(-Un-)official asexual & aromantic icons in pop culture, Part 4

As previously announced, this fourth and for the moment final part of the series will discuss characters who are officially confirmed as asexual by their creators or owners, rather than those who are just “headcanon”. They’re very few.

I’m not mentioning Sherlock Holmes in this list (I already did in Part I), because though his canon description is commonly accepted to be that of an asexual, the terminology didn’t exist at the time and thus was never used officially.

Varys, another confirmed ace character was discussed extensively in Arya’s entry, so I likewise decided against repeating him here.

It’s worth mentioning that I haven’t watched every piece of media in this list, like I have done with the previous entries. It’s interesting that canonical aces seem to pop up mainly in obscure stuff or things I’m simply uninterested about. In any case, out of personal curiosity, I’ve usually checked the parts regarding asexuality, trying to get a better grasp at how each handles the issue, so my commentary is not entirely uninformed.

Also, if you want to check the previous three entries, click on the Spades below to redirect you to each respective part:

 

PART IV:

Todd (Bojack Horseman):

Bojack Horseman is a very adult animation series that has tackled different difficult topics like depression and addiction, but probably their most unexpected move was to address the almost invisible topic of asexuality in a well-informed, respectful manner.

Todd is one of the main characters in the show: he’s the titular horse’s roommate. During Season 3, he had a date with a girl from his youth, and in the ensuing awkwardness, he voiced the fact that he wasn’t really attracted to anyone.

Subsequent storylines showed him discovering and researching asexuality, attending community gatherings and meeting an ace girl with whom he eventually forms a relationship (Todd is not aromantic).

It’s generally accepted that Todd’s arch is the most complete, well-made representation of the full asexual experience in mainstream media so far. It’s very informative, too, and has helped promote the acceptance of aces.

The cast and crew have been incredibly supportive and we’re grateful for what they’ve done. Famed actor Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), who voiced Todd, said:

"I was so proud to represent that community, and so many people came up to me, or have been coming up to me, since that come out, saying, 'I didn't know what I was. You have given me a community that I didn't even know existed,' which is just so heartbreaking, but also so beautiful, you know? I think it's so nice to have a character on TV — especially on a show so powerful like BoJack — that represents a community that should be represented."

Rorschach / Walter Kovacs (Watchmen):

I once read that if a community wants to achieve real representation, their portrayals should be both positive and negative. Most of the characters we tend to list are either heroes or at least well-intentioned antiheroes (like Arya), but if we want to show that aces are just like everyone else, we also need to mention some who are clearly on the dark side.

Which brings us to Rorschach, a violent, fascist vigilante whose motivations are just plain wrong. The character’s popularity (because he is amazingly well-written) has led to many people mistaking his actions for heroics, but it’s clear that Alan Moore’s original intent was to condemn Rorschach misguided brand of morality, in a way Game of Thrones never did with Arya.

One of the common misconceptions people have about asexuals is that they are all the product of trauma. In fact, most of us were simply born that way, while it’s only a small percentage of aces whose views on sex are the product of painful events in their past. This is the case of Rorschach.

The graphic novel shows us that he’s repulsed by sex, and that this has its origins in the traumas of his youth, like his mother being a prostitute and her clients mistreating the young Walter.

Even though he remains a fascinating creation, it's important for the reader to understand that he only represents a minuscule niche of the ace community. Asexuality is NOT the same as hating sex and sexual people, and it certainly has nothing to do with moral absolutism.

Vi Moradi (Star Wars):

Vi is the main character in two canon novels written by Delilah Dawson (Phasma and Black Spire) She’s also a prominent character in the theme park Galaxy’s Edge, and if you’ve visited it, you might have caught a glance of her.

In the second novel, Vi is firmly established as asexual, though the word itself isn’t mentioned (it would feel out of place on Star Wars). We have passages such as:

""Were you trying to kiss me? Then I'll go ahead and let you in on a little secret: I'm not into it. I care about you, but not like that."

She'd never cared for anyone like that, men or women, never had such urges, but he didn't need to know that now."

The author herself went to confirm almost instantly that this was indeed intended to be a reference to her asexuality. She apparently got the inspiration from a colleague at Del Rey Books, Elizabeth Schaefer, who is an asexual editor of Star Wars books. Miss Schafer tweets:

Black Spire is so personally special to me for establishing Vi as a canonically asexual character. You can get frighteningly used to never seeing a part of yourself depicted in media.

When Delilah asked me “What if Vi was ace?” it felt selfish to say “Yes. Please. That would be mean the world.” But I’m so, so glad she asked.

Asexual awareness is still so low that I usually have to explain what “asexual” means when I use it. It can feel clinical, like trying to explain that I’m not a slug. But books like Black Spire are starting to make that easier: I’m not like a slug. I’m like Vi freaking Moradi.

And so, we finally have a canon ace character in Star Wars. Let’s hope the mainstream elements of the franchise catch up.

SpongeBob SquarePants:

I’ve never watched this popular series, and I doubt I ever will, because the few things I’ve seen feel unappealing to me.

However, I’ve learned that when its creator was asked if the main character was gay, he answered that he instead was asexual… just like sea sponges are in real life.

Of course, the fact that he’s equating asexual orientation (not having sexual desire) with asexual organisms (beings who can reproduce without sex) shows he’s a bit confused. It can even be quite offensive to the ace community, who are often linked to this type of creatures by acephobics. I doubt that was his intent, though.

Liv Flaherty (Emmerdale):

I don’t watch soap operas, but it’s common knowledge to the ace community that Liv, from this loong-runningBritish drama was one of the most prominent instances of asexuality being portrayed openly in media, being depicted consistently through the years, and giving the storyline a relatively large amount of time.

It’s even credited with helping many people realize their own asexuality, thanks to frequent, scientifically accurate explanations in Liv's dialogue with other characters.

Daryl Dixon (The Walking Dead):

One of the most popular characters in the franchise, Daryl is an introverted, somewhat chaste heterosexual in the comics, but the TV series has portrayed him as an asexual, something that has been commented by people involved in the production, including the actor who plays him, Norman Reed.

Valentina “Voodoo” Dunacci (Sirens):

An asexual but romantic paramedic, Valentina gets a rare story arch regarding her asexuality, though it’s one that has rubbed a few aces the wrong way. Being a comedy, Sirens sometimes goes for the jokes, particularly because a male colleague is trying to pursue her and is told repeatedly that dating an asexual must be something horrible to do.

Despite that, they eventually get together for a while, and he abstains instead of forcing her to have sex, which was a bit progressive of the series to do. They eventually break-up because he recognizes he can’t live too long without sex.

This can be an actual occurrence: though some allo-ace couples get to have successful relationships, others end up failing because one of them feels pressed into doing something they don’t want to do, or to give up something they really want.

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory):

The icon most of us didn’t want, but the one we got.

Sadly, this sitcom’s popularity means that, when you explain asexuality to the general public, they often think of Sheldon first, which has the negative sideeffect of associating asexuality with Sheldon’s other traits.

Studies have shown that asexuals tend to be dehumanized by the public. Even though other orientations like homosexuality or bisexuality attract more direct bigotry, asexuals are often seen as “machine-like”, “aliens”, “incapable of love and emotion”, “socially inept”, “crazy weirdos”, etc., which constitutes its own form of discrimination.

The fact that Sheldon is the very stereotype of all of those traits, in addition to being asexual, means that in the minds of the uninformed viewer, all these characteristics can be seen as being intrinsically linked.

This is exactly why we need more diverse representation. A character like Sheldon has a right to exist, but we need to counterbalance him by having equally popular aces who show very different personality traits and prove that aces don’t necessarily behave like aliens. We’re far from all being Sheldons.

Florence (Sex Education):

I haven’t seen this show. For obvious reasons, the premise isn’t appealing to me, and yet I must applaud it, because Season 2 has featured one of the best depictions of asexuality ever. Considering the popularity of the series, they were surely responsible for educating a lot of viewers about asexuality in a fact-based way, unlike what happened in House M.D.* years earlier.

*An episode featured an “asexual” couple who were found by House to actually be a faker and a sick person, even going as far as to state that asexuality is a condition that has to be cured, which is a complete lie. This is akin to homosexuals being told they must be made straight through electroshock because being gay is an illness.

Anyway, Sex Education introduced Florence, a girl who feels no sexual desire and consults with the main character Otis, an untrained sex therapist. He is still very green and doesn’t know about asexuality, so he answers with the usual “you’re just not ready yet” argument, making her feel even worse.

Later, Florence goes to see Otis’ mother, an actual professional sex therapist, who explains Asexuality to her and how it’s a perfectly normal orientation. Florence, who is not aromantic, is relieved to hear that asexuals can still form loving relationships of different kinds.

It’s been a very helpful, enlightening portrayal, and the community is grateful to the show for it.

 

Jughead Jones (Archie):

Jughead has been consistently portrayed as wholly uninterested in relationships in the Archie Comics, but due to the lack of an actual word for it, he remained unlabeled for years. Finally, in 2016, writers Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson canonized his asexuality explicitly, and even commented that said orientation needed more media representation.

Sadly, the popular live-action adaptation, Riverdale, has opted for a different route. Though the showrunners were asked many times to acknowledge Jones’ asexuality by fans, and even the actor who portrays him, they ignored them. He has now been established as an allosexual and paired with Betty in a clear attempt to further sexualize the show (it’s a CW series, what can we expect?).

This kind of erasure is very uncomfortable. Can you imagine the outcry if a traditionally gay character was portrayed as heterosexual in an adaptation? This is exactly as offensive for aces.

Ruby Hale (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.):

Ruby is a secondary villain in Season 5. She’s an expert fighter created by HYDRA, who has been kept in captivity by her leaders all of her life, giving her a tragic backstory.

She only appears in six episodes and her orientation is never stated, but when actress Dove Cameron was asked about the character’s sexuality, she categorically announced Ruby is Asexual, adding a flower emoticon to her message as a friendly acknowledgement to the ace community.

Thanks, Dove! 🌹

Nadia van Dyne (Marvel Comics):

Nadia was the newest heroine to take The Wasp's mantle. She’s a daughter of original Ant-Man, Hank Pym who was trained by Russian spies to be a Black Widow.

Sadly, her time in the comics has been short so far: her titular series, The Unstoppable Wasp, was cancelled and she’s only made a few appearances outside of it.

Nevertheless, the character did make some comments pointing that she was disgusted by the idea of romance, or at least physical intimacy within the books.

Later, the creators (Jeremy Whitley and Elsa Charretier) have confirmed that Nadia is in fact an asexual, and that the plan was to openly state it on the comics before its early cancellation forced them to abandon the character.

And that's all for now. Maybe in the future I can make another list. Hopefully because more canon ace characters have been announced and not because we have to keep imagining our own.

I wish you learnt something new through this series, and thast you didn't find it too preachy, which wasn't my intention. If you're aro / ace, I expect you found yourself a bit more acknowledged, and if you're an allosexual, I hope you gained some understanding of the Aromantic / Asexual community and the fact that we're people just like you!

Have a great time and until the next article!