Hours after the third episode of “Loki” premiered on Disney+, the show’s director confirmed the titular character is bisexual, making Loki the first queer lead character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In the episode, Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki has a conversation with Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), an alternate-reality female version of himself, about his love interests.
“What about you? You’re a prince,” Sylvie says to Loki. “Must have been would-be princesses. Or perhaps another prince?”
“A bit of both,” Loki responds. “I suspect the same as you.”
“Loki” director Kate Herron confirmed the character’s sexuality in a tweet Wednesday, adding that “it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual.”
Spoilers! What that mystery ‘Loki’ character means for Marvel’s trickster god
She added: “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 #mcu #Loki.”
The confirmation of Loki’s sexuality comes amid fan criticism of Marvel’s lack of representation of LGBTQ characters, despite their appearance in the Marvel comics. (Comic writers had previously indicated Loki was bisexual.)
The “God of Mischief” isn’t the first LGBTQ character to appear in the MCU.
Valkyrie, from the 2017 film “Thor: Ragnarok,” played by Tessa Thompson, was also confirmed to be bisexual.
“She’s bi,” Thompson wrote in a tweet at the time. “And yes, she cares very little about what men think of her. What a joy to play!”
Marvel’s upcoming film “The Eternals” will also feature the franchise’s first openly gay superhero Phastos, played by Brian Tyree Henry.
More:Carl Nassib just came out as gay. But could coming out as LGBTQ be over someday?
Di Martino also alluded that the use of lighting in the episode resembled the bisexual pride flag.
“And look at that beautiful lighting,” she wrote, along with a screenshot of the scene between Loki and Sylvie.
More:LGBTQ Pride flags go beyond the classic rainbow. Here’s what each one means
Fans on Twitter reacted positively to Loki’s bisexuality.
“obsessed w the way the entire episode was bi lighting” wrote @nebulasloki. “not just a scene but the whole entire planet. go big or go home in true loki fashion.”
“Them: ‘Why is it so important that we know #Loki is bi? It’s not relevant to the story!’ ” wrote @CodySDax. “It’s so you learn to stop having microaggressions every time a queer character is allowed to exist and even casually talk about their experiences.”
“We don’t have to justify our existence,” the Twitter user added.
“#loki being confirmed bisexual during pride month? so true of them,” wrote @wintersloki.
This is America: ‘If your Pride isn’t intersectional, it’s not Pride’
