Mainstream cinema tends to portray superheroes as extra-macho characters, saving the world in exaggerated displays of masculinity. Their nemeses are generally painted with the same brush. Between these tough, masculine cinema villains, a gender-fluid character like Loki is an example of the change that the entertainment industry awaits.

In one of his recent interviews, Loki actor Tom Hiddleston said he welcomed Marvel Studios’ decision to buck the trend of presenting masculine super villains in the upcoming series. He said he was pleased the character’s portrayal as gender-fluid, as is the case in the comic books and the original Norse mythology. 

Loki is a Marvel character who is the God of Mischief and the half-brother of Thor.

“It’s always been there. Loki as a character has had such a broad-ranging and wide-ranging identity. He’s always been a character you could never put in a box, you could never pin down,” Hiddleston said in an interview at the London screening on Tuesday.

Loki, a new Marvel series will debut on Wednesday. The series will stream on Disney+ Hotstar.