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lilia-calderus-pet-goat · 21 days ago

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Thunderbolts Sexuality Headcanons by a hyperfixated lesbian!!

Yelena Belova || Black Widow: aromantic, asexual. Sex repulsed, but in a queer platonic relationship with Bob. He's her platonic soulmate–an immediate connection, deeper and more intimate than the deepest of friendships. She definitely wouldn't care if he wanted to, idk, sleep with someone that isn't her. Because they aren't a couple. They have their own bond, they are each other's first priority–whatever else works for them is to be explored. It's not quite sibling-hood, it's far more affectionate than that... That being said, when it comes to the rest of the Thunderbolts, she definitely sees them as siblings. (let's pretend Antonia is included because Yelena would feel SUCH big sister energy with her. <3)

If she were to really delve into it, she's probably agender too, or a demigirl, maybe. However, she simply doesn't care enough about labels or pronouns–she dresses how she dresses, enjoys what she enjoys, feels how she feels–and doesn't care to explain it to anyone. Call her whatever pronouns you want to, she won't start an argument about it. She has a unique relationship to womanhood because of the Red Room–like it's a burden she has to carry without completely relating to what it means. An experience she holds, while not belonging to it entirely. It's a thin line. She cherishes it–but if she could be something else entirely–a rock, a wind, a beam of light–she'd prefer it. Enjoys exploring her gender expression/fashion, because she grew up completely unable to do that. She was robbed of an identity. She's making up for lost time.

Ava Starr || Ghost: Lesbian. Always feels an instant connection to queer people in general, without even knowing of their queerness. (We were ROBBED of the Ava-Antonia bond. RIP Antonia you're alive to me.) She's experienced strong comphet for years–and has flirted with men, but she can't imagine actually being with one. (I do hear the argument of her being bisexual, and I don't hate ghostwalker, but y'know.)

She's definitely demisexual, if you really delve into it. She falls in love fast, but the sexual attraction doesn't come in until way later. Like, she literally doesn't experience any physical attraction until she fully trusts someone–but she will hold their hand.

Has displayed behavior in the past that was deemed as flirtatious, but that's because she's definitely got some undiagnosed neurodivergency and can't quite grasp social cues, norms and boundaries. That being said, when she realized she was being perceived incorrectly, she really shut down the more playful/affectionate side of herself, becoming much more reserved.

Her relationship to gender is unspecified. She is Ghost, refer to her as such or not at all. (Maybe demigirl. Maybe! I doubt she knows. She's fine with she/her for sure.)

Antonia Dreykov || Taskmaster: Baby butch lesbian. That's also her gender identity: butch lesbian.

Was definitely in love with Lerato, that one girl from Black Widow. If she had survived the movie–and for argument’s sake, let's say she did–I’d loved to have seen her and Ava develop a bond–maybe even fall in love, I don't know.

Also, if she was alive, I know for a fact that Valentina would use her and Ava for PR stunts and rainbow capitalism during pride month. She has to win over the left somehow.

Robert “Bob” Reynolds || The Sentry: Bob is a hard one, because his sex drive had been completely disintegrated for a long time because of the drugs and the trauma–and his attraction to people was never a priority, never something he had time to consider. He was in too dark a place, with no guidance whatsoever. In that sense, I think he's 100% unlabeled. Even now that he's sober and slowly but surely regaining his sense of self, no label feels quite right.

He definitely grew up in a household where every little thing he did that was deemed even slightly more “feminine” got him called the f slur. Even if it was just gentility, or kindness, or softness.

Part of me thinks he could be panromantic. I don't think gender would make any difference to him at all–I think he's blind to it. He loves the person, the soul, regardless. I think he finds himself to definitely be on the ace spectrum too, maybe aceflux, but he's not sex repulsed. He's open to it. He had been sexually active way before the Sentry project, but not because of any desire to be so. Just because the other person wanted it, maybe, or as a way to get access to more drugs.)

Lastly, do I think he's 100% cis? Nah. Demiboy, maybe? As I said before, unlabeled. He'd describe his gender the same way as Yelena. If he could be a rock he'd choose to be a rock–but is still exploring his own gender expression, since he never had the chance to do so in the past.

John Walker || US Agent: American. 🦅🦅🦅

Jk, jk. Honestly, I think Walker's repressed. He definitely grew up thinking he's 100% straight, maybe sprinkle in some internalized homophobia. He's a US Military propaganda machine, an example of how America manipulates and uses veterans before their mental health goes to shit and they're no longer “useful,” thus are discarded instead. Do you think he's super sexually liberated? Nuh uh. Of course not.

He definitely likes woman. Female lean, for sure. That being said–he was hopelessly in love with Lamar Hoskins, the same way Achilles was hopelessly in love with Patroclus. Does it excuse the outburst? The entirety evil abuse of his power and authority? No, of course not, but his feelings for Lamar were incredibly layered.

I think Walker would feel uncomfortable at first, as the others would come out one by one–and he'd pretend not to care. Eventually, he'd develop a special bond of trust with Ava and tell her about Lamar. (all questioning men need an emotional support lesbian!!) Then she'd tell him that, “well my guy, that's kinda gay.” I don't think he'd ever really label himself as bisexual, saying he's like, 99% straight with like, some exceptions. The others endlessly tease him about it–and about all the sweaty men in his working out posters and magazines. That being said, he's 100% a cis man.

Alexei Shostakov || Red Guardian: Like, straight? Has gotten boners while looking at pictures of Lenin and always found the Winter Soldier strangely hot. He also sometimes says some suspicious shit about his old comrades–but overall? Pretty straight. Was raised pretty conservatively but never cared too much about people's sexuality. Now, when it comes to his own... He's like, thought about it ever since joining this group? Because he wants to relate with them? So he's like. “I could ride my comrade........ maybe..... no I couldn't-” and then imagines himself having say gex, gets grossed out, moves on. This is like, a monthly occurance. HE REALLY WISHES HE WAS INTO MEN, so that he could relate to “THE LITTLE GAY PEOPLE” in his team. But, what can you do? He likes Melina. And honestly–who can blame him? He's also very much cisgender.

James “Bucky” Barnes: Cis. Bisexual with a heavy male lean OR gay with some internalized homophobia. He got more comfortable with it in the 21st century, after TFATWS. For all the flirting he did with women, the moment Steve did the same, this boy was internally tweaking.

This should be no surprise to anyone–Bucky has been Marvel’s favorite source of queerbaiting for as long as he's been in the MCU. Between Steve and Sam, Bucky comes with the shield in more ways than one, that's for sure.

His intense gay staring at Sam? The way Steve's voice and words were enough to pierce through his winter soldier mind control? His utter devotion to each of them, the pedestal he had them on? The mention of his online dating history in TFATWS, in which he vaguely mentioned that a lot of the profiles he looked through had profile pictures of people with tigers and shit–suggesting that he was looking at men's profiles–and addressed ever-so-vaguely by the show runner, telling people to “keep watching” without ever giving queer audiences the catharsis they hoped for. Anyways. Sambucky and Stucky real!

Melissa “Mel” Gold: Cis. Also, the biggest bisexual to ever bisexual. Was she attracted to Bucky? Yes. (although I don't find their relationship romantic at all, more like, a failed attempt at guidance.) But she also has her weird, toxic, problematic devotion to Val. Val shaped her worldview when she was still young–and part of her will always be loyal to her, because by now it's instinct. And she no longer regards Val as infallible or admirable. She knows what Val is–she's seen her miscalculate, she's seen her messed up, she's seen her vulnerable and human. And she knows more than anyone that Val isn't a good person at all. Still. She's in too deep, now. I could make an entire separate post on this dynamic.

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine: Sees men as a means to an end. Also seems women as a means to an end, but a hotter one. She's a cis lesbian, technically, but not culturally queer. She doesn't have an inch of internalized homophobia within her. She's fine. She doesn't care. She just cares about her public image, about having control–curated control.

Her marriage to Everett Ross was a PR move. She did have some genuine affection for him, for a while, but no attraction. Not really. So, she's not openly a lesbian, not at work, but also, she doesn't hide/deny it in private settings. She holds the power to squash any rumour that actually poses a threat, after all. And even if it got out somehow, she'd find her way around it.

She's the first to engage in meaningless rainbow capitalism–to change the profile pictures to rainbow logos–to come up with vaguely pride flag colored ‘New Avengers’ merch during pride month, and leave no trace of it the moment July hits. She's never cared to attend pride, never cared to fall deeply in love. Also, she only applies rainbow capitalism under democratic goverments. When the republicans are in office, It's radio-silent from miss Valentina. She squashes homophobia and bigotry in her personal life–but in business? She's no activist.

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