Eternals (2021)

This may be controversial… but The Marvels is actually one of the best movies in the MCU.

In an interview with Andrew Freund prior to the release of Thor: Love and Thunder, Natalie Portman agreed with him that this movie is “the gayest movie ever made in the MCU.” And it’s certainly been marketed that way. At an advance screening, director Taika Waititi and Portman called the movie “super gay,” and “so gay.” Waititi and the cast have been hyping queer fans up for the movie, constantly mentioning how queer the film is.

The only problem is, it’s really not. 

Spoilers ahead! Yes, Thor: Love and Thunder is a very cute movie with queer elements. Valkyrie and Korg are canonically gay in this. Valkyrie gets a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment when she kisses a Zeussette’s hand. In a short conversation, Korg mentions Valkyrie’s dead “girlfriend” and reveals he has two dads and comes from a species that’s seemingly all-male and all-gay. Korg also really enjoys Thor’s brief strip show. The movie’s imagery is filled with bright pops of rainbow color. Heimdall’s son has changed his name from Astrid to Axl (and while it’s never specified whether his character is transgender, the name change from the feminine Astrid to the more masculine Axl could be a trans metaphor). A polyamorous pod of space dolphins shows up at one point. And the comedic bit about Thor’s love triangle with his hammers gives off strong homoerotic vibes. Thor: Love and Thunder is often playfully gay and fun. It’s definitely a step in the right direction for queer representation in Marvel movies. 

However, while this may be satisfying queer representation for some viewers, it’s not quite enough for others. Thor: Love and Thunder still doesn’t include enough explicitly queer elements. Although Korg finds a mate in Dwayne the rock (which was a hilarious bit), this happens at the end of the movie without any development. The pair are onscreen together for a very short moment as part of a quick “where are they now?” montage. Romantic intimacy (whether that be physical, verbal, or emotional) between two queer characters is absent from the film entirely. The gay rocks aren’t even allowed to have sex—they hold hands over lava to make a baby. As for queer romantic relationships, the MCU’s Eternals wins on that front with the franchise’s first gay kiss. Had Thor: Love and Thunder not been marketed as so firmly gay, maybe the lack of gay romance wouldn’t be as much of a disappointment. 

There was a time when comic books were not only geeky, but a total "guy thing." Whenever I hear conversations about superheroes, it would be two guys arguing about whether Batman can take down Superman. I will admit my love of comics did come from watching comic-book film adaptations, but once I realized there weren't enough superheroes being represented on the big screen, particularly super heroines, I decided to do a little research of my own. It turns out that all the superhero films I grew up watching were directed by men, and the comic book nerds were mostly young boys and older men. Of course, there are young girls and women who are into comics, but it would make sense for them to feel overshadowed by the overbearing masculinity in the comic book industry, and by Marvel Studios. But, all that has changed. As many of us know, Marvel Studios has taken an interest in women-led superhero films, but some of us are oblivious to the women behind the camera and the pen. In this article, we'll be discussing women in Marvel, including women directors of Marvel films, women show runners, and writers of Marvel series. [Texts bolded in red are links to Marvel.com]

Before Captain Marvel was adapted in to a film, I remember seeing a comic book of a superhero with blonde, short hair, labeled Captain Marvel, and my first thought was, she must be the most powerful superhero if she's named after Marvel Comics. The point is I didn’t know much about her, and sometimes, when I see a superhero onscreen that I’m not familiar with, my expectations aren’t that high. But, there was no disappointment in watching Captain Marvel. My only disappointment is that not enough people are talking about this Superhero film. Not like the recent Marvel superhero films. This film has been directed by the filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. This means, technically, Captain Marvel is the first Marvel superhero film to be directed by a woman.

Author: Nathanael Molnár, originally published [4/26/2020]

It was Friday, April 26th, 2019. I was sitting in the AMC Dolby Theater, my friends on either side of me. Everyone in the theater was buzzing, excited. A couple of people walked in with light-up arc reactors pinned to their chests. The lights came down, and the iconic Marvel Studios theme blasted through the theater. The audience cheered; everyone was giddy and ready for what we had all been patiently waiting for since May 2nd, 2008. Avengers: Endgame, the fulfillment of the promise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It’s strange to think that Endgame came out a full year ago. I’ve been a fan of the MCU from the very beginning. As a life-long comic book fan, following the unfolding and the blossoming of this entire cinematic universe has been truly magical. It’s something that I’m still surprised we get to see and enjoy. I believe the MCU redefined the comic book movie genre. Comic book movies existed before the MCU and were successful before it. However, under the meticulous leadership of Kevin Feige, the MCU gave us something radically different (current list of all MCU films 2021).

It brought to life the long-form storytelling of comic books, the character arcs that span years, and the meshing of different worlds. In the medium of film, the MCU captured the feeling of reading comic books spanning decades, following characters in their own stories, and then following them into their larger team-ups. Sure, there were the X-Men movies that revitalized the genre when Batman & Robin had essentially killed it. Spider-Man brought whimsy back into the genre, and Batman Begins established realism. It was the MCU that brought consistent continuity, long-form story arcs, and a balance of bombastic spectacle action and genuine character growth and development.

As successful as the MCU became, as popular as The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy or Black Panther became, the entirety of this 22 movie experiment hinged on its conclusion. If the MCU didn’t deliver a satisfying conclusion to what this entire thing had been building towards, everyone would have walked away disappointed. Sure, we would still revere the individual films we loved, but the MCU as a whole would have far less significance if Endgame had dropped the ball. On April 26th, 2019, Endgame not only did not drop the ball, but it delivered for fans so much that it went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time!

Now that we’re officially over halfway through Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s take a look ahead at movies coming out through the end of 2021 featuring Hispanic and Latine representation. 

Coming to Netflix October 13, this mystery-horror is based on a novel of the same name. The premise is about two young mothers whose charged relationship reveals environmental and spiritual catastrophes. It features Spanish actress Maria Valverde Rodriguez and Argentine actress Dolores María Fonzi. 

The latest in the Bond franchise, this movie arrives in theaters October 8. Rising star and Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas plays Paloma, a CIA agent. She is set to appear briefly in the movie, however she has already been named a stand-out within the cast and plays a very different kind of Bond girl. 

There are so many interwoven stories, themes, character arcs, timelines, and dimensions! In order to keep track of the MCU films and figure out what to watch when, here’s a list of those that have come out – 29 as of now — as well as what's coming up in the next few years. Included are related articles and Incluvie score (and a fun 1.5 minute TikTok).