Earlier this year, showrunners for the 80’s animated reboot of Voltron: Legendary Defender revealed that one of the shows main characters identifies as a gay man and his relationship would be further detailed during season 7 of the show†. Having seen season 7, I think series creators made an admirable attempt to add diversity to an already diverse cast but their reach may have exceeded their grasp.
Caution: Spoilers ahead!
Season 7 of Voltron has our heroes returning to Earth only to find the planet under alien occupation. The season culminates in an epic battle pitting the protagonists against the planet conquering Galra empire. Leading up to the season finale viewers are given some backstory on Shiro Takashi, former pilot of the black lion and space-dad to the team. Told through a series of flashbacks, we learn that while stationed at a military complex Shiro
was in a relationship with an instructor named Adam. Against Adam’s wishes, Shiro departs on an ill-fated space mission leaving Adam on Earth. While Shiro and the rest of the team are away protecting the universe, Earth is invaded and Adam is killed attempting to repel the Galra. When Shiro eventually does return to Earth he learns of Adam’s death and mourns the loss of his partner. The entirety of interactions between Shiro and Adam is barely over a minute long.
So here is the problem. Representation in media matters, more so when the target demographic is young viewers. LGBTQ young people are more likely to commit suicide‡ or experience some form of violence± compared to heterosexual young people. Positive LGBTQ representation in movies and television works to counteract negative stereotypes and alleviate the sense of “otherness” that exists amongst queer and questioning young people. Unfortunately, even when LGBTQ characters are presented positively in media their stories often have an element of tragedy, sending the message that it is ok to be gay, just don’t expect a happy ending. Shiro and Adam’s relationship reenforces this trope. Too often creators martyr LGBTQ characters in their stories and still want a pat on the back for including them in the first place. Voltron showrunners’ Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery admitted that Shiro was originally going to die in season 1 but they decided to not, “…kill their gay representation.≠” The other queer coupling in season 7 of Voltron is that of Ezor and Zethrid, two subordinates to one of the stories main
antagonists. While both are sill alive (as far as we know) by the end of season 7 they also fall into another negative stereotype for queer characters, that of the villain. Ezor and Zethrid are definitely not major characters but in a universe with only 3 (living) queer identifiable people it is troubling when 2 of those are sadistic criminals.
Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery clearly care about representation of marginalized people in their shows. And I think they cheated themselves and their fans by not fully developing the narratives of their queer characters. We know it’s possible because they have already done it. The Legend of Korra is an excellent example of positively representing LGBTQ characters while avoiding the pitfalls those characters often fall into. Which is why it is so disheartening that Voltron missed the mark.
Last week I picked up BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Arc’s answer to the void left by Marvel v Capcom, and amongst the game’s roster of BlazBlue, Persona and Under Night In-Birth characters are the protagonists from RWBY. If you are like me, you may have asked: “Who dat’?”
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