch movies all I look for or see is The GaynessTM. That’s even true in movies like The Avengers franchise, which admittedly doesn’t give a girl a lot to work with. But nevertheless, she persisted. Here are 15 gay and/or feminist nuggets of gold from Endgame that I cannot wait to re-live in obsessive, snarky detail with you!
Two things before we begin:
1. THERE ARE ENDGAME SPOILERS BELOW!! If you read past this sentence, you are agreeing to read spoilers so please don’t go in the comments and go all, “You just ruined my entire life Carmen!” I am not Thanos. I am not here to snap my fingers and end lives. I just want a peanut butter sandwich before the day’s end, ok?
2. I’m not including this moment in my list because we covered it pretty thoroughly last week, but just in case you missed Brie Lawson and Tessa Thompson continuing their advocacy for a Captain Marvel/Valkyrie team up, check below.
https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1120494373597216769
OK! Now we’re all set!
15. That One Background Gay Dude Went on His Big Gay Date
Avengers: Endgame finally gave the MCU it’s first on-screen gay character. He was an unnamed background character with under two minutes of screen-time in the first third of a three-hour movie.
*Golf Claps*
The character, played by Endgame co-director Joe Russo, appeared in a survivor’s support group following The Big Snap. He shares a story of going on his first date since the incident, casually explaining that he and his date — another man — both cried during the meal.The Russo Brothers told Deadline that it was important that there be a gay character in the Avengers goodbye. They went on to say, “We felt it was important that one of us play him, to ensure the integrity and show it is so important to the filmmakers that one of us is representing that. It is a perfect time, because one of the things that is compelling about the Marvel Universe moving forward is its focus on diversity.”
Which…. I mean, fine, yes, we all want more diversity on-screen. But if they were serious about having a gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe I’d like to point the Russo Brothers to the numerous other superheroes who are already in their movies and are already gay in the freakin’ comics!!! After 11 years and 22 movies, a background side character is just not a good look, boo.
And it looks like Brie Larson agrees with me! In her interview with Variety this weekend, Captain Marvel said that it breaks her heart that LGBTQ+ folks still don’t have supercharged representation on the big screen. Calling out Marvel, the actress said, “I don’t understand how you could think that a certain type of person isn’t allowed to be a superhero. So to me it’s like, we gotta move faster. But I’m always wanting to move faster with this stuff.”
Oh Captain, My Captain.
14. Black Widow Got Fridged
In addition to its bare minimum lip service to LGBT+ representation, they pulled out the oldest – and most sexist – superhero trope in the book! They fridged the only woman member of the so-called “Core Six” Avengers, Black Widow!
If you’re unfamiliar with “Fridging,” it’s a storytelling decision where a woman is hurt or killed as a plot device intended to move a male character’s arc forward. It gets it name from an incident in the Green Lantern comics where the title hero comes home to his apartment to find out his girlfriend, Alexandra DeWitt, has been killed and stuffed in a refrigerator. My dear friends, Black Widow sacrifices herself so that Hawkeye can learn from his past violent mistakes and grow back into the family man he used to be. That’s classic fridging 101 and frankly, it’s pretty disgusting that the MCU would even go there – even more so because they have barely ever done right by Black Widow in the past.
Anyhow, Fridging is gay because of “Bury Your Gays.” RIP Black Widow. We’ll remember you with honor, even when your own film franchise did not.
13. Carol Being Incredibly Unimpressed by Thor’s Big “Stormbreaker”
Men Everywhere: Oh, look at my weapon! It’s soooo big! It’s sooo cool!
Lesbians: *crickets* *yawn* *crickets*
May we all take that righteous energy into our week. Praise Melissa Etheridge, Amen.
12. Black Widow Holding the Entire Avengers Team Together During the Five Year Hiatus Because All the Men Gave Up
11. Scarlet Witch Out Here Quoting Destiny’s Child and Telling Thanos, “Say My Name”
Scarlet Witch: You took everything from me.
Thanos: I don’t even know who you are.
Scarlet Witch: You Will.
A reoccurring theme on this list is “Man Underestimates Woman, Man Gets His Ass Beat” – which is some Big Dyke (or Bi; I’m not here to police your head canons) Energy if I’ve ever seen it.
10. Nebula and Gamora’s Entire Storyline Is a Tribute to Sisterhood and Surviving
Nebula and Gamora’s relationship has been, ummmmm, complicated now for two Guardians movies and one Infinity War now. And while yes, their relationship is familial and platonic – not romantic – the gentleness that Nebula takes toward her arch nemesis when she tells her that in another universe, “We became sisters,” is enough to clench any heart. The fact that in the middle of a three-hour action time traveling blockbuster is the tale of two women, once enemies, who sacrificed everything to believe in each other and trust that the strength between them would finally be enough to take down their mutual abuser – I still get a little teary, just thinking about it.
(And also, if I was really going to go there I’d write an entire soliloquy about how Nebula’s past self’s violent hatred for her future self, and their subsequent battle to the death, is an allegory for conquering internalized homophobia. But you know, we ain’t got time today.)
9. Captain Marvel Putting Thanos in a Headlock
Did I enter this into the Top Ten because of how incredibly sexy it was to see Carol Danvers do what every male superhero before her could not, which was take the God of Death between her freaking biceps like it was absolutely nothing, as if it was some run of the mill bar fight?
Probably, I did. But it’s still true though.
8. Captain Marvel Carrying an Entire Fucking Spaceship on Her Back
Yep. See my previous point about including all the action points of Carol Danvers’ storyline in Endgame just because it’s incredibly attractive to me personally. 👆🏾
But also, SHE CARRIED AN ENTIRE SPACE SHIP ON HER BACK!!!! And not just like “oh she picked it up and then put it back down.” No. Carol Danvers put an entire ship on her mother loving back and carried it from the outer rims of the universe safely back to earth. Have you ever swooned at the Home Depot lesbian who put that really heavy slab of wood on her shoulder and carried it back to her truck without breaking a sweat. Well then. Can you even imagine!?!?
7. This Alignment Chart, Which Isn’t Technically About Endgame, but Damn It’s Too Perfect to Not Be Included on This List
LISTEN OK BECAUSE WE ARE ABOUT TO BLOW YOUR MIND:
A thousand thanks to Emily Armadillo on Tumblr. When you’re right, you’re right.
6. Okoye’s Entire Existence (But Also: See Her Outfit in the Funeral Scene)
Here’s a few things about me and Black Panther’s Okoye. Actually, no I just lied to you because there aren’t many things. There is just one thing. That one thing is that Okoye is a queer black woman who is in a loving and satisfying relationship with Ayo, one of the fellow members of the Dora Milaje. Marvel can try and hide it, they can leave her lesbian relationship on the cutting room floor, they can force Okoye into an on-screen straight romance, it will not matter – I will never forget.
So it came as no surprise to me that when Okoye showed up along with the rest of the Wakandan delegation for Engame’s funeral scene, she’d be a heart stopper. Her dress gave me Hard Femme EVERYTHING. It wasn’t until I left the theater that I realized I’d seen Okoye in a similar outfit before. She flaunts a duplicate off the shoulder cut-out all black dress during the mid-credits scene of Black Panther.
This is the dress.
A femme who knows her angles and appreciates the importance of recycling? We Stan.
5. Carol’s Outfit in the Funeral Scene
Let’s talk about her high collar jet black suit at the funeral. Let’s talk about how she stood alone, proud, watching over the rest of the Avengers. Let’s talk about how her jaw was clenched and her posture was perfect. The swag of it, y’all. Raw. Unbridled. I’m overwhelmed by the memory alone.
4. The Women of the MCU Finally FINALLY Banning Together
The Final Battle. Spider Man has the gauntlet and sees no way forward down the battlefield. He’s panicked. Then, in a bolt of neon orange and yellow light, Captain Marvel stands before him. She grabs the gauntlet, ready to take it that last mile.
He pauses, scared, wondering if she can do it alone.
And just like that, EVERY WOMAN SUPERHERO OF THE LAST 22 FILMS STANDS BEFORE HER. You shiver as the camera pans across them. Your mouth goes a little dry in awe and wonder.
https://multi-parker.tumblr.com/post/184505720210/dont-worry-shes-got-help
I’m glad Captain Marvel’s gonna be OK, but who is going to help me??
3. PS: Valkyrie Fights Almost Exclusively from Riding on Top of Pegasus
We’re at the final three now, so you know who’s got to show up: None other than Marvel bisexual badass herself, Valkyrie.
Admittedly, Valkyrie’s already the gayest person who walks in to pretty much any room. And yes, she’s yet another Marvel character whose character is canonically queer in their comics, but whose woman love interest met the brutal end of the MCU editing floor. But Valkyrie wielding her sword while she’s flying on top of a winged horse that might as well have been a damn unicorn? THE. GAYEST.
Like, go ahead and poop rainbows out of that horse’s butt levels of gayness.
2. Oh Yeah, and Then Thor Hands Over the Entire Future of Asgard to Valkyrie!
If you keep up with the Marvel comics, you maybe saw this one coming. In 2014, Thor’s long term love interest Dr. Jane Foster (we know her as Natalie Portman in the movies), picks up his famous hammer and becomes the series’ new hero. Still, I never thought the movie would go there. I never thought that the MCU’s Thor would ever give up his kingdom, let alone to his bisexual woman right hand.
Just as Thor prepares to leave New Asgard, Captain America also hands over his shield to Falcon/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), mirroring yet another comic book ending. With Falcon and Valkyrie at the helm carrying on those franchises, the future of the MCU suddenly looks a little bit browner and (hopefully) queerer than it ever did before.
1. We All Knew It Would End Here: Carol’s Haircut
The boss up of the century, it’s as if Marvel decided to give up any pretense. Oh no, they leaned all the way in.
There are times when even something as simple as aesthetics matter. Where a haircut can feel like it’s heard around the world. This is one of those times. When the final battle occurs and all of the Avengers are on the ropes and it looks like Thanos is going to win once and for all – who breaks through in a glowing orb of rage? Who punches the sky and saves the day? This woman, with the most iconic lesbian haircut of all time. This woman who dresses and and acts like a lesbian, who is scared of no man. She saves their ass.
Yes, I want Carol Danvers to be a lesbian whose love life on-screen is more than only our collective imagination. Brie Larson wants it, too. I’m not here to celebrate subtext on its own. But there’s an entire generation of girls who are now going to see this strong woman, who’s coded as a lesbian, and they are going to be told that it’s cool. That it’s admirable. Not that it’s gross or ugly. Not that they should run from it. That they, too, could save the day.
Sure, it’s also a tribute to Carol’s haircut in the comics, but c’mon – let’s give this big ole massive point to #TeamGay. Carol’s debut of her big chop was superhero version of that time Kristen Stewart made every queer woman in America swoon with these five simple words:
And for Captain Marvel in that haircut, so say we all.
Pop Culture Fix: Tessa Thompson Shares Your Valkyrie and Captain Marvel Dreams
It’s Wednesday! Pop Culture Fix day! This has been the wildest week of Vapid Fluff, I honestly have no idea what else is going to happen before the weekend!
+ Yesterday, character posters dropped for Avengers: Endgame, confirming finally that Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie will be in the new MCU movie. Then she chatted up IndieWire and confirmed that she wants what you want: “Of course I would love the chance to work with Brie. We were just like, ‘Look! It’s us together!’ I think we’re both new to the MCU, so we both retain the sense of like, ‘Can you believe!?’ We’re just like, ‘What? We got capes? What’s happening?!’ We’re both really geeked out by having dolls and occupying this space. We’re like women’s women, so the idea of getting to do something that little girls are excited about, and people that identify as women feel excited about is cool.”
W O M E N ‘ S W O M E N
+ I cannot believe this is real: Viola Davis, Nnedi Okorafor and Wanuri Kahiu are adapting Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed as a drama series!!!
+ Fans have raised $77,000 for Queer Eye’s Jess to go back to college! You can still donate!
+ A remake of The Craft is in the works????
+ JANE’S BACK TONIGHT!
Love is love. #JaneTheVirgin premieres TOMORROW at 9/8c! Stream FREE next day on The CW App. #GoodbyeJane pic.twitter.com/LJI1lar09C
— Jane The Virgin (@CWJaneTheVirgin) March 26, 2019
+ Eris Baker talked to BuzzFeed News about Tess’ coming out storyline on This Is Us. (Tess is competing in our March Madness: Best Coming Out right this very second!)
+ Pose news! Patti LuPone is joining up this season, which will jump to the ’90s. And Janet Mock will continue teaming up with Ryan Murphy; she’s helming an episode of his new Netflix series, The Politician.
+ It’s time to get hyped for season 4B of Legends of Tomorrow!
+ Vida will drop all ten episodes of season two in May!
+ A Glee reunion is happening on Drop the Mic tonight.
+ A better reunion.
MY KARMY HEART OMG AAAAAAA
— bea (@zwanheda) March 27, 2019
+ I, for one, think the live-action Dora the Explorer trailer looks f’ing amazing.
+ Marvel’s Runwaways is coming back for a third season on Hulu.
+ Grace and Frankie isn’t going anywhere.
+ And finally: Sam Adams made RBG her own beer! (Thanks to Jeanne for the tip!)