No Time To Die, Daniel Craig's fifth and final movie as James Bond, has finally arrived in theaters and reportedly includes the tiniest of gay moments.
The film casually reveals that Q, Bond's quartermaster played by Ben Whishaw, is either gay or bisexual. According to Newsweek, this makes Q "the first ally of James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) to be out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community."
In the film, Bond and Moneypenny make a surprise stop at Q's home and it looks like he's setting up a romantic dinner for two. He doesn't appreciate the interruption as he anticipates someone coming over. "He's coming in 20 minutes," he says. He later adds, "can't a guy have a nice night to himself for once?"
This revealed to some viewers that Q was getting ready for a date with this unnamed "he," though nothing is confirmed or explained any further.
Some are celebrating the moment for its LGBTQ+ inclusion, but others are rather bored of the breadcrumbs blockbuster films drop to make their stories seem inclusive without really doing anything. In 2019, Marvel hyped up their first out gay character in Avengers Endgame who turned out to be a grief-stricken man who briefly mentions that his ex is a guy.
Both are cute moments, but we're not impressed, especially when they're done so casually that many viewers miss them altogether. Hopefully, we'll get over this trend to a point where these kinds of blockbuster films can include an LGBTQ+ character who does more than just hint at their sexuality. We'd love to see – dare I say – an on-screen romance?!
We'll just have to be patient. In the meantime, Whishaw himself is calling for more representation. At a red carpet event earlier this week, the out actor said it's time for a gay actor to play James Bond.
We can only dream!
