The Old Guard 2: How the Charlie Theron movie reframes queer romance through immortality

The Old Guard 2 is the sequel to The Old Guard, which came out in 2020 and redefined the action genre with ancient curses and stories that spanned centuries. It broke apart from the usual action movies that often just focus on the brawls. What we got was something that felt refreshing, and we could not wait for its sequel.

When it comes to action movies, especially those with fantasy elements woven into the narrative, love stories are usually left hanging somewhere between a forehead kiss and a tragic death. And let's not talk queer love stories. They are accompaniments for us to enjoy on the side and are often coded. But The Old Guard boldly brings them to the center. And now, with The Old Guard 2, it’s all doubled down.

This sequel leans into love and partnership. The love portrayed in the movie is not perfect, even though it's old. It is just as human as it can get — messy and aching kind. Additionally, the fact that this franchise gives us two queer relationships, both central to the movie, is kind of a big deal.

Joe and Nicky’s as well as Andy and Quynh's relationships aren't ignored. They become the emotional center of The Old Guard 2. Their bond is mythic and also quite devastating in ways that make your chest feel a bit heavier just thinking about it. They are reflections of what it means to love when time has no end, and what it does to you when it might feel like it.

The Old Guard 2: Queerness as power, pain, and protest

Let’s start with Joe and Nicky, because frankly, they are relationship goals. They finish off bad guys together and also complete each other’s thoughts. These two have been together for centuries. And that means their love is weathered, tested, and still tender.

Theirs is a kind of radicalism: Two men, deeply in love, who have long stopped apologizing for taking up space. In a movie full of brutal deaths and immortal healing, Joe and Nicky are a reminder that softness can survive, too.

Now contrast that with Andy and Quynh. Their love is a storm. It is one that started lifetimes ago and never really ended, even after Quynh being trapped in the iron maiden under the sea for 500 years. In The Old Guard 2, their reunion is anything but gentle.

Quynh isn’t the same person Andy lost. She is something sharper, broken in different places. And Andy is carrying centuries of guilt for a betrayal she never intended. Is it love between them? Maybe. Or maybe it is grief, twisted into something unnameable. That’s the beauty of it. It doesn’t need a label.

Together, these two relationships tell us something rare in blockbuster storytelling: Queerness is revolution. Joe and Nicky remind us that love can be domestic, even mundane, without losing its gravity. Andy and Quynh show us the darker side: The rage of abandonment, the pain of being remembered wrong.

And through it all, The Old Guard 2 insists that these stories matter. And maybe that is the biggest flex of this franchise.

Trending

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback