Shea Coulee has opened up about her Marvel role. (Jerritt Clark/Getty Images for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty Show Presented by Amazon Prime Video)
RuPaul’s Drag Race alum She Couleé is spilling the tea about her role in the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series Ironheart.
Shea Couleé’s casting in Ironheart was confirmed last week, and while details about her character remain undisclosed the non-binary drag queen told E News! on Tuesday (9 August) how exciting it will be to go “mainstream”.
“It’s really so humbling to be able to cross over into a much more mainstream avenue, and push the needle forward as far as drag is concerned, in the way that it’s consumed and in pop culture,” she told the publication.
“I’m so deeply excited for everyone to see what this role is, what it entails and everything it is,” Couleé added.
The drag icon also opened up what it’s been like working with Marvel and praised how “unbelievably open” the brand has been, as well as, receptive to her “experiences” and “expertise about drag”.
She added: “They’ve allowed me to really come in to the MCU and put my very specific Shea Couleé print on the Marvel Universe.”
When news of Shea Coulee’s casting first broke fans were gagged to see her get a massive opportunity.
The cast of Ironheart includes Dominique Thorne, Alden Ehrenreich, Anthony Ramos and Lyric Ross. The show will follow Riri Williams, played by Thorne, a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armour since Iron Man.
Couleé has said the series will be “impactful” and “smart and creative and clever and funny, and sexy. And so, so, so, so Chicago”, as reported by E News!.
The inclusion of Couleé in the Marvel universe highlights the studio’s commitment to more LGBTQ+ representation in its films.
Couleé’s casting comes after the studio introduced queer characters like Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry, in the Eternals and queer warrior Aneka, played by Michaela Coel, in the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film.
Couleé has come a long way since finishing third/fourth place in the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, alongside Trinity the Tuck.
She returned to the franchise for All Stars 5 – walking away with the crown – and again for the all-winners All Stars 7, making the final four.
Now she’s ready to make her mark on Marvel.