With Pride Month here, companies everywhere are getting ready for rainbow capitalism and lip service, but Disney Plus has managed to forget its greatest LGBTQ+ hero in its Pride collection – Loki.
The first openly queer character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in the eponymous series, but somehow the god of mischief has been completely left out of the streaming service’s Pride collection.
The collection features plenty of other Marvel Cinematic Universe properties with queer characters, including Runaways, Eternals, and Jessica Jones, but without Loki, it’s an incomplete collection. Loki is confirmed to be both gender fluid and bisexual in the Disney Plus original, accurately reflecting the comic book source material.
Sylvie: How about you? You’re a prince. Must’ve been would-be princesses. Or perhaps another prince.
Loki: A bit of both. I suspect the same as you. But nothing ever…
Sylvie: Real.
The absence of Loki has been felt, with many on social media expressing their shock and disappointment in him being erased from the collection.
Disney has copped heat over the last few years for what has been seen as highly performative gestures towards equality when there have been many cases of the Mouse House actively attempting to get rid of LGBTQ+ representation in their films. The “Don’t Say Gay” bill saw a flip-flop from Disney, culminating in Disney revoking its support for the bill, but losing out on a special tax status in Florida.
Marvel Studios has taken a much more progressive stance towards inclusion, with the company actively pushing for characters like America Chavez to be at the forefront of its blockbusters like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Loki season 2 is currently in production, with the entire cast returning for the follow-up to the multiverse and timeline shenanigans.