Marvel Studios has officially launched Phase 4 of their cinematic universe which will incorporate both television and movies into the broader scale of the brand canon. With the arrival of new additions into the long-running and iconic franchise, Marvel will celebrate their LGBTQIA+ characters in live-action.
After the third episode of Loki (2021-) shone a light on Loki Laufeyson's (Tom Hiddleston) bisexuality, it set him as the most prominent LGBTQIA+ character in the MCU yet. Marvel producer Victoria Alonso commented on the representation that comes along with introducing the franchise's on-screen queer presence.
“It takes time, we have so many stories that we can tell,” Alonso explained to Variety at the Black Widow fan premiere. “We will empower those that are. We’re not changing anything. We’re just showing the world who these people are, who these characters are… There’s a lot that we have coming up that I think will be representative of the world of today. We’re not going to nail it in the first movie or the second movie or third movie, or the first show or second show, but we will do our best to consistently try to represent.”
The Marvel producer called back to the series' source material to support the decision to incorporate Laufeyson's sexuality. Through Norse mythology, Laufeyson's genderfluidity was clearly stated; his sex is noted as 'fluid' in the Time Variant Authority files.
“I have to be honest with you, it’s not a big deal,” Alonso added. “It is what it is when it suits the character. We’re not going to do it because it’s politically correct or incorrect. It is what it is. Don’t forget, we follow our comics. We try to follow them quite to the tee. So in the comics, this is who he was.”
Loki won't be the last piece of Marvel property that will feature the inclusivity of the LGBTQIA+. Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao's Eternals (2021) promises that it will feature an LGBTQIA+ romance. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) also implies that the freshly crowned ruler of New Asgard, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), will be in search of a 'queen' to rule at her side. This will canonize her in-comics sexuality.
“The answer is yes,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in response to how Valkyrie's LGBTQ+ identity will affect the film. “How that impacts the story remains to be seen with that level of representation you’ll see across our films, not in just Thor 4”.