Recently on Twitter, many fans of television shows and movies have been demanding for more diversity. Frequently they are calling for their favorite characters to be claimed as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We saw this example when #GiveElsaAGirlfriend went viral. The franchise Frozen is all about the love of two sisters. But who is to say that one of them, Elsa, isn’t gay?
We see a similar pattern in the Marvel Universe. With the recent release of Captain America: Civil War, many fans are demanding that its main protagonist, Steve Rogers aka Captain America, be given a boyfriend. His sexuality has been debated for years, even back when he first appeared in comics in 1941. But in this case, fans are focusing on the critically-acclaimed movie franchise.
#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend is all about representation. All too often queer characters in television shows are closeted, shut down, or even killed off. In the show The 100, Clarke and Lexa finally make love, and in the same episode, one of them dies. As soon as two female characters admit their love for each other, one is killed off. This is the “dead lesbian” trope and is all-too-familiar with fans. In Supernatural, Charlie Bradbury is an out and proud lesbian who becomes an essential character to the story line. So the writers ended up killing her off and giving her the worst sendoff of the 11, almost 12, season run.
Clearly the LGBTQIA+ community is just looking for some representation. Reality doesn’t give them much say or freedom, so they look for it in the creativity of the shows and movies they cherish. Yet time after time many of these characters are treated in ways heterosexual characters are not.
So why Captain America? Many fans see the kinship between Steve Rogers and his childhood friend, Bucky Barnes, as something more than a friendship. Especially with the newest movie, it’s no surprise that fans are getting excited about the prospects of the possible relationship between the two. Fans want to see representation and all too often they have been heartbroken with the mistreatment of characters they identify with. This trending topic has become less about representation and more about wanting Bucky and Steve to get together.
Queer representation is needed in the Marvel Universe. You can be a superhero and be a queer person at the same time. You don’t need to be a broken, overly sexual heterosexual person for you to still be a hero (looking at you Iron Man). Queer characters in the Marvel Universe would be revolutionary and groundbreaking because it would reflect reality: queer people exist. Hollywood has an extremely heteronormative mindset and the reason being gay is a big debacle is because we are not exposed to it as much. Millennials were introduced to gay characters more prominently in the 1990s, with Ellen DeGeneres, Will and Grace, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Though a small amount, we have been accustomed to seeing queer relationships play out.
But despite all this progress, Hollywood still chooses to only show the complexity of heterosexual characters, and all too often queer characters are the “fabulous” gay best friend, the “I hate men” lesbians, the traditionally gorgeous bisexual women, or the broken transgender people. There are not enough characters out there that are complex and just happen to be in the queer community. But Steve Rogers can, and should.
Now back to Steve and Bucky, or as many fans have called it: Stucky. This is a relationship that many fans have wanted since the very first modern Marvel movie came out: Captain America: The First Avenger. But the problem is, many fans have turned #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend into something that may as well be #GiveSteveBucky. The original trending topic has gone from being about representation to supporting your “ship”, which is what Stucky is known for. There are always romantic interests in movies, even if there are no reasons for any. Captain America does not need a boyfriend.
Captain America does not need a boyfriend to validate his queerness. Fans speculate he is bisexual, other fans suggest he is gay. Regardless, Steve Rogers does not need to have a boyfriend to admit that he is in the queer community. He can have one, and he deserves a great boyfriend! The fact is no one needs a partner to validate their sexuality. Straight people do not need a boyfriend or girlfriend to show their “straightness” and the same should be used for the gay community.
