Remember the super weird, messy shipping war that erupted during Loki season 1? You’ll recall that in the series, Loki develops a close friendship with Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) of the Time Variance Authority and falls in love with his own variant, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), while they try to escape Lamentis. The problem? There’s so much chemistry between Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson that many fans saw Loki/Mobius (a.k.a. “Lokius” in internet parlance) as an obviously better relationship. That’s valid, but a few fans got so attached to Lokius that they refused to believe Loki’s crush on Sylvie was real—even after the two of them kissed onscreen.
What a wild ride that was! It ranged from sweet, lighthearted Lokius fan art, to people furiously accusing Marvel of promoting “selfcest” through the Loki/Sylvie (or “Sylki”) romance. Selfcest! Get it? Many took the idea of variants of the same being (from different realities) as morally wrong! Trans theorist Julia Serano posited that people’s visceral revulsion to the Sylki relationship was rooted in a transphobic fear of “trans reveals,” since Sylvie is a female version of a character who previously had only presented as male onscreen. Honestly, that’s the most plausible explanation I’ve found—with a dash of good ol’ misogyny thrown in—because that whole moral panic was weird as hell.
(Note: I’m not talking about how season 1 failed at the genderfluid representation that the comics handle so well, or how tricky it is to portray bisexual characters in general. I’m talking about everyone who simply saw Loki and Sylvie as offensively yucky.)
Welp, things are going to get messy again, because the Loki season 2 trailer makes it clear that Loki and Sylvie are still very much partners in crime.
In the Loki trailer, Loki and Sylvie are more powerful together
There are some very cool moments in the Loki season 2 trailer, and many of them involve Loki and Sylvie together.
In one shot, we see Loki and Sylvie holding hands and radiating magic, just like they did when fighting the monster Alioth near the end of season 1. In another shot, which I cannot wait to see play out when the series drops, we see from their shadows that they’re both manifesting Loki’s classic horned crown. (Update: on another watch, I realize this shot is actually probably the multiple Lokis in tuxes. Oh well.) At the end of season 1, Loki doesn’t know where Sylvie is, but they obviously find each other in season 2 and proceed to perform some badassery together.
But despite all the Sylki moments, the trailer doesn’t leave Lokius fans empty-handed!
Loki and Mobius go on dates in the Loki season 2 trailer
In one scene, which is obviously the precursor to the post-credits scene in Quantumania, we see Loki and Mobius strolling through a fair, eating popcorn. Later, we see them both eating some TVA-issued pie in a callback to their cafeteria scenes from season 1.
Sure, the fair is obviously a mission to track down Victor Timely, and yeah, TVA employees gotta eat, but you can’t tell me there aren’t major dating vibes in those shots. These two guys love spending time with each other, and I can’t wait to see more of their relationship unfold.
Loki isn’t about limited definitions of love
Part of the problem in the shipping wars is that many people have a very limited idea of how love—even romantic love—can be expressed. “Real” love has to be monogamous. It has to be physically intimate. Anything outside of that traditional model doesn’t count.
But that’s not true at all! Love can be a whole kaleidoscope of experiences and feelings, and it looks like Loki season 2 will keep exploring that. Loki’s love for Sylvie is about two beings connecting with each other, but it’s also about self-acceptance and stepping into your full power. Loki’s love for Mobius might include physical attraction. We just don’t know, at least not yet, and there’s room for interpretation. But it’s definitely about Loki finding someone who genuinely understands and cares about him and doesn’t judge his worth by what he did when he was at his lowest.
Will we see more explicit romance in Loki season 2? It’s hard to say, but I at least hope fans will let the series explore love on its own terms.
(featured image: Gareth Gatrell/Disney+)
