Tom Hiddleston acknowledged in a recent interview with The Guardian that Loki coming out as bisexual on the character’s eponymous Disney+ series was only “a small step” and that “there’s further to go” when it comes to representing the comic book character’s sexuality on screen. Loki came out on the third episode of the series after telling Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) that he’s had a romantic past with both princes and princesses. That line of a dialogue was the extent to which “Loki” addressed the character’s bisexuality.
“I was just really honored to be asked,” Hiddleston said about getting his own Disney+ series to lead. “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. I also hope Loki coming out as bisexual was meaningful to people who spotted it. It was a small step, and there’s further to go. But it was definitely important to all of us.”
Di Martino told Variety that having Loki come out as bisexual was important for series director Kate Herron, who “wanted that to be represented in the show.” The actor added, “I think people have been waiting a long time for it. The comic books allude to it and even the Norse mythology, I think. It’s been around for so long, and it was really important to her to have that in the show….I’ve got to say how happy it makes me that people are happy to see that.”
Not everyone was thrilled with the way “Loki” handled the character’s coming out. “It’s a Sin” and “Queer as Folk” creator Russell T. Davies slammed the show for boiling down Loki’s sexuality to a single line of a dialogue and then never mentioning it again.
“‘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,” Davies said earlier this year. “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.”
Herron originally celebrated the moment by writing on Twitter: “From the moment I joined ‘Loki’ it was very important to me, and my goal, to acknowledge Loki was bisexual. 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 a later interview with Collider, Herron expressed hope that future MCU projects would further explore the character’s sexuality. The director said, “I don’t know plans for the future with Loki — I’m so focused on this story,” Herron said. “But I would say that part of my thinking was, well, if it’s canon and it’s acknowledged, then yeah I hope there’s obviously more road to travel with that aspect of his personality. And I hope it has.”
“Loki” is now streaming on Disney+. A second season of the show is expected to arrive in the future.
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