Mulan fans were outraged when Disney confirmed it had removed Li Shang from its live-action remake, and now the film’s producer has revealed the perplexing reason for the decision.
Li Shang has long been considered a bisexual icon by queer Disney fans faced with a total lack of representation in the studio’s animated films (a dearth which, it should be noted, will only be broken by the March release of Onward).
[Producer Jason Reed] said that the character was split because in the original, Li Shang is Mulan’s commanding officer as well as her love interest, creating what he believes to be an uncomfortable power dynamic.
“I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate.”