Michaela Coel Agreed to Join ‘Black Panther 2’ Because Her Character Is Queer: ‘It Felt Important for Me to Step In’
variety.comZack Sharf Michaela Coel is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and she confirmed to Vogue magazine that her character will be the latest queer character in the MCU.
Marvel brought its first openly gay hero to the big screen in “Eternals” with Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos, and now Coel will also be playing a queer character with Aneka, a captain and combat instructor in the Dora Milaje who is in love with fellow warrior Ayo (Florence Kasumba).
Aneka’s sexuality is the main reason Coel decided to sign on to star in the “Black Panther” sequel. “That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” Coel says. “I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.” Although Coel was born and raised in East London, she is of Ghanaian descent as both her parents hail from Ghana.
The country’s parliament is currently looking over a new bill that will call for some of the most oppressive anti-LGBTQ laws the country has ever seen.
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