With Deadpool & Wolverine now released, the MCU is gearing up for the upcoming Agatha All Along. This series will continue the story from WandaVision, forming part of a trilogy that includes the MCU’s Vision project. In Agatha All Along, Agatha Harkness escapes her imprisonment and seeks to reclaim her powers by traversing the Witches’ Road.

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Joe Locke’s character, Billy Kaplan, will play a crucial role in this storyline. He is expected to be significant in the MCU, both as a key figure in Agatha’s quest and due to his potential connection to the Scarlet Witch.

Joe Locke’s role is significant not only for the storyline but also for LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU, as Kaplan will join the ranks of other queer characters. Locke stands out as one of the few openly LGBTQIA+ actors playing a queer role in the MCU, alongside Tessa Thompson as the bisexual Valkyrie and Brianna Hildebrand as the queer Negasonic Teenage Warhead in the Deadpool movies. Although the MCU features LGBTQIA+ characters such as Phastos (Eternals), Loki, Sylvie, and Korg, the actors portraying them have not publicly identified as queer.

The trend towards greater queer representation is set to continue, with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shea Couleé becoming the MCU’s first non-binary actor in the upcoming Ironheart series. Michaela Coel will portray the queer hero Aneka in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and The Marvels has hinted at a potential relationship between Captain Marvel and Valkyrie.

However, as LGBTQ+ representation expands in the MCU, it has faced increasing backlash. Since Phase 4 introduced more liberal themes, there has been a noticeable drop in viewership and a shift in how MCU films perform at the box office.

Locke, whose show is yet to premiere on Disney+, has already noted that both his character and himself are encountering criticism from fans.

It was like, ‘Oh, why has Marvel done this campy gay stereotype?’” It really annoyed me because I was like, ‘You can’t ask for authentic casting and then be upset if you have a camp character.’” I’m fully aware that the Marvel fandom is far less nice than the ‘Heartstopper’ fandom. There’s going to be a lot of people that just hate everything about the character and everything about what I’ve done with it, and I just have to be OK with that. Marvel fans are very open with their opinions. But they’re not in a Marvel show, so—” I’m doing the one thing that they really wish they could be doing. Sorry!

What are your thoughts on LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU? Share your views in the comments below!