One of the most iconic High School Musical characters is making a major return for season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and from what we've seen in a brand new teaser, the show is making a major revelation fans have been eagerly awaiting. Lucas Grabeel, who played thespian twin Ryan Evans in the original Disney franchise, is making his way back to East High School for the fourth and final season of HSMTMTS, and it seems like we finally have solid confirmation that his character is canonically gay.
Ahead of the season's premiere on August 9, Disney+ released a teaser featuring some of the original Wildcats — namely Monique Coleman, Corbin Bleu, Kaycee Stroh, and Grabeel himself — taking on the opening number of the new season. The four stars reunite to sing a number rife with nostalgia that we can only assume will be called "High School Reunion."
Related: HSMTMTS Season 4 Trailer Teases Ricky & Gina Secretly Dating
Aside from busting out some tunes, Ryan is seen sharing a kiss with another man in the clip. "This means so much to me that you're here," Ryan says to the mysterious man backstage, played by none other than Pentatonix's Scott Hoying.
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Ryan being canonically gay in the High School Musical universe might not surprise many. Director Kenny Ortega previously explained that while the character wasn't publicly out, he was always intended to be gay. "We decided he [was] probably going to come out in college. It was less about coming out and just more about letting his true colors come forward," Ortega said in an interview in 2020. He further elaborated, saying he feared "Disney might not be ready to cross that line and move into that territory yet" in 2006 when the first movie premiered. "I took it upon myself to make choices that I felt that those who were watching would grab. They would see it, they would feel it, they would know it, and they would identify with it. And that is what happened."
Back in 2020, Grabeel also opened up about portraying an openly queer-coded character on screen while being straight himself. "As a straight white man, I know that even without trying, I have taken opportunities away from other people," the actor said at the time. "There [are] so many amazingly talented gay actors that could do it as well, so if High School Musical was made today – I don't know if I would play Ryan."
If we want to know more about Ryan's coming out and who exactly Scott Hoying will be playing, we're going to have to tune in to season 4 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series in early August.
