Adam (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

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Character
Name: Adam
Occupation:
Relationships: Takashi Shirogane (ex-fiance)
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Other:
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Adam is a minor character in Voltron: Legendary Defender introduced in Season 7.

Canon

Because of his brief appearance onscreen, not much is known about Adam. He was an young adult man who serves as an officer at the Garrison and was known for his piloting ability. He was in a relationship with Takashi Shirogane prior to the Kerberos mission, and they were planning to get married. However, he ended their relationship following a fight about the risks of the mission as related to Shiro's health. During the Galra invasion of Earth, he participated in defending the Garrison and was shot down. Following his death, he was commemorated in a memorial plaque along with others who died in the invasion.[1]

His appearances in the show consist entirely of posthumous flashbacks.

Fandom

Shipping

The most popular ship for Adam is his canonical queer ship with Takashi Shirogane, known alternatively as Shiro/Adam, Shadam, or Adashi. Occasionally he will be included in threesome ships along with Shiro, such as Adam/Shiro/Matt.

Controversy

The first episode of Season 7 was screened at San Diego Comic Con, revealing that prior to his abduction by the Galra Empire Shiro had been in a relationship with another man, revealed in a flashback to their breakup over Shiro's decision to go on the mission to Kerberos where he would be captured in the first episode.[2] While the showrunners stressed in interviews that Adam would not be a major character outside of Shiro's backstory, the show's marketing immediately hyped Adam's importance, with Netflix releasing promotional banners that depicted him alongside Shiro, while the show's official Twitter account said that fans would "meet Shiro's significant other" in Season 7[3]. This gave many fans - particularly anti-shippers hoping that the season would definitively remove any possibility of Sheith becoming canon - the impression that Season 7 would have Shiro reunite with Adam and get back together with his ex-boyfriend.

When the season was released, Adam ultimately had very little screentime, and his only appearance after the break-up scene in the first episode depicted him dying in combat during a flashback depicting the Galra invasion of Earth while the main characters had been fighting the empire in deep space. The fandom immediately made accusations of Bury Your Gays against the creators, leading to a lot of media attention and an open letter addressing the matter from Joaquim Dos Santos.[4][5][6]

Popular Tropes

  • Fanworks featuring Adam will often expand on the limited information available on him in canon, often by giving him a more fleshed-out family or ethnic background
  • Fanworks may also expand on Adam's involvement with other characters besides Adam who were present at the Garrison while he was a teacher. A lot of fans focused on his relationship with Keith, who Shiro mentored in canon.
  • Many fanworks featuring Adam are fixit fics in which he did not die during the invasion of Earth. Such fanworks may resolve with Shiro and Adam back together, or with Shiro and Adam reaching a resolution that allows for another Shiro pairing.

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

  • Video Killed the Radio Star by europa_report, “Yeah I… I didn’t know I had a sister,” said Keith. “Until she died last month. And now I… now I’m, um, I-I’m like a single parent to my nieces." He took a huge breath to steady himself, waaay to worked up to be on live radio. “And I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.” (Keith/Lance, Adam/Shiro) - posted 2018
  • Let's Get Together by subtlehysteria When Adam helps a bunch of teenagers rescue his ex-fiancé (presumed dead) from the Garrison, he was not prepared for the resulting mayhem. Purple aliens, space elves, giant flying lions. It's a lot to process. Oh, and did he mention that he was still in love with his ex-finacé? Or, what if Adam was a part of the main Voltron cast from the beginning? (Adam/Shiro)- posted 2018
  • To the moon and back by pearlie_gloom “What would I possibly say to him? ‘Oh hey, Adam, it’s Takashi. Remember how I went on that mission you told me not to go on? Yeah well, I got kidnapped by aliens, lost my arm, captained a robot lion force to defend the universe, died, came back to life- but hey I’m back. Let’s continue where we left off!” (Adam/Shiro, Adam/others, Keith/Lance) - posted 2018-2019
  • you build your tower (but call me home) by parchmints, In the land of Arus, the youngest Nalquodian prince—Prince Leandro—is hidden away in a little castle that overlooks the kingdom; a countermeasure to protect him from the Galran assassins that have sworn to take his life. And in the tallest tower of the castle, behind a grimy rose window and under a dusty sheet, is an enchanting gargoyle that the prince finds himself compelled to visit every day. Almost as if by a spell... (Keith/Lance, Adam/Shiro) - posted 2018-2020

Fanart

Fanvids

Cosplay

Meta

Links & Resources

References

  1. ^ Voltron Wiki: Adam
  2. ^ Youtube: "Voltron S7 sdcc clip Adam And Shiro" by A name
  3. ^ Twitter: "@ArtOfLaurenM says you will meet Adam, Shiro's significant other in season 7!" by @Voltron
  4. ^ Mary Sue: "Voltron Showrunners Address LGBT+ Rep In Season Seven" by Kate Gardner
  5. ^ Den of Geek: "Voltron and the Fight to Make Shiro Queer" by Shamus Kelley
  6. ^ Twitter: "An open letter to the VLD fandom RE: Season 7." by Joaquim Dos Santos
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