'Loki' Just Confirmed A Key Part Of Loki's Sexuality And It Has The Lighting To Prove It
This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of Loki.
Marvel Studios has been hit or miss with depicting LGBTQ characters. The closest thing we had was that time a Russo brother had a throwaway line about a boyfriend in Avengers: Endgame — a scene that was criticized for its halfhearted depiction of what was meant to be the first "openly gay" character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige has promised more LGBTQ representation in Phase 4 of the MCU. And with the latest episode of Loki, we're finally seeing that promise bear fruit.
Sexuality has always been a big question mark when it comes to Loki Laufeyson of Asgard. Gender was never a barrier for the character, so why should sexuality? According to episode 3 of Loki, "Lamentis," there's never been any barrier.
In an exchange between Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia DiMartino), the two Variants muse about love and their past romances. Sylvie probes first, asking Loki, "You're a prince. Must've been would-be-princesses, or perhaps, another prince." To which Loki replies, "A bit of both. I suspect the same as you."
With that, we get the first official confirmation that Loki is bisexual, or even pansexual. This conversation confirms that Loki has had past romantic flings with both women and men (and possibly different species, if we're taking into account the mythic Norse god's sexual proclivities), though actual "love" might be a different matter. Sylvie, for that matter, is implied to be bisexual by Loki as well during this conversation, and she doesn't deny it. So we can assume that the baseline sexuality for any variation of Loki is probably bisexual, at least.
The best part of this whole revelation is that the entire episode is set on a planet that seems to be exclusively lit in purple, pink, and blue, AKA bisexual lighting. Those brilliant shades (which match the colors of the bisexual pride flag) come with the territory of a neofuturistic Blade Runner-inspired setting, but with this exchange, and Loki's fluidity when it comes to both gender and sexuality, it feels intentional. Well-played.
Loki's Sexuality in Marvel Comics
Considering the depiction of Loki's sexuality in the comics, this revelation comes as no surprise. The character was already revealed to be gender fluid, a fact that the show leaned into as soon as Sophia DiMartino waltzed in as Lady Loki (maybe). So it's only natural that the character for whom gender was never issue should approach sexuality in the same way.
In the comics, Loki has long played with gender norms, often in the name of mischief (at one point, he put Thor in a dress and kind of flirted with him). But the character has never shied away from dallying with either men or women — frequently turning into ladies, like when he stole Sif's body or assumed Scarlet Witch's form and kissed a man.
But it wasn't until 2014 that the comic series Loki: Agent of Asgard canonically established Loki as bisexual, with writer Al Ewing causing a stir within the Marvel fandom by stating, "Yes, Loki is bi and I'll be touching on that. He'll shift between genders occasionally as well." The 2019 young adult novel Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee went further to cement Loki as pansexual and gender fluid.
Will we actually get to see Loki's sexuality play a major part in the Disney+ series? Apart from that exchange, probably not — after this breather of an episode, the show will likely ramp the plot up again next week. However, Loki director Kate Herron said on Twitter that from the moment she joined the show, "it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual. It is a part of who he is and who I am too. I know this is a small step but I'm happy, and heart is so full, to say that this is now Canon in [the MCU]."
So perhaps we'll get to see Loki's now-canonical bisexuality be shown in more than just a conversation on a bisexually-lit planet.
Loki premieres new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.