Drag Racesuperstar Shea Couleé is officially joining theMarvel Cinematic Universe.As reported by Deadline, Couleé has been cast in an undisclosed role in the upcomingIronheartseries on Disney Plus. Couleé is best known as one of the stars of the Emmy-winning reality competition seriesRuPaul’s Drag Race. She came in 3rd place on season 9 ofDrag Race andwon the 5th season of the spinoff seriesAll-Stars.She also finished as a finalist on the special all-winners edition ofAll-Starsseason 7.
Couleé has also been featured in several editions ofVogue,and she has appeared on the covers of many world-renowned publications includingOut, Entertainment Weekly,Gay Times,and the fashion magazineMetal.In 2021 Couleé launched a podcast series titledWanna Be on Top,which explores the world ofAmerica’s Next Top Model.It premiered at No. 1 on Apple Podcasts.
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At the moment Coulee’s role is unknown, and it is unclear whether she will be making a cameo appearance as herself, or playing an original character. Some fans have already speculated that Couleé will play the Marvel Comics character Shade. Created by writer Sina Grace and artist Nathan Stockman, Shade is a drag queen superhero (and a mutant) who also sometimes goes by the alias Darkveil. This would be fitting since Couleé is actually one of the drag performers who was cited by Grace as an inspiration for the character, along with fellowDrag Racecelebrities, Monét X Change and The Vixen.
Ironheartwill star Dominique Thorne as Marvel Comics character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man.Actor Alden Ehrenreichwas also recently cast in the series in an unknown role, although he is rumored to be playing Ezekiel Stane, the son ofIron Manvillain Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).
While nothing is set in stone at the moment, the introduction of Shade to theMCUwould fit with the current direction that the MCU is going. The fact that Shade is a mutant and has been a member of the X-Men hints that the MCU will continue to bring in more characters from that universe into the fold. Recently, in the Disney Plus seriesMs. Marvel,it wasrevealed that the title character, Kamala Khan,is actually a mutantin the MCU, changing her comic book origin as an inhuman.
While Marvel doesn’t seem to have any specific X-Men plans in the coming years, the studio may continue to sprinkle in mutants throughout phase 5. Shade is also one of several X-Men characters who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, making her potential inclusion in the MCU a significant step forward forQueer representationfor Marvel.
Ironheartis currently slated to premiere sometime in Fall 2023 on Disney Plus.
