Tom Hiddleston is opening up about Loki’s bisexuality in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and why it was important to make that canon.

Loki is generally presented as pansexual and genderfluid in the comics, which prompted many fans to assume the same for Hiddleston’s on-screen presentation of the character ever since his first appearance in Thor.

However, it wasn’t until Loki received his own show ten years later that he was explicitly painted as bisexual and genderfluid in the MCU, with his sexuality only being mentioned in passing.

Still, Hiddleston was glad that moment, albeit brief, finally came.

“We all wanted to retain the integrity of the character — I wanted to make sure we didn’t lose the bits that people loved, while doing something new,” he said of the Disney+ series in a recent conversation with The Guardian. “I also hope Loki coming out as bisexual was meaningful to people who spotted it. It was a small step, and there’s further to go. But it was definitely important to all of us.”

Casually acknowledging that the reveal was so brief not everyone may have noticed it without the help of the internet feels appropriate. Loki’s sexuality was addressed only through a line of dialogue in which he mentions having had dalliances with both princes and princesses.

It certainly still makes Loki canonically bisexual, and representation doesn’t have to involve love interests to count, but considering Marvel’s historically underwhelming approach to LGBTQ+ representation on screen, it was a divisive moment even within the queer community.

But, like Hiddleston, many fans are still ultimately glad it was made canon at all. And with season two of Loki on the way, we can continue to hope for even more.