Recommended Free Tools
There is no single, uncontested “first openly gay Disney character.” The phrase has been applied to different milestones across Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm. This satirical ranking uses the eight characters in Matthew Arcilla’s 2023 8List.ph list, judging them by how explicit and substantial their screen portrayals are—and how far those portrayals fall short of the “first” publicity around them. The embarrassment belongs to corporate overclaiming, not to queer characters or audiences.
What “first” means in this ranking
The list is a selection, not a definitive inventory of every queer character in Disney-associated films. TIME reported in 2022 that at least eight films had been promoted as featuring Disney’s “first” gay character. Those claims concern different categories: a same-sex kiss, a queer character speaking explicitly, a major gay character, or a gay superhero. They are not interchangeable, and the companies and studios involved are not one storytelling unit.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Hocus Pocus and the All-New Sequel | $8.23 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Disney for Organ | $21.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Disney Music The Illustrated Treasury: Piano Vocal Guitar Songbook for Singers and Musicians | 70... | $27.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
The Clinch | $16.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Trials of Apollo, The 5 Book Paperback Boxed Set | $36.74 | Buy on Amazon |
The order below is an editorial judgment, not a measured score. It weighs explicitness, screen time, whether a character is named and developed, the relationship context shown, and the distance between milestone publicity and what appears in the film.
The ranking
8. The two Resistance fighters — Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
A brief kiss between two women during a Resistance celebration places a same-sex couple on screen. TIME described it as a background moment. The cited accounts do not develop the women as characters or give their relationship narrative space. A visible kiss matters as an image, but calling it a substantial character milestone asks a lot of a passing shot.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
#1 Best Overall
7. The unnamed support-group man — Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In a group-counseling scene, a man mentions dating another man after the Snap. The moment is direct and matter-of-fact, but the character is unnamed and appears briefly. The Los Angeles Times likewise described him as an unnamed man who casually mentions dating men. This is explicit dialogue, not a developed supporting role.
6. LeFou — Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Director Bill Condon promoted a “nice, exclusively gay moment,” saying, “LeFou is somebody who on one day wants to be Gaston and on another day wants to kiss Gaston.” But the film does not plainly state that LeFou is gay. Josh Gad said the script did not say so, and Condon later acknowledged his initial comments had been “a little overstated.” TIME described the finished moment as LeFou dancing with a man during the closing number.
Rank #2
- Organ Solo
- Pages: 80
- Instrumentation: Organ
That gap between advance billing and on-screen evidence is the main reason this entry lands so low. The scene can support an interpretation, but the publicity made the milestone sound more definite than the film did.
5. Officer Specter — Onward (2020)
The cyclops police officer briefly refers to her girlfriend. The Los Angeles Times called Specter the first character in an animated Disney film to openly acknowledge being queer in dialogue. That is a specific, useful category—not a claim that she was the first queer character across all Disney studios or films. Her line is explicit; her role is short, illustrating why a clear reference can still feel like a blink-and-you-miss-it inclusion.
Rank #3
- P/V/G
- Pages: 288
- Instrumentation: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
4. MacGregor — Jungle Cruise (2021)
Jack Whitehall’s MacGregor explains that he has not married a woman because his “interests happily lie elsewhere.” The line makes the implication clear, but the explanation is compressed rather than a sustained exploration of his life. The 8List.ph article treats him as Disney’s first major gay character; that is a reported milestone category, not a universal first agreed across every Disney-associated studio.
3. Valkyrie — Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Tessa Thompson had described Valkyrie as bisexual during promotion for Thor: Ragnarok, but Out noted that the earlier film did not confirm that identity on screen. The later entry in this list points to a brief moment in Love and Thunder. Actor comments and a fleeting later screen signal are relevant context, but they are not the same as an explicit, developed portrayal in the original film.
Rank #4
2. Phastos — Eternals (2021)
Phastos is shown with his husband and son, giving the character relationship and family context missing from a one-scene mention or background kiss. Out identifies him as the MCU’s first gay superhero. That label is best understood as a reported milestone within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, rather than a settled, company-wide Disney category. The portrayal is more grounded in a character’s life, even if the milestone framing still invites scrutiny.
1. Ethan Clade — Strange World (2022)
Ethan, Searcher Clade’s 16-year-old son, is the clearest example here of a queer character whose identity belongs to a larger character portrait rather than serving only as a brief announcement. The film gives him a crush on a schoolmate who becomes his boyfriend. Voice actor Jaboukie Young-White described the approach this way: “It’s not a story about him coming out. It’s not a story about him trying to find acceptance for his sexuality. It’s just Ethan coming into himself wholly, fully, and in an environment that is ready to support him.”
Best Value
That framing makes Ethan the strongest entry in this particular selection: his story does not have to turn his sexuality into a crisis to make it legible. Disney’s official film page identifies him as Searcher’s son, while Young-White’s cast interview explains the supportive environment the character inhabits.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Disney keeps having a “first”
Because “first” is often attached to a narrow milestone rather than a consistent standard. A character may be the first to say a queer line in an animated Disney feature, the first described as a major gay character, or the first gay superhero in a particular franchise. Each can be technically distinct while still sounding like a sweeping company-wide breakthrough in a headline.
The useful question is not only whether a film includes a queer reference. It is whether the character has a name, relationships, meaningful presence and room to be more than proof that a studio crossed a milestone. By that measure, a passing kiss and a brief line are not equivalent to a lead character whose identity fits naturally into his life.
This ranking covers the eight entries in the 2023 8List.ph satire, not every queer character under the Disney corporate umbrella. Its sharpest target is the mismatch between repeated “first” language and portrayals that vary enormously in prominence and development.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
