This director wants you to know the superhero in his movie is pansexual. Here's why it matters.
The upcoming Marvel comic movie will feature Deadpool as a pansexual superhero.
Ryan Reynolds' next big movie role as Deadpool will have everything you expect from an action-packed Marvel superhero movie ... and maybe a little bit more.
Sure, it's got fighting, explosions, villains...
GIF via 20th Century Fox/YouTube.
...and some laughs (yanno, to keep things light).
Screenshot via 20th Century Fox/YouTube.
But Reynolds' character will also stay true to the comic book original. This dark-humored hero is pansexual and will remain so on the big screen.
Director Tim Miller isn't being shy about that at all. In an interview with Collider, he exclaimed: "Pansexual! I want that quoted. Pansexual Deadpool."
GIF via "Anchorman."
And if you just said, "pan ... who?" here's the deal:
Pansexuality has nothing to do with sexual attraction to your kitchen cookery. (Though who hasn't felt things when they look at some Creuset? Just me? Okaynevermind.)
Pansexual is a term used to describe people whose attractions are not limited by the gender identity or sex of other people.
As Deadpool comic co-creator Fabian Nicieza says: "Deadpool is whatever sexual inclination his brain tells him he is in that moment."
Rapper Angel Haze also gave a great explainer during a Fusion TV interview:
"I define it as someone who sees people for who they are and not gender. I don't base all of my relationships off of sex. ... I care about connecting with people on a deeper level and actually having something to talk about and something to work for — something we're both interested in."
Rapper Angel Haze, right, with ex-girlfriend, model Ireland Baldwin. Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Having an openly pansexual superhero is a big freakin' deal: It provides some serious visibility for people who are attracted to more than one gender.
Most people in the LGBTQ community are attracted to more than one gender — almost half — but that fact is often overlooked. There's a lot of societal pressure for folks to check a box, as though the only options were "gay" or "straight."
Having characters like Deadpool out there can help folks realize that they're not alone.
Here's hoping this will be the first of many more pansexual superheroes.
I think these folks are up to the task. OK, I lied; I have no idea. But let's pretend. Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images.
Word has it that this movie will be a bit more ... racy than most. Apparently, Deadpool is really into sex. So, yeah, it's important to note that being pansexual doesn't somehow make someone hypersexual. I hope that as we start seeing more pansexual characters make it to mainstream, we'll also see more of a range in sexual desires, since they vary from person to person ... just like with straight people! (Shocker, I know.)