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DC Fans Are Divided On Black Mask Being Gay In Birds Of Prey

The recent news that Ewan McGregor's Black Mask will be a homosexual in Birds of Prey has been met with debate from the DC fan community.

Black Mask

Recent events have really shown the dark – that is noninclusive – sides of some fandom communities. Whether it’s out of a conservative view and respect for the source material, or social, political, religious, we’ve been seeing a whole lot of it. Disney fans are busy debating the casting of black actress Halle Bailey as the Little Mermaid; and Marvel fans have been throwing a fit about vocal feminist Brie Larson as Captain Marvel.

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So it was, unfortunately, more a question of “when” rather than “if” DC fans would reject the recent news that Black Mask will be portrayed by Ewan McGregor as a homosexual in the upcoming film, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).

That’s not to say that all the reception’s been negative. Plenty of fans have flocked towards the announcement with praise, given the lack of representation in the superhero genre, and you can check out some of those tweets down below.

https://twitter.com/BatFamilyTalk/status/1148736650975076352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1148736650975076352&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaytimes.co.uk%2Fculture%2F124571%2Fewan-mcgregors-upcoming-portrayal-of-flamboyant-gay-villain-in-birds-of-prey-met-with-polarized-reception%2F

https://twitter.com/BenCruz18073020/status/1149199476566814720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1149199476566814720&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaytimes.co.uk%2Fculture%2F124571%2Fewan-mcgregors-upcoming-portrayal-of-flamboyant-gay-villain-in-birds-of-prey-met-with-polarized-reception%2F

https://twitter.com/barbie_megatron/status/1148991392267538438?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1148991392267538438&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaytimes.co.uk%2Fculture%2F124571%2Fewan-mcgregors-upcoming-portrayal-of-flamboyant-gay-villain-in-birds-of-prey-met-with-polarized-reception%2F

https://twitter.com/suplexinferno/status/1148957933478301697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1148957933478301697&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaytimes.co.uk%2Fculture%2F124571%2Fewan-mcgregors-upcoming-portrayal-of-flamboyant-gay-villain-in-birds-of-prey-met-with-polarized-reception%2F

With that said, there’ll always be two sides to every coin. And unfortunately when it comes to this issue, the other side isn’t one we want to flip.

Here are some of those tweets:

Well, no matter what his sexuality is, it seems the character’s plight against Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) will be quite the event. Insiders close to the film have said McGregor’s turn as the Gotham crime boss is one of the best superhero villains ever. And this Tweet from @Mikey_Talks suggests the same thing.

https://twitter.com/Mikey_Talks/status/1148754356973514754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1148754356973514754&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gaytimes.co.uk%2Fculture%2F124571%2Fewan-mcgregors-upcoming-portrayal-of-flamboyant-gay-villain-in-birds-of-prey-met-with-polarized-reception%2F

We want to know though, where do you sit on this topic? Are you excited for a gay Black Mask in Birds of Prey? Or does this news extinguish your anticipation for the film? Drop us a comment below and tell us your thoughts.