Hannibal gay
How NBC's 'Hannibal' Became the Anti-Queerbaiting Show
"Queerbaiting'' has prolonged been a frustrating trope in popular media, with shows teasing same-sex intimate relationships to attract Diverse audiences without ever committing to implications. NBC's Hannibal, which aired from 2013 to 2015, is a rare example of a show that subverted this trend. Ten years after its initial release and with the show recently celebrating its anniversary, Hannibal's pioneering approach to Gay representation continues to own a lasting impact today.
In the horror genre, lgbtq+ characters often fall victim to harmful stereotypes and become targets of the Big Bad, or they are portrayed as monsters themselves. It's surprising, given that horror is often seen as a genre that belongs to the queer community. Horror stories exist outside what is typically deemed tolerable in society, something that Gay people can relate to and thus gravitate towards as an audience. The lack of representation in a genre that is supposed to provide comfort only exacerbates the meaning of exclusion already felt by underrepresented communities. It reinforces the idea that their stories are unwo
The Hannibal Finale Nearly Ended on a Gay Kiss, Says Bryan Fuller
It has been almost seven years since the final episode of Hannibal, Bryan Fuller's TV adaptation of Thomas Harris' novels,aired on NBC. Looking back, it is impossible to overstate the intensity of this visually affluent serial killer drama's online fandom, much of which focused on the complicated relationship between FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Many shippers reimagined the adversarial push-pull between the two lead characters as a love story, a reading of the show made all the easier by the way Dancy and Mikkelsen played their scenes together.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Bryan Fuller revealed that while it may have begun as accidental subtext, the romantic tension between Will and Hannibal was very much on the page as the writers' room was penning what would be the show's third and final season, which saw them reunite in their hunt for the murderer Francis Dolarhyde. He also disclosed that some drafts of the series finale even included a kiss between the two men.
"There were several takes and there was neve
Hannibal: A Queer Love Story
An age-old question has always been, “If you could live forever, would you?” As a queer person of color, I hold always found the framework of immortality fascinating. Would being immortal improve things, or would my animation remain unchanged? Would I lose my humanity as centuries pass? Having been a devoted reader of Anne Rice for many years, I became convinced that the only way to achieve immortality and find answers to my questions was to develop a vampire. Imagine watching this version of Interview with the Vampire as a TV show for the first time. Fancy a human about to become food for the damned, I was enamored.
The series’ setup was masterfully done. Daniel Molloy, a gay man and writer, is in the residence of Louis de Pointe du Lac, a vampire. Louis introduces Daniel to his assistant, Rashid, who we later discover is the vampire Armand and Louis’ new lover. The inclusion of several lgbtq+ main characters in this show was a refreshing change.
Daniel is the conductor, guiding the narrative with probing questions in every episode. The story unfolds in modern times and throughout the past, as Louis revisits his memories when Daniel seeks respond
Hannibal & The Queer Elephant in the Room
[Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Hannibal Season 3.]
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Bryan Fuller's groundbreaking serial killer drama Hannibal has crashed to a close in a Season 3 finale that may yet serve as either a firm conclusion to the story or merely the end of one particular chapter. The closing image (not counting the post-credits scene) of Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) drenched in blood, sharing a close embrace and whispering sweet nothings to one another before tumbling off a cliff was an apt encapsulation of the entire series and the curious relationship at the center of it.
As depictions of homosexuality have grow progressively less prohibited in television and movies, portraying intimate emotional relationships that don't involve sex seems to have become even more complicated. Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 movie Strangers on a Train features a relationship between two male characters that is comparable to that between Will and Hannibal, and is widely regarded as having mighty homoerotic subtext. Yet Strangers on a Train was made in an era where, thanks to the Hays Code, it wasn't feasible to have expl
The Queer Poetry of NBC’s Hannibal
Episode 9: “Shiizakana”
Hannibal Lecter: No one can be fully aware of another human being unless we love them. By that love, we see potential in our beloved. Through that love, we permit our beloved to notice their potential. Expressing that love, our beloved’s potential comes true. [cf. Frankl]
(general spoiler warning – this article is intended for folks who have seen NBC Hannibal through Season 3 and and/or are curious about the gay symbolism throughout the production, especially in regards to Hannibal Lecter himself)
It’s no secret that NBC Hannibal took source material that was intensely homophobic, misogynist, and transphobic – and created something both racially diverse and miles away from the panicking-naked-women tropes we’re so numbly accustomed to in the horror genre.
It’s difficult for fans of the show to remember a time when queer fans who saw sparks flying between doe-eyed waif Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and cosmically still Dr. Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) were shot down by straight fans. “Wishful thinking” they said. “You’re just seeing gay everywher