‘Loki’ Director Addresses Loki and Sylvie Incest Controversy

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sophia di martino as lady loki sylvie (left) and tom hiddleston as loki (right) in loki series on disney plus

Credit: Marvel Studios

The budding romance between Multiverse variants Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia di Martino) has caused something of an uproar among certain Marvel fans. Now, Disney+ series Loki director Kate Herron is directly addressing claims from these disgusted fans that the Sylvie and Loki kiss in the Loki finale was borderline incest.

left Sylvie right Loki kissing
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: How ‘Loki’ Finale Gave Marvel Its Next ‘Endgame’

Even TVA Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) judged Loki for the touching moment he shared with Loki variant Sylvie on the moon of Lamentis-1 in the final throes of an apocalypse. In Loki Episode 4, “The Nexus Event,” Mobius unpacks the moment the Loki variants tenderly touched hands as the cause of a Nexus Event, saying:

“Two variants of the same being, especially you, forming this kind of sick, twisted romantic relationship? That’s pure chaos! That could break reality.”

loki mobius trailer
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: ‘WandaVision’ & ‘Loki’ Finales Have an Unbelievable Connection

The Loki & Sylvie kiss in the Loki finale really creeped out some Marvel fans

In Marvel’s Loki finale, when Sylvie and Loki shared a romantic kiss, some Marvel fans took to social media to freak out over the perceived ickiness of the Loki variant love connection. Twitter user alfie expressed his disgust with the Marvel Cinematic Universe — while also being mindful of not blowing any Loki spoilers — saying:

“#loki spoilers… i literally looked away when sylvie kissed loki it was disgusting yikes ew naur i almost gagged. i know sylvie was trying to deceive loki so she could get him out of the way but still. yikes”

Related: After 10 Years, Marvel Finally Confirms Loki’s Sexuality in MCU Canon

Twitter user jorja shared an image of Miss Minutes in a threatening position brandishing a weapon presumably at Marvel Studios, saying:

“who ever at marvel wrote that sylvie kiss better count their days #loki”

Some Marvel fans just refused to believe the incestuous kiss of Loki variants happened at all, liking their own mental gymnastics to a heavy scene from the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in two years, Marvel’s Black Widow (2021) featuring Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) and Yelena (Florence Pugh). The Tweet reads:

“cw//#loki spoilers. me trying to convince myself the loki [and Sylvie] kiss didn’t happen”

Related: Elizabeth Olsen Hypes ‘Doctor Strange 2’ as “Scariest Marvel Movie”

Loki director Kate Herron doesn’t see Loki and Sylvie as “brother and sister”

In a new interview with Polygon, Loki director Kate Herron says she’s actually been following the social media backlash to the Loki and Sylvie kiss, though she’s been hesitant to weigh in on the matter, stating:

“I follow all the conversations on Twitter. I don’t always weigh in on them, because I made the show, so they don’t want me weighing in like, ‘Actually, guys…’ I think that’s the whole point of art. It should be up for debate and discussion.”

loki season 1 poster with Wunmi Mosaku as hunter b-15 (left) tom hiddleston as loki (center) Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Judge Ravonna Renslayer (top right) Owen wilson as mobius (right)

Related: ‘Loki’ Season 2 Should Introduce These Marvel Comics Characters to the MCU

Despite her misgivings on explicitly explaining her work, Herron went on to do just that. Sharing her interpretation of the controversial kiss, she elaborated that she did not see the romance between Sylvie and Loki as one of incest, saying:

“My interpretation of it is that they’re both Lokis, but they aren’t the same person. I don’t see them as being like brother and sister. They have completely different backgrounds. I think that’s really important to her character. They sort of have the same role in terms of the universe and destiny, but they won’t make the same decisions.”

The Nexus Event

Loki variants Loki  and Sylvie just touching hands, or even developing a full-on attraction to one another wasn’t the thing that caused the Nexus Level Event that allowed the TVA to lock on to their location on the moon of Lamentis-1 — but rather a symptom of the true cause. The theme of season 1 of Loki could be interpreted as “identity.” The series presents the idea that Lokis exist in the Sacred Timeline for one reason — to create chaos and havoc while remaining irredeemable and alone. These Loki variants showing that they could actually care for and support one another is off-script for the Sacred Timeline held in place by Kang variant, He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors).

jonathan majors as kang variant he who remains
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Marvel Confirms ‘Loki’ Season 2 Is Coming, But When Will It Air?

You can re-watch Jonathan Majors’s stunning Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Kang variant He Who Remains and catch up on every Loki variant of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — like Classic Loki, Kid Loki, Boastful Loki and fan-favorite Alligator Loki — on the Disney+ series with all six episodes of Marvel’s Loki  Season 1 now streaming. You can also catch a behind-the-scenes special Assembled: The Making of Loki, also now streaming on Disney+

sylvie (left) and loki (right) in loki season 1 finale
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related:’Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness’: Release Date, Cast, and EVERYTHING You Need to Know

Elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or Multiverse — Black Widow is now available to watch in theatres and to buy on Disney+ Premier Access for $29.99. Marvel’s What If…? is next up, premiering on Disney+ on August 11. Marvel’s Phase 4 rolls on with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) will debut in theaters on September 3, Eternals (2021) will bow on November 5, while Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel are set for Disney+ premiers later in the year. Marvel’s highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit theatres on December 17.

Did you think Loki and Sylvie’s kiss was a form of Multiversal incest? Let us know in the comments!

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