Clearly, someone at Marvel is as obsessed with Heartstopper as the rest of us…
This week, rumors began circulating around the internet that none other than Nick Nelson himself, Kit Connor, was being eyed for a plum new role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
According to sources at @MyCosmicCircus and @MyTimeToShineH—two accounts known for their movie scoops—the studio wants the 20-year-old Heartstopper star to play the character Teddy Altman, a.k.a. Hulkling, across its super-powered franchise.
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Connor, who came out as bisexual in 2022, has been acting for the past decade, but no doubt had his biggest breakthrough thanks to the smash-hit Netflix romance. Since Heartstopper premiered, he’s been tapped for a key voice role in DreamWorks’ upcoming animated adventure The Wild Robot, Civil War filmmaker Alex Garland’s star-studded next movie Warfare, and a buzzy new Broadway adaptation of Romeo & Juliet opposite Rachel Zegler.
Of course, a role in the MCU only promises to push Connor further into the spotlight—especially if those Hulkling rumors are true.
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Who is Marvel’s Hulkling and why do the gays care?
Hulkiling, as his name might imply, is a young, green, muscle-clad hero with super-strength and shapeshifting abilities not unlike his namesake, The Incredible Hulk. In the comics (he was first introduced in 2005’s Young Avengers #1), as Teddy Altman discovers his powers, he learns he’s actually a hybrid of two alien races, the Skrull and the Kree, who pop up frequently across the MCU.
Plus, he’s canonically gay, making Hulkling one of Marvel’s most prominent LGBTQ+ superheroes—and making Connor an even more perfect fit for the role!
It’s unclear whether the hero would be at the center of his own series or movie, but fans have long been speculating that the MCU is slowly building to its own version of the Young Avengers team, of which Hulkling is a founding member.
The evidence? The Young Avengers roster has frequently changed over the years, but many prominent members have already appeared in Marvel movie/TV properties: Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez made her debut in Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness, the Hawkeye series introduced us to Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, and Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang played an important role in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.
But there’s at least one more teen superhero on the team audiences could be meeting very soon—and this is where Connor’s potential casting gets extra interesting.
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Why Kit Connor’s Hulkling could mean big things for Marvel—and Heartstopper fans!
In the comics, Hulkling is in a romantic relationship with his fellow Young Avenger, Wiccan, a hero with magical powers of sorcery whose twin Speed is also on the team. Eventually, the brothers learn they are the reincarnated sons of original Avengers members Scarlet Witch and Vision.
Now, we don’t know how closely you’ve been following along with all of this MCU business, but the Scarlet Witch-focused Disney+ series Wandavision saw that powerful hero attempt to settle down and start a family while contending with her own unruly powers. Though she tragically learns the twin sons she’s been raising were the manifestation of her chaotic magic, it certainly left the door open for the boys to appear again…
Like in Agatha All Along, perhaps? The upcoming Wandavision spinoff follows Scarlet Witch adversary Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) on a quest to regain her powers, assembling a coven along the way—including a mysterious character played by Joe Locke, Connor’s Heartstopper screen partner!
Since Locke’s casting announcement, we’ve wondered if he might be playing a version of the character Wiccan, since he certainly fits the bill! Marvel’s been coy about his role in Agatha All Along thus far, crediting his character only as “Teen,” though Locke did just confirm to Rolling Stone that his character is gay.
Are you picking up what we’re putting down here?
If the casting rumors and fan speculation are true, we could be heading toward Kit Connor and Joe Locke together again for Marvel—playing young lovers Hulkling and Wiccan, no less!
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It’s like Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring would find each other in any universe—even the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So, phew, are you still with us? That was a lot of lore to sift through. But that is exactly why the potential superhero role for Connor has Heartstopper fans like us especially excited.
Below, check out some of our favorite reactions to the rumors from the denizens of Gay Twitter™:
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