Unsurprisingly, Loki director Kate Herron does not agree with Russell T. Davies’ assessment that the titular character’s coming out was a “ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture.” Herron has said before how important the moment was to her as a bisexual person, but a throwaway line that may be groundbreaking for Disney didn’t receive the same fanfare across the board.
To recap, when Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was asked on the Disney+ show if there were princes or princesses in his romantic history, he revealed, “A bit of both.” The sentiment echoed Loki’s pansexuality from Marvel comics canon, but certain fans were less than impressed, including Davies.
The Queer As Folk creator said, “Loki makes one reference to being bisexual once, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my god, it’s like a pansexual show.’ It’s like one word. He said the word ‘prince,’ and we’re meant to go, ‘Thank you, Disney! Aren’t you marvelous?’ It’s pathetic. It’s a ridiculous, craven, feeble gesture towards the vital politics and the stories that should be told.”
If there’s one person in television qualified to comment on the intersection of legacy characters and queerness, it’s Russell T. Davies. But from Herron’s perspective, the dismissal may have been a bit harsh. In a new interview with Variety, she said, “I don’t disagree that there should be bigger stories being told, but—and I think he has a right to his opinion—I’m very proud of what we did in the show. Russell is a hero of mine, but like I’ve said, I hope that we did at least open the door and that more stories will come.”
The MCU has gotten a little less straight since Loki premiered, with characters like Eternals’ Phastos (Bryan Tyree Henry) and America Chavez’s two moms in Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness. (The character, played by Xochitl Gomez, is a lesbian in comics canon, but the movie didn’t make this explicit.)
But Herron won’t be sticking around to make sure Loki lives his best bisexual life in the second season. She told Variety, “I was on the show for like three years in total. I just felt like I poured everything into it.” She continued, “It’s almost like a campfire story that every filmmaker kind of brings their take and their perspective. I just felt like I gave so much to this. I was like, ‘You know what, I feel like this was my effort for Loki. I felt like having someone new and with fresh eyes—that, for me, is what will make a good season.”
Jury’s still out if we’ll get more than a passing reference to Loki’s sexuality in season two, but we won’t hold our breath.