The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set become more diverse, as the American media group prepares to introduce a transgender woman to the franchise in upcoming Disney Plus series Ironheart.
It was first reported in 2019 that Marvel Studios were looking to cast "a transwoman actress of any ethnicity in her 20s to 30s" for a brand new role.
The following year, the movie giants revealed their plans to tell the story of a brand-new superhero.
"Coming soon to Disney Plus, Dominique Thorne is genius inventor Riri Williams in Ironheart, an original series about the creator of the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man," a tweet from the studio’s account in December 2020 read.
Actress Dominique Thorne is set to make her grand debut in the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever before starring in the latest spin-off.
Lyric Ross and Anthony Ramos are two other stars attached to the upcoming project but so far, very little is known about the new six-part series.
POC Culture now reports that a casting call recently went out for the upcoming Disney+ series, looking specifically for a Black, Latina or Afro-Latina trans actress between the ages of 18-22 for the new Disney Plus offering.
According to the casting information seen by the publication, "the character will be smart, confident and with a mystical bent and unique sense of humour."
The upcoming addition to the MCU will also apparently be "unapologetically nerdy about things that excite her".
If reports are true, this will be the first time a transgender woman has appeared in the MCU.
Actor Zach Barack made history in Spider-Man: Far From Home back in 2019, as the first openly trans thespian in appear in the movie franchise.
Upon the news Marvel of reportedly casting their first transwoman breaking, fans praised the franchise for continuing to diversify their cast and characters.
"marvel introducing a trans character in an upcoming tv series !?! we stan marvel," one movie buff declared on Twitter, with another adding: "We definitely need more GNC, non-binary, and trans characters in both the Marvel and DC universes."
Marvel have made a noted effort to create more diverse characters over recent years - with more LGBTQ+ representation being seen on screen.
Last year, Chloe Zhao’s film Eternals featured the first ever gay superhero in a MCU movie - with Brian Tyree Henry taking on the role of Eternal and inventor Phastos.
Lauren Ridloff also starred in the feature film - making history as the first deaf actor ever to play a superhero in a studio feature film.
"It felt like it was a lifetime of waiting,” the actress told Variety last year, through the use of an American Sign Language interpreter.
"I didn’t really see anyone like myself ever represented on the screen."
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