Season 7 of Voltron: Legendary Defender broke news before the new episodes even aired after the show’s creators revealed at a Comic-Con panel that Shiro is gay and that his boyfriend, Adam, was waiting for him back on Earth. However, as anyone who’s watched Voltron Season 7 knows, it wasn’t quite that simple.
In an interview with Comic Book, Shiro voice actor Josh Keaton discussed the initial reveal, the feedback from fans, and his thoughts on how Voltron Season 7 actually played out.
Warning: Voltron Season 7 spoilers ahead, obviously.
The initial response to the news that Shiro is gay was pretty much overwhelmingly positive, and, according to Keaton, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Shiro speaks to people who have been thirsting for representation for so long,” he told Comic Book.
He goes on to say that he wishes he could be there with fans when they discovered the news. However, he’ll take some of the interactions he’s had at conventions and online as consolation.
“I’ve had people come up to me at conventions and even reach out to me in social media,” he said, adding that some fans even told him they came out to their family thanks to Shiro.
'Voltron Legendary Defender' (2017)
When it comes to Adam’s death (he died when the Galra arrived on Earth), Keaton tries to see the positives in that choice by the show’s writers. Specifically, he points to the difficult decision Shiro made in leaving his boyfriend behind, and how he deals with learning about what happened to Adam.
“I’m sure everybody can relate to having a pivotal decision in their life where both choices are difficult,” Keaton said, adding that “even though he [Shiro] still had to leave, it’s still got to sting. Especially as close as they were and as deep of a relationship as this was before he left. It’s got to be devastating.”
Some fans haven’t taken this Voltron storyline quite so well, accusing the series of building hype with its big Comic-Con reveal and then failing to make good on that promise. In a statement on Twitter, the show’s executive producer, Joaquim Dos Santos, responded to those criticisms.
“With regards to season 7 itself,” he wrote, “if anyone for any reason took away from this season that our intention was to queer bait the VLD fandom I’d like to personally apologize. I can only speak to our intent and I can truly say we did not intend to bait anyone. I know that is not any consolation but it is the truth.”
Voltron Season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.
