MEAWW.COM / ENTERTAINMENT / MOVIES

'This movie is a lot more forthright': 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' writers reveal superhero Pedro Pena is GAY

It is believed that Pedro Pena's sexuality was realized by the superhero when the children were teleported to a strip club in the first part

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' is all set to release on March 17. The project is a much-awaited one as there have been many halts along the way for its release. There are many Marvel releases this year including 'The Flash' (June 16), 'Blue Bettle' (August 18), and 'Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom' (December 25). Recently, the writers behind the Marvel Studios movie 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' came out with a wild confirmation that was already speculated by fans but still was a shock for some.

The writers revealed that one of the superheroes Pedro Peña played by DJ Cotrona is gay. And the upcoming sequel will see him being very straightforward with his sexuality. 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, and Djimon Hounsou in the lead. 

READ MORE

When will 'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' release in theaters?

'Is there a joke coming up?' Internet slams 'Shazam!' star Zachary Levi over anti-vax tweet

The strip club and an insinuation

It is believed that Pedro Peña's sexuality was realized by the superhero when the children were teleported to a strip club in the first part and as they left, Pedro remarked, "Not my thing." Since then, Pedro has been wondering about many things, and this is supposedly a message from the writers to the audience about what will happen in the sequel.

"The only new addition for this movie is being a lot more forthright about Pedro being gay," screenwriter Henry Gayden told in an interview with co-writer Chris Morgan, as per Dorkaholics. "And that was hinted at in the first movie very subtly," Gayden explained. "And I thought it was really important and really, really fought for us including that and bringing that to the fore in this movie." 

'Where was it hinted at in the first movie?'

It seems like some fans already suspected Pedro's sexuality, while some didn't have a clue since the first part was released. The subtle hint at the strip club wasn't so subtle after all. It is quite thrilling since Pedro is the first Marvel superhero to be featured on the silver screens. When the writers revealed that they hinted at Pedro's sexuality in the first part, it seems like some of the fans missed it and some even pointed out that the first part didn't focus on Pedro that much. One user said, "A movie whose only selling point is the sexual orientation of its actors is pathetic." Another added, and this is another reason why Shazam 2 will flop at the box office." A third user said, "WB pushing an agenda... Hmm... Well... Ya gone and done lost my money." One more user wrote, "Go woke go broke."

One fan said, "Where was it hinted at in the first movie. I got no issue with him being gay, but they barely focused on Pedro in Shazam 1. We know he didn't like speaking a lot and was failing in school. I don't remember what scene hinted at it." A second user wrote, "It's better to let fans figure these things out and just have the characters be organic and natural. Take notes from the Last of Us. They're good characters that happen to also be gay. Now "gay" will be this character's defining feature going into the movie." A third chimed in, "The issue people have is that unless the character’s sexuality is integral to the movie, why does it matter? Why are we making characters be gay just to say that they are gay? Nobody cares; it seems like the purpose of saying a character is gay is to check off a box…" While some fans were furious that "being gay" is something that is added into the character's persona just to tick off a mental checklist. One user wrote, "I'm glad they have included this, however, this is a superhero movie, it won't change Pedro at all, he's a hero so what does his sexual orientation have to do with this?? I honestly don't get it, he's a hero, saving the world, is it going to change him no, do I love him yes."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.