Marvel Does NOT Have Plans to Introduce a Trans Character After All

As excited as everyone was yesterday at the news that Marvel boss Kevin Feige confirmed that the MCU would be adding a transgender character, it turns out that’s actually not the case.

A Q&A at the New York Film Academy last month saw Feige being asked if Marvel was planning “on bringing more LGBT+ characters into the MCU, specifically the T, trans characters.”

Feige reportedly responded an enthusiastic “Yes. Absolutely, yes. And very soon. In a movie that we’re shooting right now.”

LGBTQ fans and allies were thrilled at the news. Marvel seemed to be jumping full speed ahead from having zero LGBTQ characters (no, that throwaway scene in Avengers: Endgame does not count) to showcasing Valkyrie’s bisexuality, including a married gay superhero, and being inclusive of trans people.

Unfortunately, it appears that it was all just a miscommunication.

Sources have told Variety that Feige’s response was actually just to the LGBT+ portion of the question, rather than being specifically about the T.

As Variety points out, the Marvel film in production at the time Feige did the Q&A was The Eternals, which we already know will feature a gay married superhero. While there has been much speculation in regards to which actor will be playing the MCU’s first openly gay role, we are still waiting to find out for sure who it will be.

And it looks like we’re also going to be waiting for trans representation to make its way to the MCU for now, as this walk-back of yesterday’s news means that, as far as we know, there are currently no plans to introduce a trans character in any of the upcoming films.

Zach Barack did become the first openly trans actor to have a small role in an MCU film, appearing in Spider-Man: Far From Home last year, but if we want more than that, it looks like we’ll be sticking with DC’s Supergirl for any meaningful on-screen trans rep in a superhero 'verse until Marvel steps it up.