Star-Lord Isn’t the Only Bisexual Marvel Character
Marvel Comics hero Star-Lord – aka, Peter Quill – has received a major new addition to his character. In his latest outing, Guardians of the Galaxy #9, Quill was revealed to be bisexual and in a polyamorous relationship with a man and a woman. Naturally, as happens when any significant shakeup takes place in the comics, Marvel fans immediately began to wonder whether this new trait would carry over into the movies, where Quill has been played by Chris Pratt.
Pink News was among the outlets to break the news of Star-Lord’s bisexuality. Pratt has played Quill in two Guardians of the Galaxy films, with another on the way in 2023, as well as two Avengers films. Were Quill’s new sexual orientation to carry over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it would certainly be a significant occasion – but it wouldn’t be the MCU’s first bisexual character.
Star-Lord wouldn’t be the first bisexual in the MCU
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Valkyrie first appeared onscreen in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok played by Tessa Thompson. An uneasy ally for Thor (Chris Hemsworth) at first, she has since become a major fan-favorite in the MCU, assuring her return for Avengers: Endgame and the forthcoming sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder.
One aspect of Valkyrie’s character that has eluded depiction in the films is her bisexuality, much to the disappointment of many Marvel fans in the LGBTQ community. According to a Rolling Stone interview from around the time of Ragnarok‘s release, Thompson had pitched including her character’s orientation in the film, and a scene was shot showing a woman leaving the character’s bedroom. In the comics, Valkyrie has had romantic relationships with women.
However, according to the same interview, the scene was ultimately cut from the film, reportedly due to it conflicting with necessary exposition scenes. Fans eager for better representation in the MCU need not lament for too long, though: as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson teased that Valkyrie, the current queen of Asgard after Avengers: Endgame, will be looking for a queen in the sequel, Thor: Love and Thunder, which is set for release in May 2022.
LGBTQ Representation in the MCU
While Marvel Studios has made significant and – for many – welcome strides towards better racial and gender representation in their massively popular superhero films, they have not as yet made similar strides for LGBTQ characters.
However, the studio has recently affirmed its intention to remedy this problem moving forward. Not just in Thor: Love and Thunder, but also in Chloé Zhao‘s Eternals. Set for release in Nov. 2021, the film’s sizeable ensemble will feature the MCU’s first gay hero. In the film, Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, will be portrayed as gay, which was confirmed by supporting actor Haaz Sleiman in a February interview with NewNowNext. Sleiman will be playing Phastos’s husband.
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Whether Pratt’s Star-Lord will follow the likes of Phastos and Valkyrie remains to be seen. According to James Gunn, the writer and director for the Guardians of the Galaxy series, his script for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has been finished for some time, making any major changes or additions – like touching on Quill’s sexuality – unlikely, to say the least. Gunn has yet to make any public remark about the new Star-Lord developments in the comics.
