Okay, so, a lot of you didn't see The Expendables 3 this weekend, and that's a pity. It's not because the movie's good (it isn't), it's not because the heroes of yesterday's movies need your support, and not because Sylvester Stallone is starving. Instead, it's because you missed out on a little history. Did you know there were a couple of gay Expendables? Specifically, a couple of hugely famous gay Expendables? GAY SPOILERS AHEAD!
Speaking to Grantland, director Patrick Hughes confirmed that the two characters seen canoodling at the end of The Expendables 3 are in fact a couple. From the piece, which is actually a fun read:
"Late in the film, Schwarzenegger’s Trench and Jet Li’s Yin Yang get cozy at the Expendables’ go-to bar. Stallone ribs them: 'Get a room.' But then the two seize the moment, nuzzling each other while laughing it off. Did the former-Governator just silently flip off Prop 8? Are two of the Expendables together by the end of the movie? 'I believe they are,' Hughes says, like he just got away with something amazing."
Li's Yang is not in the movie for very long, arriving at the last minute as part of Trench's "B-team" along with Harrison Ford's CIA Agent Max Drummer. While the core group does the damage from ground-level, Trench and Yang sit together in the helicopter that Drummer pilots, firing an endless number of bullets from the sky. Needless to say, it's not a great use of Schwarzenegger and Li's physical talents. But in the final scene, Li and Schwarzenegger are snuggling in the bar over a beer and whispering things in each other's ear. Schwarzenegger doesn't really cuddle Li as much as engorge him, as Schwarzenegger is much larger than the diminutive martial arts legend. It's an amusing visual.
What's interesting is where The Expendables diverts from the 80's action movies of yore. Most of these heroes would commit improbable feats of extreme strength and power, only to be "rewarded" by whomever the hottie-of-the-moment was in movies. Though he was about as sexy as a large boulder, Schwarzenegger shacked up with the likes of Sharon Stone and Jamie Lee Curtis in the 1980s and 1990s. Jet Li was less overtly sexual, though when he came to the States his characters developed romances with the likes of Carla Gugino and Aaliyah.
But The Expendables 3, so crowded with testosterone, has absolutely zero romance for anyone; the closest they gotten was Wesley Snipes asking Ronda Rousey to call him. Maybe it's a deleted scene, but I doubt she took him up on that offer. Regardless, these are basically sexless movies. So for the first hint of romance to come from Trench Mauser and Yin Yang, of all characters? It's certainly unique! Maybe for the sequel, one of the new fixes could be a peak at Trench and Yin trying to live a nice quiet life in the suburbs as the most normal couple you can imagine. Make this happen, Lionsgate!
