The release date for Eternals is right around the corner and it wouldn’t be wrong to say how much the audience is looking forwards to watching this movie with an ensemble cast and an oscar-winning director at its helm. However, as much as the viewers are looking forward to that, it is safe to say that the introduction of Marvel’s first gay character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is what sets such high expectations from the movie. Living in the 21st century, we don’t want an insensitive and wrong representation of the LGBTQIA+ community.
It was back in 2019 when Marvel revealed how one out of the ten Eternals we see on the screen will be a gay character with a family and now it is well known that the character in question is none other than Phastos played by Brian Tyree Henry. In a recent interview with IndieWire director Chloe Zhao, who won the Academy Award of Best Director for Nomadland, expressed her concerns regarding the censorship of Phastos’ scenes on-screen.
Eternals’ Director Chloé Zhao On Censorship Of Gay Characters
It is legible to linger over Chloe Zhao’s comment on censorship as it is has happened before for a film franchise as big as Marvel’s- Star Wars. Given we know what kind of market films like Star Wars and MCU depend on, the omission of certain scenes representing the LGBTQIA+ story during the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in China was definitely an indication of how the audience might not be completely ready to absorb the topic.
During her interview with IndieWire, she mentions how Phasto’s character is a modern upgrade who believes in the problem-solving intention behind technology and sees humanity as a whole. However, she reveals how during the course of time Phasto’s faith in humanity got lost (surely, because humans have never been up to any good) and shifted towards the person her loves and the child they share. Moreover, Zhao has strategically placed the family and their story in a manner where the audience will relate to the picture and care about the characters.
Eternals is scheduled to release on November 5, 2021, so it is just a matter of time before we get to see how the film arrives and performs overseas.
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