Since the release of Captain MarvelLGBTQ fans have been excitedly speculating about Carol Danvers' sexuality and the possibility of the MCU's first queer superhero.
Now the film's directors are finally responding to fan's, but many aren't too happy with the answer.
Imagining the wider lives of our favorite characters outside their stories has been a part of fandom since the first "and they lived happily ever after."
But sometimes leaving it up to the fans' imaginations can seem like little more than a creative cop-out that leaves fans feeling let down.
In the case of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, speculation has been running wild about the character's sexuality, but despite frequent teases about the nature of her relationship with her female BFF the film never gave fans a definitive answer.
After weeks of speculation though the film's directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have finally opened up and given fans the answer they've been asking for.
After 22 films fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were finally able to celebrate the first openly gay character to appear in the franchise with Avengers: Endgame.
Although the non-hero character who appeared briefly in the film may have felt like a small consolation prize for those hoping for wider inclusion and representation from the MCU.
But the story of Marvel's newest blockbuster Avenger, Captain Marvel, teased fans with the possibility of the franchise's first queer superhero
Throughout the film Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, shares a number of "tension" filled moments with her best friend Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) which was enough to get fans wondering about the relationship between the two characters.
And actress Brie Larson added fuel to fire of speculation when she retweeted fanart shipping her character with Tess Thompson's Asgardian warrior character Valykrie from Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.
And if all the hints and knowing looks weren't enough to convince fans Danvers' haircut was once piece of evidence that couldn't be denied.
Despite all the speculation though the film's directors, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, have been reluctant to give fans a definitive answer about the character's sexuality until now.
In an interview with ComicBookMovie.com the pair were finally put to the question and asked to settle what the movie left open about the hinted romance between Carol and Maria.
Fleck explained:
"That was one of those things when we were in the writing stage, and the sky was the limit and the movie could be anything, we were discussing: 'Are we going to get into any type of romantic relationship with this character?'"
"It wasn't like there was a philosophical opposition to pursuing that storyline; it just came down to real estate in the story we were telling. We knew we were telling a story of self discovery and we wanted friendship, and her friendship with Maria, to be a huge part of that."
According to Fleck though leaving things open about the relationship between the two characters was the best way to give all fans what they want.
"There was no room for any romantic storyline for us. I know people have made their own conclusions about that and I think that's part of the fun of making these movies is that they become the audience's movies and they get to create any kind of narrative they want for what's happening off the screen. For us, as storytellers, it's a friendship and a story about that and self discovery."
So in the end all that hopeful fans were left with was another non-answer "answer".
And in the push to achieve more representation in the MCU it's no wonder why many are feeling less than convinced by the choice to keep Captain Marvel's sexuality and open question for now
Captain Marvel is set for home release on June 11 and can be preordered here.
