Fans Are Angry With Marvel For This LGBTQ+ Related Creative Decision
With the long-awaited 'The Children's Crusade' seemingly confirmed by some of the MCU actors and producers, fans are raising their voices against one particular creative decision that is clearly in place.
The original Young Avengers comic book storyline was one of the best coming-of-age narratives in the entire industry, so fans' desire to see it adapted on the silver screen is understandable. And with the recent release of 'Doctor Strange 2', in which Julian Hilliard and Jett Kline reprised their roles as the Maximoff twins, hopes for the Young Avengers project have reached a climax.
Billy, played by Hilliard, is widely known under the alias Wiccan, and he is the main protagonist of 'The Children's Crusade', which certainly puts a lot of pressure on the young star's shoulders. Since Wiccan is one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ characters in the entire Marvel universe, it must have been considered a huge win for the MCU to finally introduce him in live action. So why aren't fans excited about it?
In a discussion on Reddit fans expressed their displeasure with Marvel, accusing the studio of deliberately hiring a young actor to play Wiccan so as not to present him as gay.
"I hate that they've made their most prominent queer characters literal children so they don't have to acknowledge their sexual orientation," – /SakmarEcho.
Fans supported this allegation, noting that other prominent Young Avengers, including Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), are played by older actors, since they are presented as heterosexuals in the comics.
"All these straight people being like; "Just let them age into the roles" as if Marvel is gonna' have a Young Avengers team where all the queer male characters are 15-16 while the straight characters like Kate and Cassie are played by adults in their early 30s," – /MaleCelebFanfiction.
However, it seems that Feige has already made his decision, and it is very unlikely that he will fire Julian Hilliard just to satisfy disappointed fans.