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History of LGBT characters in animation: 2020s

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Historyday01 (talk | contribs) at 16:24, 31 December 2020 (→‎Breaking barriers: The Owl House and queer animated characters: , moved content to LGBT children's television programming page). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For a list of LGBTQ+ animated characters, see List of animated series with LGBTQ characters. For history of homosexuality in U.S. film, see History of homosexuality in American film. For the history of anime, see History of anime. For media portrayals of bisexuals, see Media portrayals of bisexuality. For media portrayal of lesbians, see Media portrayal of lesbianism. For history of animation characters in the 2010s, see History of LGBTQ characters in animation: 2010s. For history of animation characters in the 2000s, see History of LGBTQ characters in animation: 2000s.
Cosplay of Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Blake Belladonna in RWBY in July 2015; Blake is a canon bisexual character in the series

In the 2020s, representation became more pronounced than before in Western animation. This included shows like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Cleopatra in Space, The Owl House, The Hollow, Harley Quinn, Hoops, and Adventure Time: Distant Lands, with the promise of upcoming seasons of Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, and gen:LOCK, RWBY, along with a variety of soon-to-come shows like Lumberjanes and DeadEndia. At the same time, series like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Steven Universe Future, both of which had various LGBTQ characters, came to an end in 2020.

Netflix and LGBTQ representation

Main article: Netflix and LGBTQ representation

Netflix had many LGBTQ characters present on shows available on the streaming service through the 2010s. This was connected to the fact that in 2017, the company committed to devoting more of its future spending toward "new and original anime" due to its huge popularity worldwide.[1] GLAAD would describe Netflix as a company making "impressive strides in viewership and impact," when it came to LGBTQ representation.[2] This would continue into the 2020s, when the representation would be enhanced, with animated series like Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts and the final season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

More Western animations with LGBTQ characters

Cosplay of Fish-Eye, a gay character in Sailor Moon in May 2020

While shows on Netflix led the way, other networks aired episodes with various LGBTQ characters. For instance, Indy and Ty were the guardians of Violet Sabrewing and the foster fathers of Lena Sabrewing, slated to be recurring characters in the show DuckTales,[3] with episodes broadcast on Disney XD and previously on the Disney Channel and in an episode of Nickelodeon's The Loud House, Lainey, one of Lynn's roller derby team, is dating a girl named Alice.[4][5] On January 1, another show, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins entered the fray.[6] Six episodes of the adult animation, inspired by Sailor Moon and other magical girl animes, began airing on Syfy.[7][8] The series, written by Diana McCorry who created Human Kind Of,[9] features two women, Alex and Daisy, with the latter a lesbian who sleeps with a woman during the show. The series is set to appear in a new iteration on September 26, named Magical Girl Friendship Squad, with some new cast members and longer episodes.[7][10] In the latter show, Daisy is unambiguously queer as she has slept with "every barista" at the local coffee shop.[11] In the second and third episodes of the main show, "The Cool S" and "Agony Solstice", a sticker with the transgender pride flag is shown on Daisy's laptop. She is later shown to have an ex-girlfriend in the fourth episode, "Anti-Fungal Spit Skanks," a classic-style anime character, named Yolanda,[12][13] who works at urgent care center in the city. Additionally, in the episode "The Real World," Pansy, who calls herself Daisy's "monogamous live-in girlfriend" is introduced, but she only exists in the dimension created by Nut's sister, Gloriana. Then on November 1, 2020, Hallie Cantor, a writer for the show, responded to a question on whether Daisy is trans, stated that they hadn't yet "identified her as trans or cis,"[14] meaning that she could either be a cisgender lesbian or trans lesbian.

There were a number of other shows which also included lesbian characters. One of these was Cleopatra in Space. In the 18th episode of the series, the two moms of Akila, a friend of series protagonist, Cleopatra ("Cleo") are introduced.[15] These moms, Theoda and Pothina, work as scholars, use dated social expressions, and love their daughter. Also, an episode of Clifford the Big Red Dog, which aired on Amazon Prime Video and PBS Kids, titled "The Big Red Tomato/Dogbot", featured the two moms of the character Samantha Mulberry (Dr. and Ms. Mulberry).[16] And an episode of Disney Junior's T.O.T.S., "Seas the Day," a baby dolphin named Donny is adopted by a dolphin lesbian couple.[17] At the same time, on February 16, Duncanville began broadcasting on Fox. The show would feature the protagonist, Duncan, having a crush on his genderfluid classmate, Mia, who works at a pizzeria and sticks her finger in each pizza to "silently protest the company’s anti-gay stance."[18] On March 22, the show would reportedly have an unnamed gay couple in episode "Sister, Wife." One month earlier it has been reported that Michael Vogel, a gay development executive who worked on shows like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, was working on a new 2D animated show for WildBrain titled Princess Alexander. The series would focus on themes of sexuality and gender while revolving around a young prince who finds out he has magical powers which "have traditionally been exclusive to princesses," even though he has "none of the natural skills that princes are supposed to have," leading to the entire kingdom and his family panicking at this discovery. Vogel said that this series targets those ages 6-9, serving as an allegory for acceptance of LGBTQ people, and that he is writing the "22-minute origin story pilot" while production was said to begin in summer 2020.[19] WildBrain’s EVP of content and current series Stephanie Betts was quoted as saying they want to "tell stories that appeal to everyone in the audience" while Vogel said that while many shows are doing a lot for diversity and inclusivity, to have a character "dealing with these issues front and center" is something he hasn't seen before. At the same time, in February 2020, My Pride: The Series premiered, following a "queer, disabled lioness" named Nothing who is trying to heal the world.[20] The series creator, Madeleine Patton, stated that it is important to tell diverse stories, and notes that the story deals with "ableism, queerness, feminism, womanhood and also, of course, lions."[21] The mate of Nothing is Hover, formerly named Longrun, as indicated in episode 7, "Hover," in September 2020.

More significant than the aforementioned series, in terms of representation, was a mature adult animated series titled Harley Quinn, broadcast on DC Universe. In the May 15 episode "There's No Place to Go But Down," Harley Quinn saved her partner-in-crime, Poison Ivy, both kissed each other after they escaped from prison.[22] The critic who reviewed the episode stated that Harley and Poison's romance is "slow burn" one, adding that this love affair could turn into a "more realistic exploration of how it feels to fall in love with a friend or to have an awkward hookup with a workmate." Another reviewer, Sophie Perry, writing for a lesbian lifestyle magazine, Curve, noted how queerbaiting has long endured in LGBTQ+ representation, noting how She-Ra and Harley Quinn both had same-sex kisses, happening within stories which could have turned out to be "typical queerbaiting" but did not.[23] Perry added that the "queer conclusion" of the show is thanks to Noelle Stevenson, describing it as very different from the conclusion of The Legend of Korra which confirmed Korra and Asami's relationship but left it "purposefully ambiguous" so it could air on a children's network. She concluded by calling She-Ra culturally significant, and added that as more creative queer people come to the fore, inevitably queerbaiting will "become a thing of the past." In another episode, Clayface, a member of Harley's villain crew, was revealed as gay character who had a crush on a crush on a male student.[24][25] Even more significant was the season 2 finale. In that episode, Poison Ivy had her wedding, which seemingly a lavender marriage, with Kite Man interrupted, and by the end of the episode, Harley Quinn and Poison realize their feelings for each other, kissing and "finally embracing that they're soul mates" as Renaldo Metadeen of Comic Book Resources put it.[26] Heather Hogan at Autostraddle added that the bisexual love of Poison and Harley is canon, calling the second season "one of the most gratifying gay seasons of television" she has ever watched.[27]

Cosplay of Bismuth from Steven Universe at Otakon 2016

The same year, on March 27, the four-part finale of its limited epilogue series of Steven Universe, Steven Universe Future, aired on Cartoon Network. Ideas about the series end dated back to drawings in 2013.[28] Sugar argued that the series made a point about shoune anime and kids cartoons, with the aftermath of victories generally not explored, stating that the series explores the aftermath of the victory in the Season 5 finale, with the protagonist, Steven, having to face his problems head-on.[28][29][30] The series showed a character, Bismuth, have a crush on another character (Pearl) in the episode "Bismuth Casual."[31] The same year, a storyboarder for the show stated that Peridot was asexual and aromantic,[32] despite her reservations that she is only a secondary creator on the show,[33] pleasing fans, even though she said that she didn't believe Peridot was autistic.[34][35] Before (and after this point) fans had shipped Peridot with various other characters, specifically Lapis Lazuli and Amethyst, some reviewers even seeing Peridot and Lapis in a "close, loving relationship" in 2018.[36]

When Steven Universe Future ended, Sugar said she would take a break from the characters,[37] with some saying that shows like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power would continue moving forward LGBTQ representation in animation.[38] For her part, the series creator of She-Ra, Noelle Stevenson, stated that she is interested in "telling central queer stories," with queer characters just as supporting characters, but having stories built around them, adding that there is still progress to go on that front, while acknowledging the strides are "in no small part due to Steven Universe."[38] Others hoped for "more queer-friendly animated shows" like Steven Universe in the future[39] and described Sugar as the "guiding force behind bringing LGBTQ+ visibility to children's cartoons" from 2010 to 2020.[40]

Not even a month after Steven Universe Future ended, another Cartoon Network show had a LGBTQ character. On April 17, the DC Super Hero Girls episode #HouseGuest premiered online, featuring the two mothers of Jessica Cruz, also known as Green Lantern, Wilhelmina and Siobhan When asked about this by Taimur Gur of ComicsBeat, series creator Lauren Faust said that everyone was "on board with this idea" and that she was glad it was approved.[41] The following month, Amber Leigh, a story revisionist for Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure revealed that Cassandra "Cass" was gay coded,[42] with sapphic looks toward the story's protagonist,[43] Rapunzel, and that some of these feelings are shown in the episode about memory loss.[44] She also said that there were many "queer women who boarded scenes [of] Cassandra," and that women-love-women vibes were ingrained in every drawing she did of the character.[45] These beliefs were also reflected by Klaudia Amenábar of The Mary Sue, calling Cass an "extremely gay-coded sword lesbian best friend" of Rapunzel.[46] Earlier in the year, the series creator of Tangled, Chris Sonnenberg, said he'd be willing to produce a spinoff show focusing on Cass, "if the call came."[47] The year before, in November, he called Cass a strong female character[48] and talked about the "real friendship bond" between her and Rapunzel in September of the same year.[49] The following month, in June, Batgirl, Wonder Woman and a number of other heroes from DC Comics appeared in an image posted on the Twitter account of DC Kids for pride month.[50]

Cosplay of Fiona (genderbent version of Finn), Flame Princess, Marceline, and Princess Bubblegum in April 2013; Marceline and Bubblegum appeared in the second episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands

In the summer of 2020, the Adventure Time: Distant Lands series, the name for four hour-long streaming television specials based on the American animated television series Adventure Time, began streaming on HBO Max. On June 25, the first episode of that series dropped. This episode, titled "BMO," introduced Y5, an anthropomorphic rabbit and teenage scientist between age 11 and 13 who lives in The Drift.[51][52] Originally named "Y4", Y5 chooses her new name[53] with BMO's encouragement and eventually becomes the robot's "deputy."[54][55][56] Y5 struggles with managing the expectations of her parents (voiced by Tom Kenny and Michelle Wong, respectively), and finds herself forced to disobey them in order to save the Drift—all the while discovering her own identity.[55][57] Y5—with the titular robot's assistance—helps the citizens of the Drift defeat Hugo, and after their overlord is dethroned, she proposes a new form of social organization based on cooperation that will ideally allow the Drift to flourish.[58][59] Voice actress Glory Curda later argued that Y5's story has a lot of context and is representative of coming out into your own identity and defining yourself with whatever terms are comfortable for you.[60] Curda, in a Q&A on Reddit, said that after BMO left, Y5 grew and developed into "a leader and trailblazer to help save the drift,"[61] and noted that she was a big Adventure Time fan before getting the part.[62]

Then, on July 24, Michaela Dietz moderated a Comic-Con@Home panel about an the upcoming episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, "Obsidian", which focused on the relationship between Bonnibel "Bonnie" Bubblegum and Marceline "Marcy" Abadeer, with snapshots of their life, and what happens "after a big romantic moment" as they head to "the Glass Kingdom to prevent a catastrophe."[63][64] Adam Muto, the executive producer of Distant Lands, said that the episode came out a "few ideas for miniseries" and teased at possible future specials (or episodes) while Niki Yang, the voice of BMO said she was surprised by the ending of the first Distant Lands special, "BMO." Also part of the panel, Olivia Olson, the voice of Marcy, said that although Adventure Time's finale, Come Along With Me ended "perfectly," it opened a door to exploring the relationship between Bonnie and Marcy.[64] After the panel concluded, Olson played a song, titled "Monster," which will be featured in the episode.[65] Earlier that month, on July 11, on an episode of the podcast Talk CRWBY to Me, Miles Luna revealed writer Kiersi Burkhart originally joined Rooster Teeth to work on Season 2 of Nomad of Nowhere and the process went "pretty far along," but production was halted when it was decided continuing the series at the time was not advisable.[66] The timing of Season 2 pausing production, and Burkhart's subsequent move to RWBY Volume 7, suggests the controversy surrounding Gray Haddock and Georden Whitman's outspoken criticism of Rooster Teeth influenced the decision. It is not known if the series will be continued in the future.

On August 7, it was announced that A24 had picked up Hazbin Hotel as a full television series, but any information related to its production or release date remains unknown.[67] The same day, Matt Braly, the creator of Amphibia offered his support, calling it a "fantastic fucking step forward" and "great."[68]

Expanded representation in 2020 and beyond

There were hopeful signs in other animations in the 2020s. On May 8, Amanda Bruce talked about five of the best and five of the worst relationships in RWBY, noting that even though there is a continuing debate among fans if Yang and Blake are couple, she stated that "it’s fair to say they’re a couple until the show says otherwise."'[69] Later that month, on May 24, the voice actress for Blake Beladonna in RWBY, Arryn Zech, confirmed that Blake is bisexual, with the other cast members concurring with her assessment.[70] Apart from the fact she gets along with Yang, her teammate, she previously had a relationship with the abusive Adam Taurus,[71] which Ilia implied as romantic in the episode "Alone Together" even though these feelings have since faded away.[a] Additionally, on June 13, Nickelodeon promoted LGBTQ+ characters in their shows, highlighting SpongeBob SquarePants and The Legend of Korra.[72] While some said this "proved" that SpongeBob was gay, Stephen Hillenberg, back in 2005, said he considered SpongeBob to be asexual, with one writer for Out writing "it's important to realize that those who are asexual are queer as well and are just as welcome to dawn rainbows and celebrate Pride this month."[73] Later that month, GLAAD, partnering with Procter & Gamble, released the first-ever "LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media" study, showing that those who are LGBTQ+ are "very comfortable with seeing LGBTQ people, and LGBTQ families, in movies, films, and ads."[74]

June 2015 cosplay of Sapphire and Ruby, the two component parts of Garnet, who are in a romantic relationship with each other, in the Steven Universe series

Then, on August 5, Paper Magazine published an interview with Noelle Stevenson and Rebecca Sugar, to bring them in conversation with each other. Sugar said that Steven Universe survived because of "support from fans," noted how only a few years before, a person's employment and ability to "make cartoons," could hinge on "their sexual orientation," calling this ridiculous and unfair, while stating there needs to be a shift in thinking.[75] She added that due to the lack of queer people are showrunners and content creators, that the studio "couldn't recognize a lot of the queer experience being expressed through the content," which she experienced at Cartoon Network, while noting how people recognize an individual based on their interactions with other people and feelings about themselves, while remaining exited about what is coming in the future. Stevenson noted that she felt that episodes like "Reunited" are important in terms of representation, noting that even subtle representation has value, saying she wants not just "clear straight-forward, incidental representation" but representation which involves "more complex, subtle, nuanced stories that play out over time." In the same interview, Sugar stated that she saw making art "as a conversation" while Stevenson argued that telling a romance between two lesbians is different from "telling a straight romance" because of different dynamics, with some branding such a relationship as two characters who were "sisters," calling it hurtful, and stating that sometimes young LGBT fans think getting representation in animated shows is "easier than it is," with a huge responsibility going forward for creating "stories for young queer kids." Building off that, Sugar argued that these stories are ones they deserve, noted that recent increase of "LGBTQIA content in animated and children's media," with very little LGBTQ+ content over the history of animation, and called those who claim there are enough lesbians in animation to be completely wrong and a form of bisexual erasure. Noelle also acknowledged that there is a "very real, legitimate conversation about the absence of gay male characters in animation," hoping for more "queer female showrunners of color, queer male showrunners of color and uplift those voices." Later in the interview, Stevenson and Sugar agreed that visibility and stories of queer characters should be expanded beyond sci-fi and fantasy genres, while they both talked about non-binary representation in media, with Sugar focusing on the importance of Stevonnie, while Stevenson talked about Double Trouble. Apart from this, Sugar pointed to the bisexual erasure in the Steven Universe fandom around 2015, Stevenson called Sugar an inspiration to her, while Sugar hoped that she would make LGBTQ+ content going forward.

August 2020 brought a number of developments when it came to inclusive storylines. On August 17, a queer writer, Taneka Scotts, who wrote 12 episodes of Steven Universe Future,[76] along with episodes for My Little Pony: Pony Life, Craig of the Creek, and other shows,[77] announced her role in an unannounced show on Twitter. She noted that she had become a story editor on a show with "great characters, upfront queerness, and big heart" which would premiere in 2022.[78][79] In a later back-and-forth with Molly Ostertag, she clarified that it would be an animated show,[80] and said that she wanted to be a showrunner on a future show down the road.[81] Then there was the news from creator Sara Eissa about the pitch for her show, Astur's Rebellion, an action-adventure which "follows the protagonist in her journey of rebellion and redemption,"[82] was rejected "due to bias against elements of diversity such as POC and LGBTQ+ main characters," implying that she was talking about Crunchyroll.[83] In her Eissa's Twitter thread on the subject, she talked about discourse around "diverse" in the animation industry, especially those pitching "future shows," referred to High Guardian Spice, [b] stating that the company (presumably Crunchyroll) would look at a show with "diversity" like people of color, female cast, brighter tones, and "not give it a chance" because it won't be profitable.[84] She further criticized "progressive looking white women" for ruining the chances of people of color to pitch shows and argued that they only hire other White people,[c] saying they are advertising diversity, not normalizing it, and stated that she will continue to work on Astur's Rebellion going forward. This series will feature Eissa as a writer, Anh (Ducanhart) doing greyscale environmental art, Christopher Mansing drawing logo art, and Collateral Damage Studios putting together concept art and illustrations.[85]

In September 2020 there was a setback, even worse than the rejection of the Astur's Rebellion pitch the previous month. The Venture Bros., which had been slated to be renewed for an eighth and final season,[86][87] was cancelled. On September 5, an illustrator for the show, Ken Plume, said he would be sorry if the show was cancelled,[88][89] which was confirmed by series creator Jackson Publick, with season 8 being axed.[90][91] Not long after, Adult Swim stated that they were working to "find another way to continue the Venture Bros. story"."[92] The show had featured LGBTQ characters like openly gay Colonel Horace Gentleman,[93] a lesbian character named Virginia "Ginnie" Dunne,[94] and a gay couple: The Alchemist and Shore Leave.[93] A number of creators weighed in on the decision. For instance, Owl House creator Dana Terrace criticized the cancellation, as did animator Bryan Brinkman, DuckTales producer Frank Angones, and other fans of the show.[95] On the other hand, where was positive news that month. On September 21, Yssa Badiola of Recorded by Arizal hosted a RTX panel with Christine Marie Cabanos, Joshua Kazemi, and Kdin Jenzen, the latter who moderated.[96] Toward the end of the panel, Jenzen asked about LGBTQ characters in the show. Badiola said that if there was a full season, while Arizal's sexuality (and gender) would be explored, and that there were a "lot" of LGBTQ characters in a "show proper" they originally pitched.[97] That wasn't all. On September 26, it was confirmed that gen:LOCK, which featured a genderfluid character, Val, would be returning for a second season.[98] Three days later, on September 29, Sam King, a writer for the Season 3 episode of DuckTales, "They Put a Moonlander On the Earth!", confirmed that Lieutenant Penumbra is a lesbian character.[99] However, King wished it had been more overt and said that people should continue to ask for better representation.[100]

Brooke Allen is the illustrator of Lumberjanes, a comic book published by BOOM! Studios

In October, there was more positive news. Early in the month, the creator of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Mike McMahan confirmed that Captain Amina Ramsey was Beckett Mariner's former lover at Starfleet Academy, even though it wasn't explicit, saying that "every Starfleet officer is probably at the baseline bisexual" in a sense, and that they did not "intentionally mean for anybody to be strictly heteronormative or straight or cis." However, he promised to do better in the show's second season, saying they would dig into it more, saying that the show could, in the future, more explicitly state "things that the writers always knew about Mariner."[101] The comic series, Lumberjanes would premiere as an animated series on HBO Max sometime in the future, having Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn A. Allen and Noelle Stevenson as showrunners.[102][103][104] The original comic series is filled with LGBTQ characters, such as Jo, a trans female main character,[105][106] and two other female main characters who identify as either bisexual or lesbian, Molly and Mal (both of whom have requited crushes on each other).[107][108] After the announcement of the series, fellow animators, like Matt Braly of Amphibia, Rad Sechrist of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and Shadi Petosky of Twelve Forever and Danger & Eggs praised the development.[109] There were similar sentiments from voice actors Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel, Aimee Carrero, Felicia Day, and Cissy Jones, comic artists Alex Z. Zhang and Victoria Ying, TV writers Shane Lynch and Benjamin Siemon, and comic writers Jackson Lanzing and Dan Slott, among others.[109] Then, on October 7, Stevenson told EW about the series, saying that her "interest in lifting up and exploring queer stories" is not going anywhere.[105] She added that she is interested in "telling central queer stories," having stories that are "built around" queer characters. The same EW story said that the series is in the "early development" stage with HBO Max.[105] The next day, it was announced that a full season of Helluva Boss, an animated web series which is in the same universe as Hazbin Hotel, would be released in fall 2021 on the YouTube channel of series creator Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano.[110] Helluva Boss has various LGBTQ characters, specifically two bisexual demons (Stolas and Moxie),[111] and a pansexual demon named Blitzo. Madrano also acted positively toward a fan who shared the idea of a sitcom set in an alternative universe where "Blitzo and Stolas are two single dads getting married" and explained that the season of Helluva Boss is being started in the fall, but the eight epieosdes of the first season won't drop at once, but over time.[112][113] The previous month, Medrano had expressed support in shipping two male characters in an animated short featuring characters from a webcomic she worked on,[114] titled Zoophobia, after Benjamin Diskin shipped them together.[115] Then, on October 15, Karen Fukuhara, the voice of Glimmer in She-Ra and Kipo in Kipo, said that it would be cool if She-Ra moved into "feature-length storytelling," with a movie focused on Bow and how he grew up with Glimmer.[116] She also hinted that a crossover between She-Ra and Kipo could happen because although they are stories on different worlds, they could cross paths if the She-Ra crew came to Earth, helping Kipo defeat a "greater evil," leading them to band together and fight.

6 days later, on October 21, two days after the DuckTales one-hour special entitled "Let's Get Dangerous!" aired, storyboard artist Diana Huh confirmed that one of the scenes she had worked on for the special, which included the characters Launchpad McQuack and Drake Mallard holding hands, with Drake looking fondly at Launchpad, was intended to be romantic in nature, while also admitting that she shipped the two characters together; although she did not elaborate as to whether the two were dating in-universe, or would eventually date in future episodes of the show, many fans interpreted this as their relationship being, or becoming, canon. Fellow DuckTales storyboard artist and writer Sam King, who had only a month ago conceded that another character in the series, Penumbra, was lesbian, responded by seemingly endorsing the pairing, furthering the notion of these two beings, or possibly getting, together.[117] Then on November 15, Bless the Harts episode "The McEntire Truth", Coach Fowler (voiced by Drew Tarver) has an unnamed husband.

A fan, cosplaying as Marceline the Vampire Queen, a character from the animated series Adventure Time, in January 2013

On November 19, 2020, "Obsidian," the second episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, with the first episode described earlier in this article, aired on HBO Max. It will bring together Marceline "Marcy" Abadeer, Bonnibel "Bonnie" Bubblegum, and Glassboy, the latter who is voiced by Michaela Dietz, who voiced Amethyst in Steven Universe.[118] In this special, Marcy, living with Bonnie, is anxious about revisiting the Glass Kingdom as it holds bad memories, but she and Bonnie are forced to confront this "rocky past" as they face off against an ancient, dangerous, and powerful dragon. Marcy is a confirmed bisexual character, as she dated male characters in the past, while Bonnie is more ambiguous, as her exact sexuality has not yet been confirmed. A few days before the premiere, Mey Rude described Bonnie and Marcy living a "happy, gay life together" which they always deserved, and predicted that the series would be full of "action, brand new songs, and classic Adventure Time weirdness and heart."[119] Before the episode even aired, writing for The A. V. Club, William Hughes gave this episode an A, calling it "fan service at its finest" with "plenty of the usual lovely Adventure Time touches".[120] Another reviewer hoped for on-screen romance, how Marcy and Bonnie broke up, how Bonnie got her shirt, Steven Universe references, and Marcy's mom.[121] At the same time, they hoped there wouldn't be rushed plot development, death, another break up, short songs, an anticlimax. After the episode aired, Rebecca Long also gave a positive review of the episode in Polygon. She wrote that the episode gives fans the "emotional payoff and answers" they have been yearning for and that the special uses the plot to explore Marceline's childhood trauma, her romantic history with Bubblegum, how the two are interconnected, and fills in gaps about her past.[122] Long also stated that while the special is not "as offbeat" as BMO, it is heavier in terms of emotional weight and plot, and making clear that "romantic subtext" in the original show has "always been straight-up text." At the same time, she states that not all interactions between Bubblegum and Marceline are loving, that the special has flaws due to a conventional structure and storytelling, even with some "inconsistencies in Princess Bubblegum’s character design," but is still heartfelt and effective, complete with new music, with Marceline and Bubblegum having "a shared future that feels real." Rosie Knight of IGN gave a similar assessment.[123] She writes that the special is a "perfect example" of why Adventure Time has a such a big impact, and is strongest in the fact at "how accessible it is to new viewers." She added that the special could be enjoyed by "hardcore fans" and by new viewers who wanted to "live their best lesbian cottagecore lives," with the special constructed allowing people who have little understanding of the characters able to come in to "enjoy this fantastical romp about aging, falling in love, and settling down." Knight further pointed out that the episode has a journey which results in Bubblegum and Marceline looking back at their relationship's ups and downs, along with a series of new songs, and delivers the message that Marceline's power comes from her love of Bubblegum and their relationship while having a song ("Monster") which she says is as iconic as "I'm Just Your Problem" and "Everything Stays the Same." She ends by saying that while the special could be called "fan service," it is "fan service of the highest order, a wonderful animated episode, and "a fitting addition to Adventure Time's legacy."

In early December, more LGBTQ series were noted. This included a 2D-animated series titled "Highlands Shadow," directed by Paula Boffo and produced by Ojo Raro, which will be eight episodes long, at Ventana Sur’s Animation![124] This series aims at a young adult audience, addresses "gender and LGBTIQ+ issues," by focusing on Juana, "a girl from Humahuaca whose sister Marisol has been captured by a human trafficking cartel," who allies with "two haunted machetes" and becomes a superheroine. On December 4, the fourth season of a mature animated series, Big Mouth dropped on Netflix. The season's first episode has the teens heading to a summer camp, with Matthew in his a relationship, Jay as bi, and a new character named Natalie, who is a trans female teenager, highlights "various, popular transphobic arguments," while giving her a supportive friend named Jessi, and another named Seth, who rejects her identity, who she rejects.[125] On December 12, a mature adult animation, Hoops was cancelled by Netflix after its first season received low ratings and negative reviews.[126][127] Hoops was described as "puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump's America,"[128] not funny,[129] and "crude, rude, and aimless."[130] On December 15, Petrana Radulovic of Polygon argued that 2020, when it came to all-ages animation, was a "glorious gay celebration that was unheard of just five years ago," including the love confession of Adora and Catra in the last episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Amity's romantic crush on Luz in The Owl House, the ending of Steven Universe, and the gay love story between Troy and Benson in Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and the development of Marceline and Bubblegum's relationship in the "Obsidian" episode of Adventure Time: Distant Lands.[131] She specifically said that Obsidian was a "perfect end to this big gay year in animation," while noting that there is still work to do going forward. Similarly, David Opie, Deputy TV Editor of Digital Spy said that he saw himself reflected in the final episode of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, saying it was the first time he had "seen two lead characters enjoy queer domestic bliss so openly and without fear of reprisal," and said that he had long "settled for stories with ambiguous queer undertones" but this show went beyond that, part of an effort to create a better world.[132] On December 18, when asked if the colors of the librarian named Kaisa in Hilda were made to intentionally match the asexual flag, series creator Luke Pearson said that while he did not purposely make her colors match those of the aromantic flag in his rough design for the character, it was "not impossible" that her design, her hair and colors, matched the colors of the asexual flag because he did not draw the final design of the character in the show.[133] The character has purple hair, a black cape, a gray shirt with white sleeves, all of which are colors on the asexual flag. Earlier that month, on December 4, Krystal Downs, director for Magical Girl Friendship Squad confirmed that Daisy is lesbian in a tweet.[134] On December 21, A.H. Starlyng reviewed the series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, noting that the lines between good and evil are blurred, and said that the show's final season is the best in the show, including a redemption arc for Catra, with Adora trying to help Catra become a better person.[135] Starlyng also stated that the entire show has "romantic tension" between Adora and Catra, adding that the show explores many aspects that "everyone can relate to" while upping the "stakes for queer representation in animation" while calling Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts a "unique take on post-apocalypse." On December 30, 2020, Donnie Lopez published an article on Black Girl Nerds, lamenting the lack of an "animated gay Latino male superhero being the lead of his own show," saying that while there has been an increase in the number of "LGBT+ folks being presented on family animated superhero shows," this has mainly focused on lesbian and bisexual characters, without "gay male Latino/Hispanic superhero animated leads."[136] Lopez added that maintaining, popularizing, and creating gay characters can start to assuage harmful attitudes, noting that shows seldomly "give gay male POC characters the title roles" in children's animation, leading them to perpetrate the idea that "gay male characters cannot be standalone titular characters." Even so, he gives the example of Aqualad in Season Three of Young Justice who is a bisexual Black man, while qualifying this by saying that Aqualad is "not the principal character of the show" and noting that while Super Drags did make gay men the protagonists, it "reinforced negative stereotypes" and hoped that the "lack of gay representation" in these animations could be remedies in the future.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In this episode, Ilia said Blake was "too busy falling for Adam." In the episode "Best Day Ever," Blake as a sketch of him in her notebook, meaning she may still think of him, and in "Mountain Glenn" she calls Adam her partner, although more of a mentor. She further seems to have some remorse after killing Adam.
  2. ^ One of her tweets stated that the company she pitched to spilt tea "on how they produced a show that was "diverse" (body types, lgbt+, all girls) and instead of releasing a trailer for the show the creators talked about how "diverse" the show was and used it as a selling point," with this getting "immense backlash," which refers to the backlash over this show.
  3. ^ This may be a reference to the livestream controversy around She-Ra

References

Citations

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  34. ^ Peterson, Maya [@rr_tweet] (March 11, 2020). "I know many people read that in her, but not as far as I know. It doesn't mean she's not! Just that the topic hasn't ever come up in my period of employment. But then again, I would think it'd be an important point of discussion for this past ep" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020 – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; May 15, 2020 suggested (help) In response to the question "Since that's Peridot's send off, could you plz confirm if Peridot really is coded autistic as many fans have interpreted?"
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  53. ^ In a Reddit Q&A, Curda considered this one of her favorite moments in the episode.
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Sources

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