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Nimona explores how societies construct “monsters” out of those who challenge social norms. The character Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) embodies intersectionality: her ambiguous gender identity, outsider status, and visual nonconformity give society multiple reasons to villainize her. Similarly, Ballister (Riz Ahmed) is ostracized for attempting to rise above his lower-class status.
Through Nimona’s gender ambiguity, Ballister’s class outsider status, and the audience response to the film’s queer representation, the story demonstrates how fear of difference sustains systems of exclusion.
“Beyond The Binary” — Nimona And The Politics Of Gender Nonconformity
Many aspects of Nimona’s character read as gender nonconforming, especially with her consistent denial of being a girl. When confronted with the question, “What are you?” she often responds with a joke or simply gives her name. This ambiguity allows many transgender viewers to see their own experiences reflected in her character. Some viewers even speculated about Nimona’s gender identity and pronouns.
Though the comic uses she/her and the movie primarily does the same, the author, ND Stevenson, intentionally left her gender up to interpretation. He has his own interpretation, claiming that Nimona’s identity changes with each form she takes. He specifies that the pronouns she is referred to are, “at least in the course of the book and the movie, she/her…” implying that this might not be the case at other times in her life.1
Gender is fluid, and its experience can change as a person grows and matures. To restrict Nimona to the way she presents herself in the story simplifies her experience and puts her into one of the boxes she is trying to escape throughout the film. Many of Nimona’s conversations with Ballister (Riz Ahmed) reflect the experiences and conversations transgender people often have.
When they first meet, Ballister pushes Nimona to be normal, or at least give him an explanation as to what she is. Quite a few transgender people experience this same pushback. Both strangers and loved ones may push them toward a specific label or feel entitled to an explanation of their identity.
“From Curiosity To Control” — Policing Gender In Everyday Life
Even well-meaning people may cause discomfort by things they see as harmless, such as asking about someone’s deadname or commenting on a preference towards how the person looked pre-transition. Nimona’s reactions to the people around her are also incredibly realistic. Her monologue after a sword is brandished at her by a little kid is strikingly familiar to those discriminated against due to societal norms.
“Kids. Little Kids. They Grow Up Believing That They Can Be A Hero If They Drive a Sword Into the Heart Of Anything Different. And I’m the Monster?”2
Nimona in Nimona
In modern cultures such as that of the United States, many children are raised hearing their parents and those in power claim that people within the LGBT community are dangerous or mentally ill. These people have historically been scapegoats for issues unrelated to them, causing gender and sexuality based discrimination to be present for centuries.
In fact, it is so commonplace that it is even found within classrooms. Nimona’s refusal to conform to gender norms is evident not only in her dialogue but also in her shapeshifting. She is often seen taking male forms in both the book and the movie, the most iconic being Gregor: a small, destructive child. In these forms, she does not perform masculinity, nor does she offer much femininity. Instead, she allows herself to have fun and be comfortable.
Throughout the film, Nimona’s struggles play off one another. Her inability to conform is shown to have caused isolation in her life, even losing her best friend. She has no support system or community until becoming Ballister’s sidekick, and it is implied that she has no place to call home.
Though her gender does not at first seem connected to this, real-world research on the homelessness rates of transgender people provides context on the significance of this. Research from the Williams Institute shows that sexual minority adults are twice as likely to experience homelessness as the general population, with transgender individuals reporting the highest rates.3
Conditional Acceptance — Class Privilege Within Queer Visibility
While Nimona embodies resistance to gender expectations, Ballister’s story reveals another layer of social hierarchy within the kingdom: class. He and Ambrosius (Eugene Lee Yang) are lovers throughout the film and before the comic’s story. Though they are a part of a sexual minority, they are not criticized for their relationship with each other. This is due to their social ranking and adherence to most other social norms.
Ballister is excluded from society and targeted not for his gender, but for his social status. He challenges the ruling class simply by existing as the first knight not born into nobility. He is seen as a threat to their society simply because he has been allowed to protect it. In fact, many around him taunt and even sabotage him because of his threat to their power and beliefs.
Many people are not given the same opportunities as their wealthy counterparts in daily life, due to paywalls and roadblocks towards education and opportunities in their field. As college tuition soars, many lower-income students cannot afford to attend for all 4 years.
In fact, the number of poor people with a degree is less than half the population, and many of them never graduate.4 Ballister was never supposed to finish his training in the eyes of the academy. The Director (Frances Conroy) says she began to see Ballister as a threat once he was allowed to hold a sword.
She leaves nothing to our imagination, letting us know that the lower class gaining these opportunities is something she sees as dangerous to her way of life. The students within the institution are similarly bigoted. Many of the students openly berate Ballister, seeming to feel more comfortable punching down on someone they deem lesser. From his first interaction with his peers until Nimona’s sacrifice, he is the butt of the joke amongst them.
The person that does this the most frequently, Todd (Beck Bennett), treats Ambrosius poorly as well due to his proximity to Ballister. His worth as a person is less in Todd’s eyes simply because he associates himself with someone who is a lower class than the others. Like Todd, some people moralize their wealth, claiming that it implies that they are a kinder or safer person.
No matter how many times a poor person proves themself, they will be scrutinized by people like Todd.
Recognition & Resistance — Audience Responses To Nimona
Nimona resonated strongly with audiences who had rarely seen themselves represented onscreen. Many transgender viewers felt heard in Nimona’s struggles, while others saw their own experiences reflected in her refusal to conform.
After its release, many people became aware of Disney’s involvement with the movie. At the time of Disney’s involvement, the movie was 75% completed. The company bought Blue Sky and refused to allow the movie’s production to continue, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this, former Blue Sky members claim they felt pressured by Disney executives to exclude scenes alluding to the relationship between Ballister and Ambrosius.5 Upon learning the news, fans were disappointed in Disney but also grateful that Netflix picked up the movie and brought it to their screens.
Though left-leaning viewers were happy with this movie at the time of release, some conservative viewers were voicing concerns about something they deemed too controversial: the gay relationship. Throughout the movie’s reviews, many viewers criticize the kiss between Ballister and Ambrosius or the existence of their relationship as a whole.
“Reconsidering The Monster” — What Nimona Leaves Us With
The world of Nimona is full of judgment and misunderstanding. Though many of the things done to Nimona and Ballister seem extreme, they are not far from our own. Those born within minority groups and within the lower class find themselves in a battle against the cultural norms within our country, and often are pushed to the side when their issues become inconvenient.
In a culture where even minimal queer representation is sometimes labeled “overrepresentation,” stories like Nimona challenge audiences to reconsider who society labels a monster — and why.
Footnotes
- @NETFLIX. “Is Nimona some type of…” Tumblr, 25 July 2023. ↩︎
- Quane, Troy and Bruno, Nick. dir. Nimona. 2023 ↩︎
- “Homelessness Among LGBT Adults in the US.” UCLA School of Law Williams Institute ↩︎
- “How Does Level of Education Relate to Poverty?” Center for Poverty & Inequality Research, 2025 ↩︎
- Mattson, Kelsie. “How Disney Almost Killed Nimona.” Collider ↩︎
Well written and with a lot thought.