Can I ask you a question about something I feel uneducated about? I know it's canon that comics Loki is gender fluid, but I also see people saying that he's bi. Is that also in the comics? Or is being gender fluid an automatic bi? Please excuse me if these questions are rude or not worded properly. Thank you
Hi Anon – don’t worry, I don’t think you’ve worded anything rudely, and I commend you for looking to learn more on the subject!
So, gender identity and sexual orientation don’t automatically connect. Someone who is genderfluid may have a preference for one gender, or for another, or multiple genders, or none of the above.
Admittedly, terms of sexual orientation can be slightly confusing when applied to someone whose gender (and in Loki’s case, sex) is in flux, as attraction to one gender can be seen as straight at one point and not-so-straight at another, depending on whether Loki is or isn’t the same gender as the object of his/her affections at a given moment. Ultimately, I think for folks who identify as genderfluid, the labels they apply to their sexuality are going to vary from person to person a lot – there’s not really a hard and fast rule that’s universally applicable.
Loki has been shown as shifting genders comfortably in comics over the last few years, and explicitly identified as genderfluid in a recent issue of Squirrel Girl. Loki’s sexual orientation hasn’t been addressed quite as explicitly within the text of the comics, but he’s been shown to express interest toward men and women (both while presenting male) :
Though it’s possible that the Asgardian cultural notion of sexual orientation is different, as indicated in this panel from Young Avengers :
But shortly before the launch of his run, writer Al Ewing (Loki: Agent of Asgard) stated that Loki was bi, so the general consensus is that comics Loki is bisexual or pansexual, experiencing attraction to more than one gender, regardless of what gender he or she is currently.
Hope that helps!!