Tom Hiddleston Will Be Bisexual In Disney+ Loki Series
Tom Hiddleston will be playing a new facet of Loki in the upcoming Disney+ series.
Tom Hiddleston has made a definitive impression as the often villainous Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He will be headlining the Loki series on Disney+ and a new rumor suggests that the character could be getting an interesting twist to his character.
Insider Daniel Richtman (via We Got This Covered) is reporting that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will be revealed to be bisexual in the upcoming Disney+ streaming series. The show is highly rumored to feature Loki in a multitude of different timelines and in various forms, including switching between male and female forms. Along with this, Loki will have two love interests in the show: one woman and one man. The assumption is that he will be in the opposite sex form of his counterpart romantic interest.
This is an intriguing wrinkle to the character of Loki and one that has a basis in the comics. Tom Hiddleston has obviously shown off Loki’s shape-shifting powers throughout his appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. This fluidity to his physical appearance seems like something that would inform his character in a big way. For a show that is going to give us our deepest exploration of Loki yet, it makes sense to consider how that shape-shifting ability would play into his feelings towards other people.
It is not just the lead character’s sexual attraction that Loki could explore. Tom Hiddleston could outright play Loki as gender-fluid, which has a basis in both the Marvel comic books and the Norse mythology that formed the foundations of the character. If these are some of the ideas that Loki plans to explore, it could end up being one of the most progressive entries in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, it is important to consider a few things with this report. One is that we have not heard any confirmation from Tom Hiddleston or Marvel Studios about this, so it should be taken as a rumor for the time being. However, we have seen set photos that confirm there will be a female Loki, so that at least tracks with this news. Also, it isn’t clear how prominent this aspect could be in the series.
For example, saying that Tom Hiddleston will be playing Loki as bisexual immediately has connotations that the male form of Loki will be attracted to both women and men. If the series is also going to play around with Loki’s gender-fluid nature, Loki’s bisexual nature might not be as foregrounded since he could be in heterosexual relationships in his different gender forms. To say he is “bisexual” is technically true, but it is not the same definition that we might immediately understand.
This certainly opens up a stimulating conversation about bisexual and gender-fluid representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Disney certainly wants to showcase diversity in its major intellectual properties, but they don’t want to be so blatant with it that they can’t easily hide it. Take for example the lesbian kiss that took place in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. It was an extremely minor moment that was even cut from international versions. These minimal acts allow them some semblance of progressive PR, but it is clearly manufactured to be erasable or ignored.
Could the same happen with Tom Hiddleston and these non-heteronormative elements in Loki? Will the show technically manage to showcase bisexuality and gender-fluidity but will be able to hand-wave it away through strategic writing? That actually sounds like something that Disney would do. Creating a version of Loki that is openly and proudly queer in some ways would cause an uproar from bigots, so Disney will likely try to get away with it but in as covertly a way as possible.
Again, this is all rumor right now so we will have to wait and see if Tom Hiddleston will eventually be playing Loki as bisexual. He has done an incredible job with the role over the last decade, and it would be awesome to see him add this new level of depth to the character. And if this does end up being true, it is going to be fascinating watching how the Disney+ series actually implements this new dimension to Loki’s character.
