[Editor’s note: The following containsspoilersforLoki, Season 1, Episode 3, “Lamentis."]
The inclusion of LGBTQ+ issues and characters within Disney-owned properties, including “groundbreaking” moments like Lefou (Josh Gad) dancing with another man in the live-actionBeauty and the Beastor characters likeCruella’s Artie (John McCrea) reading as queer, has always struggled to actually feel inclusive.
The third episode ofLokidid take a bold step towards improving on that, though: In “Lamentis,” written byBisha K. Ali, our favorite God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) is traveling by train with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a “variant” of himself from an alternate timeline. While they have some clear differences between them, there are also more than enough similarities that confirm them to be two versions of the same person — including the fact that they’re both bisexual, which is revealed in the following exchange:
Sylvie: How about you? You’re a prince. Must’ve been would-be-princesses or perhaps, another prince.
Loki: A bit of both. I suspect the same as you.
When Episode 3 premiered, directorKate Herrontook to Twitter to say why including that moment was so important to her:
And in a further interview with Collider, Herron elaborated a little more about that moment. For one thing, as she explained, “it’s canon in the comics — he’s been written as bi and also pan, and I just wanted to make sure that we were acknowledging that aspect of his personality. Because the whole show is about Loki’s identity, and it felt like, well, we should be acknowledging this.”
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Herron added that it wasn’t just important to her, but also to “the writers and the studio,” to include the bit-of-both conversation, and so the question became — when would be the best time to address it? “I think the train felt good to us because it’s a very raw conversation, they’re both opening up about their lives,” she said.
Then, the idea of how to approach it became important. “And I think we wanted to do it in a way… How to explain it? Well, if someone asks me, I would just be very matter-of-fact about it. I think that was really important to us — just normalizing the fact of him being like, ‘Yeah, a bit of both,'” she said. “I’m very proud that we got it in there and we got to acknowledge that.”
With two episodes left in the season (and an Episode 4 with no shortage of shocking moments, including the fact that Loki has developed feelings for Sylvie),Lokimay not get around to exploring this further. But what about the future — specificallyLokiSeason 2, which has not been confirmed yet buthas been suggested as a possibility by Marvel? When asked if a second season ofLokicould include a storyline where Hiddleston as Loki could have a romantic connection with a man, this was Herron’s response:
I don’t know plans for the future withLoki— I’m so focused on this story. But I would say that part of my thinking was, well, if it’s canon and it’s acknowledged, then yeah I hope there’s obviously more road to travel with that aspect of his personality. And I hope it has opened the door to more stories, definitely.
For more from Herron about the first season ofLoki, look forward to the full interview coming soon, orwatch Steve Weintraub’s previous conversation with the director. New episodes ofLokipremiere Wednesdays on Disney+.
KEEP READING:‘Loki’ Director Kate Herron on Fate vs Free Will & How Much Control Time-Keepers Actually Have
