Couleé has also been featured in several editions of Vogue, and she has appeared on the covers of many world-renowned publications including Out, Entertainment Weekly, Gay Times, and the fashion magazine Metal. In 2021 Couleé launched a podcast series titled Wanna Be on Top, which explores the world of America’s Next Top Model. It premiered at No. 1 on Apple Podcasts.
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At the moment Coulee’s role is unknown, and it is unclear whether she will be making a cameo appearance as herself, or playing an original character. Some fans have already speculated that Couleé will play the Marvel Comics character Shade. Created by writer Sina Grace and artist Nathan Stockman, Shade is a drag queen superhero (and a mutant) who also sometimes goes by the alias Darkveil. This would be fitting since Couleé is actually one of the drag performers who was cited by Grace as an inspiration for the character, along with fellow Drag Race celebrities, Monét X Change and The Vixen.
Ironheart will star Dominique Thorne as Marvel Comics character Riri Williams, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man. Actor Alden Ehrenreich was also recently cast in the series in an unknown role, although he is rumored to be playing Ezekiel Stane, the son of Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges).
While nothing is set in stone at the moment, the introduction of Shade to the MCU would fit with the current direction that the MCU is going. The fact that Shade is a mutant and has been a member of the X-Men hints that the MCU will continue to bring in more characters from that universe into the fold. Recently, in the Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel, it was revealed that the title character, Kamala Khan, is actually a mutant in the MCU, changing her comic book origin as an inhuman.
While Marvel doesn’t seem to have any specific X-Men plans in the coming years, the studio may continue to sprinkle in mutants throughout phase 5. Shade is also one of several X-Men characters who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, making her potential inclusion in the MCU a significant step forward for Queer representation for Marvel.
Ironheart is currently slated to premiere sometime in Fall 2023 on Disney Plus.
MORE: Marvel’s Ironheart: What We Know So Far
Source: Deadline
