With the premiere of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness this past week, we were introduced to many new MCU things: pizza balls, a superhero group with the silly name of the Illuminati, and a comic-favorite queer character: America Chavez. Played by The Baby-Sitter’s Club actor Xochitl Gomez, the multiverse-traveling hero isn’t the first LGBTQ+ character to join the MCU. Last year’s Eternals introduced Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos, while the Disney+ series Loki confirmed the titular character as bisexual.
In regards to Loki’s bisexuality being brought from the comic book pages into MCU canon, Tom Hiddleston spoke in a recent interview with The Guardian about preserving his long-time character while also adding new elements for the series.
“We all wanted to retain the integrity of the character—I wanted to make sure we didn’t lose the bits that people loved, while doing something new,” says Hiddleston. “I also hope Loki coming out as bisexual was meaningful to people who spotted it.”
Hiddleston adds, “It was a small step, and there’s further to go. But it was definitely important to all of us.”
That “small step” is definitely a good description of Loki’s LGBTQ+ representation. Loki’s one line in which he declares “a bit of both” in response to Sylvie asking if he’s been with a princesses or a princes left many LGBTQ+ viewers underwhelmed. It’s A Sin and Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies criticized the series’ handling of the situation, calling it “pathetic” and “a ridiculous, craven feeble gesture towards the vital politics and the stories that should be told.”
With a second season of Loki on the way, we’ll see if they’ll go more in-depth on the character’s bisexuality, or if Disney will find that one line as suitable LGBTQ+ representation. Until then, we’ll have to hope another bisexual superhero gets their queer love story in Thor: Love And Thunder as Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is predicted to be looking for her queen.