Warning - This article contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Loki.
After having spent years playing second fiddle to Thor, Loki has finally allowed the God of Mischief to stand alone as a character in his own right, leading to some long-awaited reveals from Tom Hiddleston's character.
One of the biggest revelations to come out of the Disney+ series' premiere episode was the confirmation that, much like in Marvel Comics, Hiddleston's Loki is gender fluid, meaning he doesn't identify as one particular gender.
As the series reaches the halfway mark on its six-episode first season, viewers have finally been properly introduced to Sophia Di Martino's female Loki variant, now officially named Sylvie.
As the two variants spent a great deal of time together on the episode's thrilling adventure, there were also plenty of intriguing character moments and another major reveal regarding the God of Mischief's identity.
CAST AND CREW REACT TO BISEXUALITY REVEAL
Loki's third installment, “Lamentis,” saw the two Loki variants spend a great deal of time together as they tried to recharge a stolen TVA TemPad in order to escape a moon on the brink of destruction.
As Hiddleston's Loki and Di Martino's Sylvie rode on the Ark escape vessel across Lamentis-1, the two sat down for a surprisingly deep personal conversation regarding their love lives and places in the universe.
During this conversation, it was revealed both Loki variants are bisexual as Sylvie asks Hiddleston's character if there are any princesses or princes in his life, to which he revealed there have been “a bit of both,” suspecting that she would be the same:
SYLVIE: “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.”
Following the revelation, Loki director Kate Herron shared on Twitter that including Loki's sexual identity was “very important to her” as it is “a part of who he is and who [she is] too.” Herron went on to describe this as a “small step,” but her “heart is so full” to be able to “say that this is now Canon in [the MCU]:”
“From the moment I joined [Loki] 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].”
Following the director's tweet, Sylvie actress Sophia Di Martino took to Twitter to draw particular attention to the lighting in the scene, asking fans to “look at that beautiful lighting.”
Throughout the train sequence and much of the episode as a whole, a combination of purple, pink, and blue lights are used. This unique visual style is often used in both nightclubs and within studio productions to represent bisexual characters, a clever choice on Herron's part.
THE MCU'S FIRST LGBTQIA+ LEAD
Loki's gender fluidity and bisexuality have been key parts of the character in both Marvel Comics and Norse Mythology for some time now. After ten years of Tom Hiddleston's God Mischief in the MCU, it's exciting to see these critical parts of Loki translated into live-action.
While there have been hints towards LGBTQIA+ identities for some characters in the past, Joe Russo's Avengers: Endgame cameo character was previously the only character to be officially recognized as such in the cinematic universe.
With this reveal having been such a long time coming, many viewers will be thrilled to see Hiddleston's God of Mischief formally become the first LGBTQIA+ lead character in the MCU.
Going into Phase 4, representation appears to be important to Marvel and Disney moving forward with November's Eternals also set to feature a gay character in Brian Tyree Henry's Phastos.
The first three episodes of Loki are streaming now on Disney+ while the series will return with its fourth installment on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
