Loki director responds to coming out scene criticism
Back in 2021, the creator of queer shows It’s a Sin and Queer as Folk Russell T. Davies offered criticism after the Disney+ Loki show featured a scene where the trickster god effectively confirmed that he identifies as bi or pansexual.
In the scene, Loki is speaking to an alternate, female version of himself who asks what his romantic interests look like. The Norse god responds that he likes “a little bit of both,” indicating that he’s attracted to both men and women. This is the only moment where Loki’s sexuality is addressed in the show.
“Loki makes one reference to being bisexual once, and everyone’s like: ‘Oh my god, it’s a pansexual show,'” Davies said in a video panel from July 2021. “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.”
On Wednesday, Variety published an interview with Loki’s director Kate Herron (who identifies as queer) where she responded to the criticism.
“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,” Herron said. “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.”
Herron will not continue as Loki’s director for its second season. She told Variety that she had a “conversation” with Marvel about it, but ultimately decided she wanted to move on from the project.
“I was on the show for like three years in total,” she told Variety. “I just felt like I poured everything into it. 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.”
Whatever the queer trickster god’s future holds, it will be in fresh hands for season 2.
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