LOS ANGELES, March 11, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― The production chief for Marvel Studios has added fuel to rumors that its next on-screen leading man will be same-sex attracted.

On March 1, the “That Hashtag Show” website published a rumor that an “openly gay” man will be cast as the lead of Marvel Studios’ 2020 superhero movie "The Eternals."

“As Marvel Studios begins its search for the cast of the 2020 feature film, 'The Eternals,' we at 'That Hashtag Show' have learned that they are looking to cast an openly gay actor for a lead role in the film,” Charles Murphy wrote.

According to Murphy, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige stated last year that the company was “working towards bringing a new LGBTQ character to the mix in the near future.”

“As it turns out, that future is nearly upon us as the studio searches for an actor, 30-49, who ‘physically looks like a superhero’ for one of the film’s leads,” Murphy continued.

“While the studio is open to actors of all ethnicity, they would prefer the role to go to an openly gay actor.”

At the March 7 Los Angeles premiere of the heroine-led “Captain Marvel,” Marvel production chief Victoria Alonso told Variety at the studio was committed to “diversity.”

“I’m so passionate about this, I’ve got to tell you,” she told the reporter.

"Our entire success is based on people that are incredibly different. Why wouldn’t we? Why would we only want to be recognized by only one type of person? Our audience is global, is diverse, is inclusive,” Alonso continued.

“If we don’t do it that way for them, we will fail. If we don’t put pedal to the metal on the diversity and the inclusivity, we will not have continued success. Our determination is to have that for all of the people out there watching our movies.”

Asked if the world was ready for “an openly gay superhero,” Alonso affirmed that it was.

“The world is ready,” she said firmly. “The world is ready.”

There are already a number of same-sex attracted superheroes in the comic book universe. According to Looper.com, they include Northstar, a Canadian “mutant” and Marvel’s first LGBT character; the X-Men’s Iceman, a character who debuted in the 1960s but “came out” as gay in 2015; and Rictor, whose 2009 kiss with another male superhero was Marvel Comics’ first depiction of a same-sex sexual act. Batwoman, who was introduced in the 1950s as a love interest for Batman, was reintroduced by DC comics as a same-sex attracted woman in 2006.

Captain America, however, remains himself: