*SPOILERS FOR SHAZAM!
The DC Comics superhero movie Shazam!, with an exclamation point, is on a strong trajectory to reach the $50 million mark by this weekend after an impressive debut.
That is a respectable box office estimate, according to Variety, given the fact that Warner Bros. produced Shazam! for $80 million, roughly half the cost of Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
Those who already made it to theaters saw Zachary Levi as the adult version of teenage foster child Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) go head to head against his nemesis Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana after discovering the power to transform into an adult superhero, named oddly enough Captain Marvel, by saying "Shazam!".
Yes, DC and Marvel comics both introduced a character named Captain Marvel. DC's version came out in December 1939. Marvel's was introduced in 1967.
But eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed the introduction of a gay superhero, albeit a temporary thing.
It's about time.
In the film, Captain Sparkle Fingers, aka Captain Marvel, aka Shazam, passes on his zapping powers to his foster siblings to help him take down the vengeful physicist.
You can see the Sparkle Fingers reference here.
SHAZAM! - Official Trailer 2 - Only In Theaters April 5youtu.be
And Captain Marvel provides them all with the safest place to seek refuge – a strip club. While the seedy location sparks varying reactions from the other foster siblings, Pedro remains unfazed and simply utters, "Not my thing."
For some audience members, Pedro's line was enough to indicate he is not into women, clothed or otherwise.
Uproxx said if that is indeed the case, Hollywood just introduced the first gay superhero in both the DC extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, once Pedro got his own lightning bolt.
Fans wanted to clarify if their instincts were right.
Twitter said, "duh."
Those with a finely-tuned gaydar picked up on a signal and said "yaas!"
Shazam! director David F. Sandberg and producer Peter Safran teased before the movie's premiere on April 5 that it may feature an LGBTQ+ hero.
Sandberg told Pink News:
"Don't want to put spoilers [out there] or anything … but I think you will see one sooner rather than later."
Mark Strong, who plays the nefarious Doctor Sivana, believes that the introduction of a gay hero is long past due.
"[I don't think we're] very far at all. Society is changing—people are becoming much more inclusive, they're becoming aware of people who have been excluded."
"The more the merrier, I say. I think it's time."
Marvel's production chief Victoria Alonso also announced that "the world is ready" for a gay superhero, but it looks as if Warner Brothers beat them to it with Pedro.
This year, the MCU featured its first female superhero with Captain Marvel, but Warner Brothers had Marvel beat with Wonder Woman in 2017.
Both studios have yet to feature a lead LGBT character in their films.
