The cosmic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to expand even further this year with the release of The Eternals, a millennia-spanning sci-fi that’s about to introduce a raft of new characters into the franchise, and what looks set to be the MCU’s very first full-blown dance number. Chloe Zao’s blockbuster certainly appears set to shake things up in a post-Endgame world, and that extends to including the first high-profile same-sex couple in the long-running series of comic book movies.
Unfortunately, some people still seem very much against the idea of these mass-marketed epics representing what our society looks like today, even when the title heroes are a race of immortal aliens that have been waging an intergalactic war against their mortal enemies for thousands of years.
A petition has now been launched by the conservative One Million Moms group, encouraging families to boycott The Eternals based solely on the fact that it features a same-sex relationship. Incredibly, they’ve already amassed over 14,000 signatures, and are demanding that Marvel Studios stop ‘pushing their agenda’ on their impressionable young children.
Here’s how the petition reads:
“Marvel has decided to be politically correct, instead of providing family-friendly programming. Marvel should stick to entertaining, not pushing an agenda. Please share this with your friends and family to make sure they are aware of the gay superhero character in The Eternals, and not blindsided by it. As moms, we all want to know when Marvel is attempting to desensitize our family by normalizing the LGBTQ lifestyle.”
Where do you even begin with this? One Million Moms are happy to accept talking raccoons, sentient trees, green-skinned rage monsters and Norse gods in the MCU, but an openly gay superhero is clearly a step too far. One of the great things about comic book movies is that they can include themes and characters that mirror and reflect our culture, but wrap it in fantastical clothing so that it doesn’t come across as too on-the-nose and preachy.
The Eternals has already assembled one of the most diverse and eclectic casts of any movie set for release this year, and it would be fair to say that fans are far too excited to see a brand new team join the biggest franchise in history to worry about a bunch of Karens trying to drum up some negative publicity.