Marvel Studios has its first official LGBTQIA+ superhero — or, depending on your point of view, supervillain.
SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you haven’t seen Season 1, Episode 3 of “Loki,” streaming now on Disney Plus. Marvel Studios has its first official LGBTQIA+ superhero — or, depending on your point of view, supervillain. On the latest episode of the Disney Plus series “Loki,” Tom Hiddleston’s titular god of mischief confirms what had been long established in the pages of Marvel comics, that he is bisexual (or, just as likely, pansexual). It happens during a conversation Loki has with a Loki “variant” named Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), who revealed herself at the end of last week’s episode just as she launched her grand scheme to wreak havoc on the Time Variance Authority. As they sit on a train waiting to arrive at a critical destination, the discussion turns to love. Sylvie says she’s been in “a serious, long-distance relationship with a postman” while she skitters through time and across apocalypses to avoid detection by the TVA. Then she asks Loki if he has a paramour. “You’re a prince,” she says. “Must’ve been would-be-princesses.” Then, with a knowing jump of her eyebrows: “Or perhaps, another prince.” After a beat, Loki says, “A bit of both — I suspect the same as you.” It’s a quiet moment that passes quickly, as Loki and Sylvie’s plan to escape the doomed planet of Lamentis 1 collides into a series of escalating roadblocks. But seeing as it comes during Pride Month — and on a planet bathed in the pink, purple, and deep blue color scheme of the bisexual flag — it certainly seems like Marvel Studios recognizes that Loki’s casual revelation of his sexuality would carry significant meaning for many LGBTQIA+ fans. And yet, in 2021, it feels a bit odd to be celebrating this fleeting acknowledgment as a milestone in queer representation when there are so many other examples of superhero TV shows embracing it. The CW’s “Batwoman” centers on two lesbian superheroes — Kate Kane (played by Ruby Rose in Season 1, and Wallis Day in Season 2) and Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie).
