1) Unnamed Joe Russo Cameo, Avengers: Endgame
And here we are: 10 years of Marvel slowly learning how to bring some of its zaniest comic book concepts to the big screen and make them global blockbuster megahits, you’d think a queer person would be easy. Alas, after the Brothers Russo patted themselves on the back in Endgame’s pre-release press tours that they had brought the first on-screen explicitly gay character to the MCU—after some fumbles along the way—we got… one of those Russos playing an unnamed civilian at a therapy group talking about going on a date. Egregious enough as it was that this was more an indulgent directorial cameo than an actual step forward for onscreen queer representation in the Marvel universe, it was made worse when Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige emerged in the wake of the movie—after that pre-release back-patting—to say that, actually, Marvel never intended the cameo to be “a big deal” and maybe it was our fault for wanting them to not half-ass it. Like most things about Avengers: Endgame, it just got worse the more people involved with it actually spoke about it.
They’re getting better. Maybe. In the near future. TBD, TBD. But that’s the future. We’re here with a Russo in the now, and god that’s just the worst.
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