We need to talk about Voltron’s ableism
In the aftermath of S7 I’ve seen a lot of discussion about the way the show queerbaited audiences and then buried all the gays, and that discussion is important and needs to happen, and I think there’s a valid conversation to be had about how the show handled LGBT+ rep. But in the noise about queer representation, other issues are at risk of being lost, and it is important that we talk about how VLD utterly mistreats disabled, traumatised, and/or mentally ill characters. Particularly in reference to how they treat Shiro, and how his arc throughout the show has been handled.
Representation of disabled/traumatised/mentally ill (DTMI) characters is incredibly important. Like any marginalised group, DTMI fans benefit from seeing characters like us represented in positive ways. Society is full of incredibly shitty messaging about DTMI people: we are portrayed as burdens on those around us, or incapable of living fulfilling independent lives, or unlovable, or unworthy of friendship and companionship. Society at large has a huge problem with treating DTMI individuals as a source of ‘tragedy porn’ for able-bodied, neurotypical audiences, where viewers get to experience pity and a sense of ‘thank goodness that’s not me’ relief at the thought of someone suffering over and over again. Trauma is often viewed as being irreparably damaging, so that once someone has experienced trauma they are portrayed as 'damaged goods’ and fundamentally broken beyond repair. Narratives in which DTMI characters overcome their struggles and go on to survive and thrive and be happy and fulfilled are therefore incredibly important and powerful and meaningful. We need these stories. And in VLD and Shiro, we thought we were going to get one.
The first two seasons of VLD seemed to set up a narrative in which the most prominently DTMI character was going to be treated right. Shiro went through a significant trauma (abduction by aliens, non-consensual amputation of a limb, torture) and emerged with a physical disability (requiring the use of a prosthetic) and a mental illness (PTSD, flashbacks, panic attacks, anxiety etc.). And he was the team leader. He was picked out by the mystical Lions to lead Voltron, the Defenders of the Universe. Despite everything he had been through, Shiro was not shuffled to the sidelines or marginalised in the narrative - he was front and centre. He was the awesome leader everyone looked up to. He was powerful and had agency and got to make his own choices, and he was happy and excited about his role. The narrative seemed to be one in which Shiro was able to move on and heal from his trauma by embracing a new role and identity as a Paladin of Voltron; a role that made him feel powerful and important, and that allowed him to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. But he also got to have friends: the rest of the team, who looked up to him and admired him.
For a DTMI character to be the one person everyone admired and idolised as the hero of the team was incredibly powerful and meaningful, and I know a lot of DTMI fans took inspiration from Shiro to keep fighting our own battles and pushing through our own struggles. The set-up in S1-2 gave us hope that Shiro would remain a central part of VLD’s narrative, and a central part of the Voltron Team. That was important - that he remain the leader of Voltron - because the show is called “Voltron: Legendary Defender” and the Voltron Paladins will always be viewed as the main characters, and they will always take centre stage in the story. Furthermore, the storyline in which Shiro bonds with the Black Lion became, to many fans, a powerful metaphor for healing and recovery. By bonding and connecting with Black, Shiro was able to break Zarkon’s hold over her and free her from her abuser. By stealing back the black bayard, Shiro was able to make both the Black Lion and himself whole again, and forge a new identity for himself: Black Paladin, leader of Voltron, defender of the universe. It felt like a triumphant moment, and the beginning of a new chapter for Shiro and Black to move forward together.
And then Shiro disappeared. And the show has treated him like absolute garbage ever since.
To be honest, the treatment of Shiro has always carried the vague undercurrent of “how many ways can we find to hurt him”, but in the first two seasons it was easy to overlook this because Shiro was narratively rewarded for the struggles he went through. Yes, bad things happened to him, he got tortured by Sendak, he had to fight Zarkon’s control of his Lion, he got zapped and electrocuted… but he was the leader and the Black Paladin. He was given something back: a Lion that he loved and bonded with and enjoyed flying; a team that looked up to him; friends and found-family around him who cared about him and reaffirmed his role and his importance: “You mean you’ve got your bayard.” “You are the Black Paladin now, not Zarkon.”
But since S3 onwards, Shiro’s treatment has descended gradually and inexorably into full-blown tragedy porn. By S7 we reached the point where it feels like his only role in the narrative is to suffer and hurt and have things taken away from him. It’s like the showrunners think that because he’s already been through one trauma, he’s damaged goods and can never heal - so you might as well keep hurting him, keep taking things away from him and making him suffer, because there was never any hope for him to be happy anyway. He’s the traumatised broken soldier and he can never be anything else.
Let’s take a look at how Shiro (and Kuron, Shiro’s clone) have been treated since he disappeared at the end of S2, so you can see what I mean by the descent into utter fucking shittiness:
