Shia LeBeouf Reportedly To Play Gay Superhero Iceman In Upcoming ‘X-Men’ Reboot
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to create an ‘X-Men’ reboot, and Shia LeBeouf is reportedly their choice to play Iceman, one of the most prominent queer superheroes.
As ‘Manhunt Daily’ reports, a teenaged version of Iceman, displaced in time, came out as gay in an April 2015 issue of ‘All-New X-Men’ after Jean Grey read his mind. A later issue saw the teen Iceman confront his older, still closeted self, who admitted he didn’t want to be gay or a mutant. Iceman was then given his own series which focused on him coming to terms with his identity and his legacy as a superhero.
LeBeouf has long been under consideration to play Marvel anti-hero Moon Knight, but producers are now reportedly “keen” to cast him as the X-Men hero.
Marvel reportedly saw the role as a “possible way of bringing him into the fold while still easing him back into the big budget environment that he’d previously sworn off”. The news that LeBeouf could play Iceman was met with a mixed reaction online, with members of the LGBT+ community pleading with Marvel to cast a queer actor in the role.
Scott Evans, the gay younger brother of Captain America star Chris Evans, tweeted: “I am a Shia fan. But can Iceman, a prominent gay character in the comic books, PLEASE be played by a gay man?”
The latest rumours suggest that Marvel’s plan is to introduce the X-Men slowly, one-by-one, before staging a later Avengers-style team-up.
Who the studio will cast in other key roles remains a mystery – though Pose star Dominique Jackson has thrown her hat in the ring for the role of Storm.
Read related myGwork articles here:
Marvel Makes History With Its First Gay Wedding Between Two Superheroes
Trans Marvel Character Is Coming Soon
Existing Marvel Character to Come Out in Future Film
Marvel Introduces Its First On-Screen Trans Character in Jessica Jones
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