Though most Marvel stories are filtered through its cinematic universe, a whole world still exists just outside of the MCU. Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, an animated series on the Disney Channel, is designed to appeal to younger fans, so it’s not on everyone’s radar. But a recent controversy has unexpectedly put the series on the map. A yet-to-be-released Season 2 episode has been indefinitely shelved, kickstarting a new conversation about Disney and Marvel’s treatment of LGBTQ+ characters.
While the series revolves around Moon Girl (aka Lunella Lafayette), the unaired episode, “The Gatekeeper,” focuses on her classmate, Brooklyn, and the prejudice she faces as a trans girl. Early in the episode, Brooklyn recalls being forced to play on the boys’ soccer team, and the “darkness” it brought into her life. She’s much happier now on the girls’ volleyball team, but when a rival coach overhears her story, she resorts to dark magic to bar Brooklyn from competing in an upcoming game.
