Here’s Why Loki Is Genderfluid in the MCU

Loki was always among the most fascinating characters in the MCU. He frequently walked the fine line between being a supervillain and anti-villain. Betraying Thor often and siding with him, only to betray him once again at the key moments. He is also notable for having quite peculiar magic-based powers, being a Frost Giant, and adamantly refusing to be put under specific labels. This is why it wasn’t surprising when Loki was revealed to be genderfluid during ‘Loki’ season 1. But is that really based on reality? We’re going to explore the mythos behind Loki in real life as well as in the MCU to give you the answer to why the showrunners decided to make Loki genderfluid.

Loki was made genderfluid because of his shapeshifting powers. Loki is able to assume any form he wants, both in the comics and in the MCU. He is a skilled illusionist and skilled manipulator whose magic is often described as being smoke and mirrors. In the comics, this is made more straightforward since, at one point in time, Loki was reborn as a woman. In real-world mythology, Loki was infamous for taking on many shapes, including that of an old woman, so as you can see, it made perfect sense to make him genderfluid even in the MCU.

Now that we’ve given you a brief answer, it’s time to explain it in a bit more detail. If you’re interested in more, stay with us and keep reading!

Loki is infamous for taking on various shapes and creating illusions

Norse pantheon is among the most famous in the world due to the heroic tales of bravery, wisdom, epic wars, monsters, and gods larger than life itself. But even among the most noble of gods, there has to be a place reserved for tricksters and illusionists, and this is how Loki came to be.

Loki never wielded Mjolnir or was associated with the wisdom of the ages. He was never connected to fertility or attributed to creating the world. He had a far more sinister reputation as a trickster, magician, and illusionist. Trapping unaware gods and monsters into his web of lies.

If you’re wondering how that is connected to him being genderfluid, well, it’s due to his powers. Loki’s most potent weapon was sorcery and his ability to shapeshift and assume virtually any desired form, which includes changing his gender.

Loki was notably able to take the form of salmon, flea, fly, and mare. He often took on the guises of other humans to illicit even more confusion, and his shapeshifting wasn’t limited to his male sex. He once took on the form of an old woman called Thökk or Þökk in Old Norse.

When Loki assumed the form of a mare, it had female sex, and through it, Loki gave birth to the famous steed Sleipnir, who would go on to become Odin’s favorite mount.

Loki’s in-comics mythos is closely related to real-world mythology

In Marvel comics, Loki is largely inspired by mythological figures and, as such, inherited almost all aspects of his real-world counterpart. Most notably, his family tree, powers, and tendency to spread chaos.

Loki is among the most famous shape-shifters in Marvel Comics, and through the character’s long history, he took on the forms of animals, other humans, ghosts, and inanimate objects. Loki managed to turn into a bee, eagle, mouse, and even his own dead adoptive grandfather, Bor.

And just like in mythology, Loki’s shapeshifting abilities were not limited to one sex. Following the ‘Ragnarok’ storyline, Loki was reborn as a woman.

After Loki finally brings on ‘Ragnarok’ Lady Sif is still missing, and Thor tries to locate her but is unable to do so. Instead, Heimdall breaks the news of something bad happening in the desert between Nevada and New Mexico. Thor made his way toward the restricted area and discovered numerous survivors. After a lengthy fight with Destroyer, Thor is victorious and frees all the captured Asgardians. Only one figure remains, and Thor at first thinks that it is Lady Sif.

However, Thor is mistaken and is instead greeted by his brother Loki, who claims that he was reborn as a female in the fires of Ragnarok, and now that the purpose of his existence is complete, he just wishes to live happily. In time, this turned out to be a life.

Even though Loki has been inside his female form for some of the most exciting storylines, the fact remains that he is almost exclusively portrayed as male, and there is a good explanation for that. Loki explained that his shapeshifting powers take a huge toll on his willpower. He assumes one form that is the easiest to maintain and “wears” it for a long time because it’s convenient.

Obviously, while taking on animal forms, Loki will “inherit” the features related to those animals, such as bee wings. However, when he shapeshifts into gods or other supernatural characters, he doesn’t inherit their special powers.

Loki’s shapeshifted in the MCU numerous times

Like his comic counterpart, Loki of MCU has pretty much the same skill set and is able to assume any form of any gender. We’ve seen Loki shapeshifting into Captain America, Odin, and even Thor. He was skilled enough to be able to fool most people (and Asgardians).

We’ve never seen Loki shapeshifting into a woman in the MCU. Even though a female variant of Loki exists in the form of Sylvie Lufeydottir, the alternative variant is not the same as the original Loki shapeshifting. Still, he was confirmed to be genderfluid, and it’s based on something written millennia ago.

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