Marvel Movies: Which Ones Are Gay?
part I of a series
We live in what many are calling the beginning of the end of superhero movies. Just as the Western took over Hollywood for a few golden decades and then fizzled out, the superhero boom that’s been perpetually “5-10 years old” since 1992 is finally winding down.
At times like this, we all want to look back and ask ourselves, “which ones are gay?”
Below, you’ll find an exhaustive (but not that exhaustive) chronological list of American superhero films. Through close reading and a thorough understanding of the literature, we’ll come to a collective understanding of how relatively gay this cultural exercise has been. “Gay” is not a value judgment, but a simple declarative statement—it’s either gay or it’s not. A straight person can make a gay movie, and gay people do not a gay movie make.
Part I: MARVEL
Marvel was synonymous with the dominance of the superhero genre, and it will be synonymous with its downfall. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was the most lucrative experiment in film’s history, sending the clocks back to ‘40s-era studio dominance for an era that is hopefully coming to an end.
It’s also been synonymous with facetious representation, nods to the LGBT community just vague enough to be clipped out for the more conservative governments of the moviegoing world.
All of this adds an interesting wrinkle to how gay these movies can be (assuming any of them are). But remember, Marvel wasn’t always Hollywood’s golden boy. Let’s take it all the way back to the beginning.
1977: Spider-Man (U.S.)
1978: Spider-Man (Japan)
1978: Spider-Man Strikes Back
1981: Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge
These early Spider-Man pseudo-films were our first foray into adapting Marvel comics to the big screen. They’re goofy, low-budget, short, and the polar opposite of the high-budget excesses of present-day Marvel. But sadly, they are NOT GAY.
1978: Dr. Strange
Starring Jessica Walter as Morgan Le Fay, an evil sorceress from the 4th Dimension. GAY.
1979: Captain America
GAY.
1977-1990: The Incredible Hulk
Bruce Banner’s name was changed to “David” for this show, as it was felt that “Bruce” sounded too gay. However, this show was many a young boy’s first opportunity to see a huge muscly guy shirtless. GAY.
1986: Howard the Duck
The titular sarcastic duck puppet (gay) is voiced by Chip Zien, who originated the role of Mendel in Falsettos. GAY.
1989: The Punisher
Dolph Lundgren gets fully naked and you can see his balls from behind. GAY.
1990: Captain America
NOT GAY.
1996: Generation X
The pilot for a teen drama based on the X-Men. Features some of the worst wigs you’ll ever see. GAY.
1998: Blade
2002: Blade II
2004: Blade: Trinity
Blade is GAY because it’s about repression and raves and penetration. Blade: Trinity is GAY because it has Natasha Lyonne and Parker Posey. Blade II is GAY by association.
1998: Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD
I’m sure gay people at the time were into David Hasselhoff, but haven’t we learned our lesson? NOT GAY.
2000: X-Men
2003: X2
2006: X-Men: The Last Stand
I don’t even like these movies and even I must admit they’re as gay as the day is long. It’s not just the cast featuring Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Alan Cumming, and Elliot Page; it’s the blatantly gay subtext of the X-Men concept itself. The fact that 1 and 2 are directed by a gay rapist is made up for by #3 being directed by a straight rapist. GAY.
2002: Spider-Man
2004: Spider-Man 2
2007: Spider-Man 3
Spider-Man 3 is GAY. Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 are NOT GAY. But they have their moments.
2003: Daredevil
Wrong Bennifer. NOT GAY.
2003: Hulk
Every Ang Lee movie is GAY. Yes, even that one.
2004: The Punisher
NOT GAY.
2005: Man-Thing
It’s literally called “Man-Thing”. GAY.
2005: Elektra
I don’t even know what happens in this movie but I know multiple outfits Jennifer Garner wears in it. GAY.
2005: Fantastic Four
2007: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Maybe the toughest one to answer so far. NOT GAY by a hair.
2007: Ghost Rider
I wish. NOT GAY.
2008: Punisher: War Zone
NOT GAY.
2008-present: The Marvel Cinematic Universe
I truly didn’t intend to skimp out on this section. When people hear “Marvel movie,” they think “MCU.” Over a decade and a half, they’ve offered dozens of films with diverse aesthetics, ideas, and levels of quality—some of them have even been good!
But after careful consideration, there’s just not much I can do. No MCU film is gay. The one that comes closest is Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a film that seems gay at a glance (especially a glance at its fans), but on close inspection reveals itself to be phenomenally straight.
2009: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Sibling rivalry. Ryan Reynolds gets his mouth sewn shut. Troye Sivan. Folks, it’s GAY.
2011: X-Men: First Class
2014: X-Men: Days of Future Past
2016: X-Men: Apocalypse
2019: Dark Phoenix
There may be no clearer example of 2010s Hollywood’s diseased core than the endurance of the Vaughnverse X-Men movies, a series that ran out of juice about 2/3 of the way through the first movie. X-Men: First Class is GAY. Its sequels are NOT GAY.
2011: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
GAY.
2011: The Amazing Spider-Man
2014: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Andrew Garfield fought tooth and nail to make this Spider-Man bisexual. Despite Sony’s best efforts, The Amazing Spider-Man is SLIGHTLY GAY, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is EXTREMELY GAY.
2013: The Wolverine
Kinda the forgotten stepchild of the Wolverine saga, but fuck it, I’ll give it a GAY. Why not?
2014: Big Hero 6
Disney invented heterosexuality. Big Hero 6 is STRAIGHT.
2015: Fant4stic
Having seen this movie in theaters and at least once since then, I’m not sure if I’m ready to determine whether or not it’s gay. There’s nothing straight about it, but I’d be hard-pressed to find anything gay about it either. For now, it gets a DID NOT COMPLETE.
2016: Deadpool
2018: Deadpool 2
2024: Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool, the character, is gay. Deadpool, the movies, are NOT GAY.
2017: Logan
A movie about a single dad who loves old movies and beats up a young, hot version of himself. GAY.
2018: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2023: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Really good! But gay? I’m not convinced. NOT GAY.
2018: Venom
2021: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
These movies are the gayest in Marvel’s entire lineage. GAY with flying colors.
2020: The New Mutants
Never saw this one. Let’s say GAY.
2021: Eternals
Okay, fine. Eternals is GAY.
2022: Morbius
This one is a surprisingly tough call. As a general rule, a Jared Leto can only be gay if Leto dies. Morbius comes quite close to this line, but unfortunately, Morbius is a living vampire. NOT GAY. Sorry, Matt Smith.
2024: Madame Web
At long last, we arrive in the present day. Madame Web is NEW QUEER CINEMA.
Stay tuned for further updates, including which DC movies are gay and which third-party superhero movies are gay.