Eternals & Hawkeye Earn Award For Authentic Disability Representation
MCU projects Eternals and Hawkeye have both earned a new honor for representation of a disability in media. The Chloé Zhao-directed Eternals featured deaf actor Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, an Eternal with super-speed. Throughout the film, Makkari communicates with her teammates using American Sign Language. In the Disney+ series Hawkeye, Alaqua Cox starred as Maya Lopez, the deaf leader of the Track Suit Mafia. Her disability is a defining feature of her character as she embraces it and encourages Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), who now experiences hearing loss, to do the same.
Per THR, Eternals and Hawkeye have both been awarded the Seal of Authentic Representation by the Ruderman Family Foundation, an organization that advocates for the inclusion of disabled people in media. The award specifically recognizes the achievements of shows and movies with disabled actors that have at least five lines of dialogue. And Just Like That..., Ordinary Joe, and Only Murders in the Building also received this honor.
Related: One Eternals Theory Makes Makkari's Powers Even Better
In a statement, Zhao shared her joy over having Ridloff as part of the Eternals team, adding that, "She has brought this character to life with love and conviction and has taught us so much in the process." MCU casting director Sarah Finn called Ridloff a real-life hero and spoke of Cox's importance to the franchise. There is little question that both actresses have made an impact on the franchise and will continue to do so going forward. Cox will return to Disney+ in a new Hawkeye spin-off focused on her character titled Echo, while Ridloff will presumably be involved with a potential Eternals sequel. As seen with this honor, representation matters, and it is
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