After a whole decade of adopting Marvel's comics for the big screen, which spawned 22 interconnected movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is still noticeably starved of LGBTQ+ characters.
Marvel Studios' filmmakers and executives have historically tiptoed around the issue. "Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn infamously explained the lack of representation by saying, "We don't really know who's gay and who's not. It could be any of them."
But now it looks like Marvel's filmmakers and executives are trying to correct course.
"Avengers: Endgame" included a brief cameo from co-director Joe Russo, who played the MCU's first openly gay character. The Russo brothers then revealed that an existing character in the Marvel universe is gay, and that Marvel Studios' president would soon announce who it is.
Disney has been repeatedly criticized for "straightwashing" characters in the past, including and especially when it comes to the Avengers, since many important heroes are queer in the comics.
Here are seven Marvel characters on the LGBTQ+ spectrum who already exist in the MCU.
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There are plenty of references to Loki's gender fluidity throughout his comic book storylines. His shapeshifting abilities allow him to adopt both masculine and feminine appearances, and he is depicted as being "both man and woman."
Back in 2014, Marvel writer Al Ewing confirmed Loki's sexuality and identity in a brief Tumblr post.
"Loki is bi and I'll be touching on that," he wrote. "He'll shift between genders occasionally as well."
Korg, a Kronan warrior made of rocks, plays a large role in the comics' "Planet Hulk" storyline.
As in "Thor: Ragnarok," he meets Bruce Banner's green alter-ego when they're both forced into gladiatorial combat on the planet Sakaar.
In "Ragnarok," Korg does seem to have a close relationship with Miek, a fellow enslaved gladiator. But the film didn't include Hiroim, another male gladiator on Sakaar. In the comics, they were all freed by the Silver Surfer before Sakaar's destruction and became Hulk's close allies, forming a group called the Warbound.
Following their escape from Sakaar, Korg and Hiroim develop a romantic relationship in the comics' "The Incredible Hulks" series.
In the comics' "The Fearless Defenders" series, Valkyrie is clearly bisexual and has a relationship with the female anthropologist Annabelle Riggs.
But despite the efforts of "Avengers" star Tessa Thompson, her queerness isn't made clear onscreen. "Thor: Ragnarok" filmmakers cut a scene that included a woman walking out of Valkyrie's bedroom, which would have made her sexuality more explicit.
"In the canon, yeah, she is bisexual," Thompson told Variety. "You see her with both women and men, so that was my intention in playing her."
Thompson also told The Independent that we actually saw Valkyrie's past female love interest in her "Thor: Ragnarok" flashback scene.
"The woman that dies is her lover," she said. "In performance, we were, like, 'That's your lover.' So in my mind, it isn't cut; I played her as a woman that's queer."
Read more: 'Avengers: Endgame' directors cut a scene where Thor wanted to kiss Valkyrie and she shut him down
