‘Gayest Marvel project yet’: Don’t tease us like this, ‘Agatha All Along’
Look, it's not exactly a high bar to clear.
Agatha All Along debuts tomorrow, and first reviews are calling it a) very good and b) the “gayest Marvel project to date.” Fair enough. It does after all star gay icon Patti LuPone, gay Heartstopper star Joe Locke, and lesbian actress Sasheer Zamata, who recently came out.
Aubrey Plaza, who plays Rio Vidal in the show, showed that she was delighted about the label while walking the red carpet on September 17. Asked by Variety if she agreed with the sentiment that Agatha All Along was Marvel’s gayest project, she quipped, “It better be, because that’s what I signed up for.”
But are we just talking about vibes here, or is the show truly going to have well-rounded gay characters and relationships? That’s the question on everyone’s lips, because the Marvel Cinematic Universe is uh, not great in that department. For example, the character of Valkyrie was announced to be bisexual before Thor: Love and Thunder came out, but all that actually amounted to was a quick kiss on the hand of another woman. The movie was built up to be a “gay” film when in reality it just wasn’t. Hopefully, the same thing won’t happen to Agatha All Along.
There’s certainly reason to be optimistic so far. Joe Locke stated that his character, the mysterious “Teen” will indeed be gay in the show and that “The way it’s explored in the show is very truthful and very positive.” He’ll be the second major gay character in the MCU behind Phastos, the Eternal played by Brian Tyree Henry in the movie Eternals. And rumors are still swirling that he might actually be playing Wiccan, the son of Scarlet Witch.
But as to the other characters and storylines of Agatha All Along, it’s too early to tell. Let’s hope it gives us, too, what we signed up for.
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