Actor Haaz Sleiman, known for his roles on the TV series Jack Ryan and Little America, has revealed a few details about his hotly-anticipated new Marvel film, The Eternals.
In The Eternals, Sleiman plays the husband of the superhero Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry). The couple marks the first explicitly-LGBTQ pairing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While promoting his latest movie, the rom-com Breaking Fast (for which he’s nominated for a Queerty Award), Sleiman teased the superhero film, and reassured queer audiences that Marvel has gone to great lengths to ensure respectful treatment.
Related: What to Watch: Chilean romance, Haaz Sleiman in love and very bad parenting
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“It’s my first Marvel film, so of course I’m excited, Sleiman told the website NewNowNext. “My gut feeling is you’ll be so proud. What Marvel has been able to accomplish, I’m so proud of them because they approached it in a very thoughtful way, and Phastos is one of the biggest superheroes in the film. I’m his husband, an architect; we have a child. Even though I wished I was the superhero, because when will we see an Arab Muslim openly gay actor playing a superhero? I can’t wait to see it.”
Sleiman also clarified that he’s excited to see the movie as everyone else. “If I’m not Angelina Jolie or Salma Hayek, you know I haven’t seen it,” he added.
Marvel has endured criticism over the past few years for its lack of LGBTQ representation in its films. An attempt at inclusion in Avengers: Endgame met with backlash when the much-touted gay character was little more than a bit part, played by one of the directors. In addition to introducing pivotal queer characters to the MCU, The Eternals will also feature several openly-LGBTQ actors, including Sleiman, Henry, Richard Madden and Angelina Jolie.
The Eternals is scheduled for release later this year, though a firm opening date has yet to be announced due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
canadalaw
im not sure Madden is openly gay?
woodroad34
Thank you! My eyes crossed at that disclosure…I had to re-read that line just to make sure someone hadn’t missed some kind of punctuation.
RandomGuy
Marvel lies constantly so I’ll believe it when I see it.
jeffaplus
Can’t wait for him to glance at his husband in one shot of the movie and then never interact with him again.
Bromancer7
Because we totally saw straight Marvel couples having sex, amirite? As long as he’s there and it’s made clear they are married, and it’s treated totally normally I’m good with that. And everyone else should be too.
jeffaplus
I love that Bromancer7 assumes that because I want a well-rounded, well-portrayed gay relationship, I must want to watch them having sex. I think that speaks to his priorities more than mine. Marvel are liars who have gone back on their word multiple times, and the LGBTQ community deserves better.
Pistolo
Oh f-k off. Loki, Captain Marvel, and Bucky’s fandoms are basically upheld by queer fans and have been for YEARS and THAT would be a meaningful gesture. This? This is two characters nobody’s ever heard of, on a team nobody’s ever heard of, and they’re likely peripheral so it’s an incredibly low gamble and will amount to about the same as “La Fou” and that silly Russo brother’s cameo or Lando Calrissian’s supposed pansexuality. Fk. Off. Make a cash cow gay or queer or bisexual then we’ll talk. A woman AND a man. Explicitly not straight. High-profile. Otherwise, STFU.
rray63
Correct me if I’m wrong, but be very careful but the “Guardians of the Galaxy” were unknown characters to the masses of movie goers. Now they will be in their third movie, plus their time in two Avengers movies. So just because they are peripheral doesn’t mean they will have no importance.
Kangol2
An out gay married Arab-Black interracial superhero couple on screen would be a first, wouldn’t it?
I am curious to see if they show any semblance of a loving relationship between Sliman’s and Henry’s characters, though.
Karrnal
Yes, Madden’s been openly gay. Do a little Googling, my friend. But Angelina Jolie? She be str8.
jjose712
Depends of what you understand for openly gay.
It’s quite obvious that Madden dated Brandon Flynn and is dating Froy Gutierrez but unlike when he was dating women, he never went public with any of them or talked about the relationship
Josh447
Angelina is bisexual. She had an out gay relationship with a woman Jenny Shimizu in 1996 and almost married her.
Watch her documentary for details or as you said, do a little Googling.
Oranos
Guess it wasn’t such a good romance, since the series got cancelled after….oh, a hot second. Hope the movie’s better.