‘Shelved because of which party that won the recent election’: Disney allegedly bars Marvel’s ‘Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ LGBTQ+ episode from airing
An episode of Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that explores transgender themes has allegedly been shelved by Disney following the U.S. presidential election.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is based on the Marvel Comics of the same name and follows 13-year-old genius Lunella Lafayette (Diamond White) and her sidekick, Devil Dinosaur (Fred Tasciore), as they fight crime in the Lower East Side of New York City. The show achieved high critical acclaim for its storyline, animation, and representation. Not only does the show authentically portray Black women and girls, but it also features LGBTQ+ representation as it features two nonbinary characters and an openly trans character, Brooklyn (Indya Moore).
Sadly, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur was canceled after season 2. However, the second season still has several episodes remaining, which are expected to be released next year. According to insiders, though, one episode will be missing.
Disney allegedly shelves Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode
Crew members on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur allege Disney shelved an episode of the show due to the political climate. The claim comes from Derrick Malik Johnson, who posted on Bluesky that the episode was shelved “because of which party that won the recent election.” He lamented how the “impactful and amazing” episode would now be considered “lost media.” In a now-deleted comment on Reddit, user Superootoro claimed to have worked on the show and confirmed Johnson’s allegations, stating an episode about Brooklyn had been shelved.
According to Polygon, the episode in question is “The Gatekeeper.” Someone tried to leak the entire episode to YouTube, but Disney Enterprises quickly blocked it on copyright grounds. The episode allegedly sees Brooklyn preparing to compete in a game with the girl’s volleyball team. Before the match, she recalls how she played soccer earlier in life and how difficult it was that she had to play on the boy’s team. A “narrow-minded coach” on the opposing team, Coach Greer (Amy Sedaris), overhears this statement and begins pushing to have her disqualified.
Brooklyn’s gym teacher, Coach Hrbek (Tasciore), fights for her, telling Greer, “Brooklyn IS a girl, and she’s gonna play.” Greer then goes full supervillain and attempts to lock Brooklyn and her teammates in the locker room to prevent her from competing. The episode would’ve been very relevant to current issues, as conservatives have attempted to ban transgender athletes from competing on women’s and girl’s teams. It’s not uncommon for transgender women/girls or cisgender women/girls wrongfully labeled transgender to face harassment and threats from conservatives. So far, not many shows and movies have tackled the issue from the perspective of a transgender athlete.
Disney has yet to publicly respond to the allegations of shelving the episode. However, a Disney source informed The Mary Sue that the decision to hold the episode was made a year ago and “has nothing to do with the current political climate or administration.” While a specific reason for holding the episode was not provided, the source noted, “We have a level of care that we take very seriously and are respectful of the role parents play in making choices for their children and having discussions on their own timeline.” The source explained that content is regularly reviewed, and a decision was made “based on this specific episode alone.” The source also expressed pride in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and clarified that Brooklyn appears throughout the series, not just in the held episode.
Still, holding an episode relevant to current issues at a time when LGBTQ+ representation is most crucial is disappointing. Conservative censorship will likely increase under Trump, but another concern is self-censorship. There’s a fear that studios may be so concerned about the anti-woke mob that they automatically censor themselves to avoid anything “controversial.” However, self-censorship means catering to the right’s desire to erase representation, ban every book, and block the release of every TV show and film that acknowledges the existence of marginalized groups.
Update (5:30 PM EST): This article has been updated to include clarification from a Disney source.
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