Loki becomes a sensation again! The new Loki episode came with good news for the LGBTQ+ community as it is officially confirmed that our God of mischief is, in fact, a non-binary entity.
Many fans were delighted to finally be able to see Tom Hiddleston’s Loki portrayed as gender fluid. It may have taken Marvel a little over a dozen years to finally hold an LGBTQ+ representation in the pride month, no less, but it’s better late than never. It’s even better to see such a prominent character be represented on screen. It is an excellent step in the right direction.
Loki’s gender fluidity in MCU was confirmed way before the episode aired, in a teaser released on Twitter where Loki’s gender is listed as “Fluid.” Sylvie is Lady-Loki. But, Loki’s gender fluidity was first confirmed in the 2014 comic “Original Sin: Thor & Loki.”
In episode 3, Loki and Sylvie bond over a train to the end of the world, where they talk about their mothers, asking how she was in both their lives and their love interests. Sylvie mentions that she has got a long-distance romance with a “Postman” across the apocalypses.
She also asks Loki if he’s had romances with other princesses or another prince, and Loki responds by saying, “A bit of both. I suspect the same as you,” but none of his relationships were ever real.
Loki’s official Twitter handle released a pre-release marketing teaser which officially confirmed Loki’s gender identity. In a ‘blink-or-you-will-miss-it’ moment when Loki’s TVA file appears as the first frame on screen, we can see that Loki’s gender is listed as “Fluid.”
Take a look at the teaser.
POV: You’ve just arrived at the TVA Marvel Studios’ #Loki starts streaming Wednesday on @DisneyPlus.
@Loki Twitter
It makes us happy to see that Loki is finally staying true to the Norse Mythology that the character is based on.
1.1 Loki’s Gender Fluidity In Norse Mythology
For those familiar with Norse Mythology, it is not much of a surprise that Loki is addressed as a gender-fluid god. For us, it has always been a fact that was left untouched. It’s about time that Loki as a Norse god, became true to his identity on MCU.
In mythology, Loki is sometimes portrayed as a male and sometimes as a female. He was even capable of shapeshifting into an animal. There is also a story where Loki turned into a mare to mate with a horse and birth a progeny.
Another instance is when Loki births the world serpent, the nemesis, to thunder god Thor. But, Loki shapeshifting into a female was more of a disguise than gender identity. Nevertheless (I’m not talking about the K-drama), Norse mythology is more accepting than other cultures regarding queer representation.
2. Loki’s Gender Fluidity Addressed In Marvel Comics
2014 comic ‘Original Sin: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm’ first confirmed that Loki is a bigender. In a scene, Loki’s adoptive father Odin refers to him as “my son, my daughter, and my child who is both.”
Another direct mention about his gender is in the same arc when Thor and Loki arrive at a female-led neighborhood. Thor refers to the women there as “fair maidens,” to which Loki replies, “so am I, sometimes.” Loki even shapeshifts into a woman in the arc and is referred to as she/her.
However, Loki’s gender identity was first hinted upon in the 2013 Young Avengers #15, wherein in a conversation with David Alleyne, Loki says, “My culture doesn’t share your concept of sexual identity.”
3. Sylvie Is Another Loki
In episode 1, TVA referred to Sylvie as a Loki Variant. And in the latter episode, She mentions how she is not a Loki anymore and goes by the name ‘Sylvie.’ She appears to be a character who is a blend of Lady Loki and Enchantress in one person.
She has chosen to be in her female persona and is definitely from a parallel timeline, just like the Loki on the series. Her appearance on the show brings an unexpected twist, which is very much appreciated, as we see them develop some sort of friendship on their way to the Ark.
I am looking forward to seeing them become better friends and wreak havoc across the timelines. Loki is available for streaming on Disney+.
4. About Loki
Loki is an American TV series created by Michael Waldron for Disney+ and Marvel. It is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with events of the series taking place after Avengers: Endgame.
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki along side new faces like Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, Eugene Cordero and Erika Coleman.
After stealing the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame, Loki is apprehended by the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA) and their Time-Keepers. Loki is given a choice between fixing all the timelines he broke with the Tesseract and death at the hands of the TVA.
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