“The ancient Egyptian elite were decorated: they shaved their heads, they wore makeup and, to our eyes, outrageous costumes – irrespective of gender,” he says. John J Johnston, an Egyptologist, classicist and cultural historian, tells me that the Egyptian emphasis on decoration - which is hyper-visible in The Mummy Returns - is particularly aesthetically appealing to the queer gaze. The setting of ancient Egypt is also particularly pleasing to gay viewers. But that doesn’t mean that Evelyn vs Anck Su Namun’s lust-driven rivalry isn’t a part of why gay men might love The Mummy Returns. It’s well noted that this dynamic, which pervades gay stan culture, can easily lapse into misogyny. As are Bridesmaids, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Real Housewives, Mean Girlsand the salivation over alleged feuds like Britney Spears vs Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey vs Jennifer Lopez. We don’t have to look far to see contemporary examples of gay men stanning female conflict: Ryan Murphy’s Feud (2017), a show which dramatised the famous Hollywood rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, is an obvious example. Part of the film revolves around Imhotep’s lover seeking vengeance on the princess (now Evelyn). In the film, Evelyn is a reincarnation of Princess Nefertiri, a sworn enemy of Anck Su Namun.
“By the end of The Mummy Returns, they're swapping the damsel-in-distress position between them: to quote Pretty Woman, she rescues him right back.”
“Weisz plays as an intellectual foil to Brendan Fraser's beefcake adventurer: they're on an equal footing,” Guy says. Rachel’s role in The Mummy Returns leans towards a classic heroine role, but it’s notable that both Evelyn and villain Anck Su Namun hold equal weight in the film to their male counterparts, which does feel unusual for 2001. Jill argues that Rachel “ushed in a wave of standom that I’ve never quite seen in the queer female community” (and she’s “ manifesting” a lesbian reboot of The Mummy too). She wrote that in 2018 (a year nicknamed “ 20gayteen” because of its significance in queer pop culture) that she became the “unofficial straight LGBTQ+ ambassador”. Culture writer Jill Gutowitz thinks Rachel’s queer icon status has grown over time. An actor idolised by gay men and lusted after by queer women, Rachel plays Evelyn Carnahan - an archaeological scholar-turned-explorer, wife of Rick and mother to eight-year-old son Alex - who truly discovered the first tomb at Stonewall. Something even more important than hot guys working up a sweat in the Sahara (if that’s possible) is the presence of Rachel Weisz.
So in terms of bringing ancient era thirst and men in eye-liner to our attention, The Mummy franchise really walked so Game of Thrones himbos - like Dothraki king Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) - could run. The Mummy Returns also features Dwayne Johnson in his first major film role, which led to his first starring role in the similarly oiled-up and scantily clad spin-off The Scorpion King (2002). For viewers who are more into baddies than daddies, Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep - an evil 3,000-year-old mummy who was accidentally awoken in the franchise’s first instalment, only to return for vengeance - is there too, constantly half naked, covered in oil and decorative jewellery.
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