Jungle Cruise may have featured a beautiful gay coming out moment, but it was later undermined by crass jokes. It's frustrating, to say the least, particularly for those in the LGBTQ+ community who have been routinely misrepresented or underrepresented by Disney on the big screen. After all, this isn't the first time the studio has promised–indeed, promoted–the inclusion of a gay character in one of its major projects. Nor is it, more significantly, the first time it has failed to fully follow through on its promise.
The biggest difference with Jungle Cruise was that McGregor was set to be Disney's first gay character in a major role and, what's more, his sexuality was promoted as being at the forefront of his story. It's a vast improvement considering the studio's history of trying to pass off blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments as legitimate LGBTQ+ representation. Even further, despite the movie's controversial casting of Jack Whitehall as McGregor, Jungle Cruise arguably exceeded expectations by granting the character an onscreen coming out moment. Though McGregor never actually used the word "gay" and instead admitted that his "interests lie happily elsewhere," the moment was, by Disney standards at least, handled beautifully and respectfully.
And yet, the moment was quickly overshadowed by a later scene filled with thinly disguised gay jokes and sexual innuendo. What's most unfortunate is that Jungle Cruise glaringly exposes how much Disney still has to learn when it comes to portraying LGBTQ+ characters and, by extension, representing the LGBTQ+ community. McGregor's coming out moment–which has never happened before in any Disney movie–could have (and should have) signaled a turning point for the studio, especially after what happened earlier this year with Cruella repeating Disney's queerbaiting problem. However, the crass jokes didn't serve McGregor's character and ultimately stole value from his coming out by undermining the very thing that had been set up in the earlier scene.
There is, of course, the argument that the jokes were harmonious with Jungle Cruise's overall comedic tone and that McGregor held agency by participating in and even instigating them. That said, while it's true that the jokes weren't specifically about his being gay, the humor was derived from a position of gay panic. For instance: McGregor asked if Frank wanted to "bite down on [his] stick" (to stifle his screams) as Lily pulled the sword from Frank's chest, to which Frank hurriedly said no. His emphatic reaction was a stark contrast to the respect and allyship he demonstrated toward McGregor when he came out to Frank. In fact, it's even worse that Frank plays a key part in the gay panic jokes. Though Dwayne Johnson is perfect as Jungle Cruise's skipper, it's significant that he was cast as the muscled, rugged, and physically indestructible character. Essentially, he embodies the conventional masculine ideal, making Frank the ultimate man's man compared to the slender, weak, and frivolous McGregor. The gay panic jokes, in turn, were made to solidify Frank's hetero-masculine status, while whittling McGregor's sexuality down to a punchline.
Narratively speaking, the gay jokes were a complete reversal of the tone and language used in McGregor's lovely coming out moment. Whereas that scene was tender and intimate, the gay jokes were aggressive and sexually charged. The inconsistency of its tone may be the overall reason why Jungle Cruise's reviews are so mixed, but it's particularly damaging for its attempt at legitimate LGBTQ+ representation. The lewdness of the jokes perpetuated the false and antiquated belief that gay men are inherently predatory or that there's something "wrong" with being gay. More grievously, the jokes misrepresent McGregor's character and the milestone he could have represented for the LGBTQ+ audience. Above all, they negate any real progress Jungle Cruise may have made (or tried to make) when it comes to repairing Disney's reputation for failing its gay characters.