Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is canonically queer, officially. (Spoilers ahead.)
In the latest episode of the Disney+ spin-off, the God of Mischief teams up with Loki variant Sylvie (played by British actress Sophia Di Martino) on a mission to Lamentis-1, a moon soon to be crushed by a planet.
While investigating how to recharge Sylvie’s TemPad – a teleportation device – the pair sneak onto a train and have a heartfelt discussion about their respective mothers, how they were adopted and, of course, love. Loki asks her, “On the subject of love, is there a lucky beau waiting for you at the end of this crusade?”
Sylvie says she’s “managed to maintain quite a serious long-distance relationship” with a postman whilst “running across time from one apocalypse to another,” and that people are “willing in the face of certain doom.”
“How about you? You’re a prince. Must’ve been would-be princesses, or perhaps another prince,” she asks Loki, which prompts him to take a moment before responding: “A bit of both, I suspect the same as you. But nothing ever…”
Sylvie finishes: “Real.”
Although Loki’s sexuality has been explored in the comics, canonically identifying as pansexual, the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character has failed to touch upon this side to the Asgardian trickster, until now that is. (FYI, there are no labels attached to MCU Loki’s sexuality as of writing.)
Prior to the show’s release, it was also confirmed that Loki identifies as gender-fluid. With both reveals, it’s clear Marvel execs are making good on their promise and ushering in a brand new era of diversity and inclusivity.
In an interview with Out, Hiddleston said he’s “known about the breadth of Loki’s identity” since he was first cast as the character in 2011, and did a “really deep dive” into the character’s arc, which spans thousands of years.
“There’s been a fluidity about Loki that I found really interesting and compelling and very much a part of the fabric of the character,” said Hiddleston. “It was really thrilling to get to touch on that this time around.”
Hiddleston also said that the MCU’s commitment to more diversity and inclusivity – which we will also see with Tessa Thompson and Brian Tyree Henry’s characters in Thor: Love and Thunder and Eternals, respectively – is “really exciting”.
“The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding and quite correctly, is so much more inclusive,” the Emmy-nominated actor added. “I think it creates unbelievable possibility, a world of opportunity and storytelling which we haven’t seen yet.
“Thrilled to be part of it, and can’t wait to see where it goes.”
Loki, which premiered 8 June on Disney+, takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and follows an alternative version of Loki who escapes imprisonment from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and creates a new timeline.
It also stars Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius, an agent of the Time Variance Authority, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, a judge at the TVA, and Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, a high-ranking hunter at the TVA. Richard E. Grant, Sasha Lane, Erika Coleman and Eugene Cordero round out the cast.
Loki marks the third Disney+ series sharing continuity with the films in the MCU after WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, both of which received universal critical acclaim and set viewing records for the streamer.
Following Loki will be Black Widow on 7 July (the first MCU film since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on 3 September, Eternals on 5 November and Spider-Man: No Way Home on 17 December.
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