It's 2018 and superhero movies are still flagging in terms of LGBTQ+ representation – mainly because there hasn't been any.
There have been false alarms before, but Deadpool 2 has the opportunity to finally get it right when it introduces LGBTQ+ hero Shatterstar.
Shatterstar can be seen peaking out between Deadpool and Terry Crews in the above image.
Stefan Kapičić – who will reprise his role as Colossus in David Leitch's movie – has confirmed that the character is one of the X-Force heroes that were revealed in the film's first trailer.
"That's not CGI of Terry Crews, that is Terry Crews," he told Inverse. "You can see it clearly.
"You can see behind him, Shatterstar, a really cool thing for people to geek out."
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has said that it would be "great" to give Wade Wilson a boyfriend eventually, but he's yet to put his money where his mouth is.
After years of speculation, Shatterstar – who is, of course, a genetically engineered mutant from an alternate future – was revealed to be in a relationship with his male teammate, Rictor, in the X-Factor comic. It's not fully clear whether he is gay or bisexual at this point.
Fans have been speculating that Iron Fist actor Lewis Tan might be playing Shatterstar in the movie.
Comic book movies have teased LGBTQ+ viewers with the promise of queer characters before – with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 director James Gunn saying that his film included a gay character, and Thor: Ragnarok's Tessa Thompson saying that Valkyrie had a female lover – but these have never translated into any overt portrayals on the screen.
