(Chris Cella Jr., Headline USA) While Disney is facing criticism for destroying treasured movie franchises and beloved heroes, Marvel Comics is also making controversial changes to its heroes.
The latest example is Hawkeye—traditionally depicted as a white, heterosexual male, including the Avengers movies, where he is portrayed by actor Jeremy Renner.
The sharpshooting archer has now been reimagined as a nonbinary, Two-Spirit Native American character named Charli Ramsi.
In the recently released fifth installment of Marvel’s The Ultimates, Charli takes on the Hawkeye mantle after Clint Barton, the original character, steps aside. Ramsi uses they/them pronouns, as confirmed by series writer Deniz Camp.
Camp celebrated the release on social media, stating, “Issue 5 of Ultimates is out today! First appearance of our Hawkeye; we worked hard to make them cool, different, and yet undeniably ‘Hawkeye.’”
Issue 5 of Ultimates is out today! First appearance of our Hawkeye; we worked hard to make them cool, different, and yet undeniably "Hawkeye".
From @juanmfrigeri @Toonfed @petitobjetb and the whole Marvel crew, thanks to everyone who reads the issue! pic.twitter.com/qrCMYG5Vwl
— Deniz Camp (@DenizCamp) October 9, 2024
He later clarified that while Ramsi’s pronouns are they/them, he didn’t want to draw too much attention to it, adding, “I don’t think Charli would make a big deal out of it in that context. But we’ll make this explicit when it’s natural to the narrative.”
On the big screen, Marvel Studios has struggled to replicate the success of previous hits like Avengers: Endgame, with many of its recent high-budget projects underperforming at the box office as parent-company Disney has increasingly embraced what many call a “woke agenda.”
That includes introducing LGBT characters and storylines in various media marketed toward children.
For instance, Disney’s live-action Star Wars series, The Acolyte, which featured a coven of lesbian witches, faced backlash from fans and was not renewed for a second season.
Additionally, Disney recently released Agatha All Along on Disney+, which also includes a coven of lesbian witches and a gay male witch.
Meanwhile, the Marvel antihero Loki was revealed to be bisexual in the Loki Disney+ series, and the film Eternals introduced a gay character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021.
Not to be outdone, the top Marvel Comics rival, DC Comics has also pushed storylines featuring a gay Superman and a transgender superhero named Circuit Breaker.
Meet Jules Jourdain (he/they, aka Circuit Breaker
“Can a new hero channel the inexorable Still Force energy to fend off evil?” – Debuting in DC's Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1, out on Valentine's Day 💚🌈✨ pic.twitter.com/p39WMoea1m
— A.L. Kaplan🌈✨ (@alkcomics) January 9, 2023
The second—and final—Joker movie, which turns the classic Batman villain into an antihero, also reportedly featured the main character as the victim of a gay gang rape, drawing criticism from conservatives who saw the first installment as a social commentary on urban decay in Biden’s America.
Although star Joaquin Phoenix won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal, that couldn’t stop the sequel from bombing at the box-office, with worldwide gross (to date) of around $166 million nowhere close to reaching the movie’s $300 million price tag, Zero Hedge reported.
They made the joker get gay gang raped then killed him.
No spoiler warning because fuck Todd Phillips.
Don't go see it.
— Cassandra MacDonald (@CassandraRules) October 5, 2024
The assault may have been presaged by, however, by a January 2023 comic book that featured a pregnant Joker.
Some are hopeful that after a string of recent box-office bombs, Disney and Marvel may have gotten the message about consumers’ appetite for socially-conscious content.
In the newly released Deadpool & Wolverine, the studios steered clear of the woke agenda, resulting in the second-ever billion-dollar box office performance for an R-rated film.
