LGBTQ representation in superhero movies is becoming an increasingly prominent topic in the pop culture landscape, with Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige claiming a few months ago that measures are being taken to correct the lack of diversity in the MCU. In this regard, the X-Men universe could be considered ahead of its competitor, with Deadpool 2 earning praise earlier this year for bringing us the first same-sex couple in a major comic book flick.
As one half of this onscreen relationship, Brianna Hildebrand has previously gone on record saying she was “ecstatic” about this inclusion in Wade Wilson’s latest outing, and speaking to THR, the Negasonic Teenage Warhead actress recently recalled how it was Ryan Reynolds who posed the idea.
“I’ve had so many positive responses,” the actress gushed. “It was Ryan’s idea. I had already done a lot of work with It Gets Better, so I think maybe he had seen some of that. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
While Negasonic and Yukio gave us the genre’s first explicit LGBTQ relationship, the Deadpool films have consistently hinted at the pansexuality of Wade himself. Speaking at the San Diego Comic-Con back in July, Reynolds suggested that this is one side of his character that he’d be open to exploring in future movies.
“I certainly think that this universe needs to represent and reflect the world in very real ways. The great thing about Deadpool is that we’re allowed to do things that other superhero movies don’t necessarily do. It’s something that I’d love to see more of, certainly through Wade, certainly through this universe because it’s something that we’re building out more.”
At the moment, the future of this series feels a little mysterious. While the Merc with a Mouth’s next cinematic release is technically the PG-13 cut of Deadpool 2, there’s still much to be learned about the subsequent X-Force movie, and specifically, if and how the impending Fox-Disney merger could affect the project. Still, if you look at how the rest of the X-Men franchise is doing, Wade’s saga is sounding pretty stable by comparison.