If you needed another reason to be excited about the upcoming “Power Rangers” reboot, well ― you got one: The film will be the first major motion picture to feature an LGBTQ superhero.
Director Dean Israelite revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that Yellow Ranger Trini, played by Becky G, will be a queer character. In a “pivotal” scene in the movie, Trini will be struggling with what a fellow Ranger assumes are “boyfriend problems.” In fact, Trini is dealing with “girlfriend problems.”
“For Trini, really she’s questioning a lot about who she is,” Israelite told The Hollywood Reporter. “She hasn’t fully figured it out yet.”
Israelite added that the film will give Trini the support and space she needs around her sexual identity.
“I think what’s great about that scene and what that scene propels for the rest of the movie is, ‘That’s OK.’” Israelite said. “The movie is saying, ‘That’s OK,’ and all of the kids have to own who they are and find their tribe.
It’s heartening to see a franchise as influential as the Power Rangers representing an LGBTQ character on-screen. But how did we get to 2017 without seeing a single LGBTQ superhero on film?
Comic books have featured LGBTQ superheroes like Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Deadpool, Iceman and Northstar. But when those characters are represented in movies, they are portrayed as straight.
The new “Power Rangers” film is breaking ground by representing racial diversity and neurodiversity alongside its LGBTQ protagonist. Several Rangers are played by actors of color, and Blue Ranger Billy (RJ Cyler) is on the autism spectrum.
This movie is sounding better and better by the minute.
“Power Rangers” will be released in theaters nationwide on March 24.