Representation In Loki

Representation in Loki

Ok so does anyone else feel like queer representation in Loki was a bit of a double edged sword? Like on one hand I’m thrilled that we finally have queer and gender diverse characters but on the other hand they didn’t do much with it? Like they teased Loki’s gender fluidity in the beginning and mentioned Loki and Sylvie’s bisexuality once but beyond that there wasn’t much. I was hoping that we would see Loki using different pronouns, switching up weather they present masculinity or femininity etc throughout the show. 

And don’t even get me started on the heteronormativity. On one hand I think it’s really important to show bisexual characters in opposite sex relationships but on the other hand I really just want a same sex couple in the MCU! I was hoping they would just kind of ignore romance like they did in Ragnarok. But Sylki happened. It seemed kind of forced and selfcest-y to me. I really wanted them to have a sort of sibling dynamic. 

All in all I’m super excited that we finally have lgbtq+ representation in the MCU but the way they did it seemed slightly preformative. It had so much potential and I’m disappointed they didn’t utilize it.   

Autistic Matt Murdock

Ok look. This may just be my autistic ass projecting but Mr. Matthew Michael Murdock is 100% autistic and you can fight me on that. 

He is literally like /always/ stimming. You can see it in the show he fidgets with his hands or cane all the time, also that little hop jump thing he did in the college flashback. 

Also, I know he has super senses but they read to me a lot like autism/sensory processing disorder. I mean think, he’s not the only character with enhanced senses. Steve, Bucky, T’Challa and Peter all have them too (I’m sure there are other but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head) and other than Peter (who is also autistic and you can fight me on that) none of them have the same problems that Matt does. We see Matt having multiple sensory overloads throughout the show and honestly they are kind of similar to mine. Everything is too much and I get overwhelmed. Steve/Bucky/T’Challa don’t have that problem. Also “cotton feels like sandpaper on my skin” I mean come on.

*Season 2 spoilers for the next paragraph* When he looses his hearing after Frank shoots him in the head and he’s sitting on the floor screaming and smacking his hand on the wall? That is a meltdown. While I don’t scream during mine I do curl up in a ball and sometimes hurt myself. It’s a meltdown. 

His sense of Justice. Ok, so not every autistic person has a strong sense of right and wrong but a lot do. We can also see it in the fact that he would rather help people than make lots of money. I heard of a study done (Ok so this study is not without faults, it uses functioning labels and try to patholigize autism despite the results) where there were a group of autistic people and a group of neurotypical people. They were both given a choice, they could donate money to a good cause that would help people but would loose them money, or they could donate money to a not so good cause that would make them money in the long run. There were two tests run, one that was observed one that was not. The autistic group where much more likely to pick that good cause in both. Neurotypicals, on the other hand, were more likely to pick the good cause when they were being observed but the bad cause that would make them money when they were not. Matt literally chooses helping people over money every single time. Hell, he chooses to help people over his own safety every time.

His special interests! He has two big ones: law/justice and protecting Hell’s Kitchen. I mean he basically spends all of his time either working a case or on patrol. He maybe also has a smaller one on catholicism.

Scripting. I think he does a lot of that in the show. He describes his senses as a “world on fire” multiple times and uses “I’m blind” as an excuse for his injuries even when that excuse doesn't really fit said injury. He is also extremely eloquent in court when he can rehearse and know what he is going to say but often trips on his words in regular conversation.    

So ya, Autistic Matt Murdock y’all!

-Phoenix

Edit: OMG How could I have forgotten Matts giant special interest on Thurgood Marshall??? 

Black Widow

Ok. I watched Black Widow about a week ago and I loved it! But she needed a trilogy.

Story Time! My dad has always been a fan of the Iron Man movies but would not let me and my sister watch them because of the way he treated women. Understandable. But one evening he called us out and let us watch the bit in Iron Man 2 where Natasha beats up all the Hammer Tech Goons. Mind you this was way before I even knew what the word trans meant let alone knew it described me so I still though I was a girl at this point. 

That scene blew my mind. My sister and I thought it was so cool! She was competent woman who didn’t need the mans help and was actually better than him in the context of the scene! I had never seen something like that on TV before! I was so excited! We made my dad rewind the movie so we could watch that scene over and over again. 

Looking back I can’t even describe how powerful a trilogy with a strong, badass woman lead would have been for me. Because that two minute scene made me feel unstoppable.

I am so excited for all the little girls who get to see Black Widow and Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch and The Wasp and all the other badass Marvel Women!    

CATFA Stark Expo Date

Image Credit: Marvel

This post piggybacks a bit off my last post about Brooklyn’s queer history. 

Ok, so I’ve always had a head-cannon that this scene did have a double date its just not the one that everyone in the crowd would assume. I think the couples are Stucky and the two ladies. There are a few reasons I think this makes sense in canon.

Let’s start with the Ladies. They’re holding each others hands through most of the scene and they pretty much always stand closer to each other than to their “dates.”

Moving on to Steve and Bucky. I think the second image says it all. After he sees the flying Stark Car Bucky doesn’t look to the lady he’s supposedly on a date with he looks to Steve. He wants to see Steve’s reaction; and honestly, tell me that face he’s making isn’t full of love, really. 

Also later on he has no qualms about ditching his “date” to go find Steve when he disappears. In fact when he sees Steve’s gone he looks down right scared for a moment! 

And honestly, the best part of this head-canon is that its not even that far fetched! It was incredibly common for gay men and lesbians to “date” and even get married to avoid arousing suspicion and putting themselves in danger. 

Steve and Bucky may have been at least semi open about their relationship when they were in Brooklyn surrounded by people like them but as soon as they left their borough they would have to hide again.

-Phoenix          

Bucky discrepancies

Image Credit: Marvel

Ok, this is so not important but Bucky’s Smithsonian exhibit has two different birth years??? The first sentence says “Born in 1916″ at at the end it says “1917-1914″??? So when was he born? Was this on purpose? Is it just a prop fluke? 

I tend to think his birthday is in 1917 because that would only make him one year older than Steve (who was born in 1918). Anyways this is so not important but whatever. 

-Phoenix

What If Ep. 2

What If Episode 2 Spoilers

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Ok I just watched Episode 2 and I enjoyed it. But like, someone at marvel had to pitch that storyline and the idea of that is just making me laugh! Like, I just imagine some writer who hasn't slept in 72 hours running purely on stale coffee bursting into a meeting and being like 

“Ya’ll. I have the greatest Idea for a What If Episode! Ok... So T’challa will be Star Lord, Yondu kidnaped him instead if Peter Q and they go on galaxy saving adventures together. Also Thanos is good and Nebula has blond hair.” 

And the Marvel execs being like “You crazy son of a bitch I’m in!”

Like it just makes me laugh. I feel like whoever the writers are they have been spending a lot of time on AO3 for this series so far. 

Overall just a really good episode and I can’t wait to see what happens next!  

-Phoenix