The Owl House hiatus is almost over. Tomorrow will see the arrival of Season 2B and weekly episodes on our screens until the end of May. While the show has sadly been subject to an abrupt cancellation, meaning that the third season will consist of three extended specials, that hasn’t stopped fans from supporting it to high heaven.
Over the past year I’ve seen the fandom band together to produce fan art, support one another, and even raise money for worthwhile causes under the show’s banner. This came to a wholesome crescendo last weekend when show creator Dana Terrace and several other creatives hosted a charity livestream that raised $70,000 for the Zebra Coalition. Cissy Jones, Sarah Nicole-Robles, Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller were just a few of the faces who contributed to the event, which was such a treat to witness as the number of donations went well beyond the initial $20k goal.
I tapped out around 1am because it was a school night and I’m a good girl, but I managed to catch a part of the stream that saw Cissy Jones deliver a monologue as her character Lilith Clawthorne. It was a letter to Hooty, responding to all the trials and tribulations he witnessed during the episode ‘Knock, Knock, Knockin On Hooty’s Door.’ These included lifting Eda’s curse, uncovering King’s heritage, and helping Luz and Amity finally get together. It was an episode filled with big moments, so to hear Lilith reflect on them was a lot of fun.
You can check out the entire performance for yourself below:
It’s adorable, but there’s one part of the letter that is especially interesting. After talking about her delight at the news of Luz and Amity’s relationship, Lilith touches on her own flirtation with romance. She’s currently living and working with her mother in a town which is filled with potential suitors, many of whom give her gifts of gratitude and offers of partnership, only to be turned down time and time again. She even talks about a woman being turned down only days earlier, which already turns heads that Lilith would be a potential queer character in a show filled with beloved LGBTQ+ personalities. But then things take an unexpected yet delightful turn. Here’s a few lines that highlight Lilith’s potential asexual/aromantic identity:
“I am not so interested. I don’t think I ever have been,” Lilith says to herself in response to offers of romance. “Hmmm, I have much to think about.”
It’s a small, emotionally resonant admission that hints at something more. It could be explored in the show, but there’s an equal chance it won’t be, and providing this piece of character development in such an unexpected way is so perfect for a show like this, and for Lilith’s character. While she began life as a remorseless villain that fans were tempted to cancel during the first season, she grew into a sympathetic antihero who was operating in a way to save her sister and make up for past mistakes. While she was going at it the wrong way, Lilith was always trying to do the right thing.
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Upon being cursed and losing her powers we’ve seen Lilith evolve into a sarcastic witch mummy who lounges around eating ice cream while learning magic from a teenager. She has since moved on, and not once in the show have her romantic pursuits or sexuality been discussed. It makes sense, she isn’t the main protagonist, but small little details like this charity livestream help breathe further life into a universe that is being taken away from us far too soon. When I poked Cissy Jones about her character’s recent revelation she told me that given the stream was hosted in support of LGBTQ+ people, it is “basically canon.”
Aromantic and asexual characters aren’t very common in animation or any medium really, and the idea of Lilith Clawthorne bearing such an identity is so exciting. She is smart, reserved, caring, and unpredictable, and only expresses her true emotions to characters she knows she can trust and confide in. Relationships - romantic or otherwise - clearly matter to her, and she never takes them for granted. It wouldn’t be surprising that the act of finding a soulmate will see her hesitate, worried that advances by strangers who admire her personality and beauty don’t see the true Lilith, or she isn’t sure how to approach people like this and develop some form of intimacy with them. She’s built different, and we love her for it.
The Owl House is filled with layered characters like this. Not all of them will have that much time in the spotlight, but they remain thoroughly developed and a tangible part of the show’s expansive universe. Lilith will likely be a big focus in some episodes to come, adventurning with certain characters and furthering her own personal arc in the process. If her identity is a focus in any of them, it will be a cause for celebration.