Chucky's Glen And Glenda Characters Explained (& How The Show Fixes A Problematic Horror Trope)

Chucky is a horror icon from the Child's Play franchise and one of the most interesting characters in that series is his child with Tiffany, Glen/Glenda. The character is notable for being both male and female because the character effectively consists of two souls living in the same body. Although the character's first depiction hasn't aged particularly well, even if it was ahead of its time, Glen/Glenda's appearance in the Chucky TV series changes some dated misconceptions.

Glen/Glenda don't fall into the trap of being conflicted about their gender, they simply exists as well-defined characters within the Child's Play universe. Glen/Glenda's story and personalities, not their gender identities, take center stage in Chucky. It's rare that a non-binary character exists within a story to begin with because the population is underrepresented in media. In the canceled too-soon Chucky show, the producers deserve kudos for making Glen/Glenda an interesting character and not a gender-conflicted stereotype.

Glen/Glenda Is Chucky & Tiffany's Child In The Chucky Movies

They Take On A Doll's Form At First

Tiffany, Glen/Glenda, and Chucky in the backseat of a car in Seed of Chucky

Glen/Glenda is Chucky and Tiffany’s child who makes their first appearance in Seed of Chucky (2004). In the film, Glen/Glenda is born in the Hackensack Cemetary as Tiffany is dying and then the child attacks and possibly kills a detective. Later in the film, Chucky and Tiffany can’t determine the child’s gender. They look at the doll and see that it has no genitalia, and, therefore, can not be considered male or female. Glen and Glenda take control over the doll at different times.

When stressful events happen, such as when the doll witnesses their parents killing someone, Glenda takes over. Jennifer Tilly gives birth to twins after being impregnated with Chucky’s spawn via a voodoo pregnancy. Glen and Glenda's personalities are split and take over the souls of the twins that Tilly gives birth to. Glenda eventually becomes a problem child while Glen is seen as a little angel. So, they start out as a doll with two genders living in one doll and then two genders living within one person.

Chucky and Tiffany's desire to push gender ideologies on the doll is problematic, but, thankfully, this issue is fixed in the show

The idea is not only creative but also tackles the cross-dressing serial killer troupe, which was initially made popular through Norman Bates dressing up as his dead mother to commit murders. But, Glen/Glenda’s presence in theChucky universe subverts the troupe because both Glen/Glenda live within one body. However, there is still undue focus on the doll's gender, as Tiffany insists that they are a girl and Chucky believes they are a boy. Chucky and Tiffany's desire to push gender ideologies on the doll is problematic, but, thankfully, this issue is fixed in the show.

How The Chucky Show Fixes Glen And Glenda's Characters

It Keeps The Focus On The Character, Not Gender

In the series, Chucky, it's clear that Glen/Glenda is a non-binary teen. The show makes an effort to fix some of the dated issues seen in Seed of Chucky by not focusing on Glen/Glenda's gender, but rather, their relationship with the other characters. Glen/Glenda's story begins when they are tracking down their mother, who they believe to be Jennifer Tilly.

Glen/Glenda has a clear motivation that is separate from their gender identity.

Along the way, they encounter Nica Pierce, who claims to be their mother. Glen/Glenda comes to believe Nica with Chucky's aid. Then, all three of them set out to get revenge on Tiffany. So, Glen/Glenda has a clear motivation that is separate from their gender identity.

The character is fittingly played by non-binary actor, Lachlan Watson, who understands the complexities of the role. Their performance is nuanced and they beautifully depict the distinct personalities of both Glen and Glenda. The most poignant scene that Watson delivers is when they are telling Jennifer Tilly that they never felt whole. The scene is emotional and filled with excellent performances but also touches on issues that non-binary people may be faced with.

Glen/Glenda is made to feel like they are lesser, like they are simply two people sharing the same body, but the series explores their dilemma further and offers an interesting allegory for being non-binary. The character eventually learns about the doll that they were born from and is understandably conflicted. They want to be separated into two different people, which hasn't happened so far in the series. Instead, the story focuses on how Chucky and Tiffany were absentee parents to Glen/Glenda.

The story chooses not to focus on Glen/Glenda's gender identity and instead focuses on the character's journey, which is a refreshing change of pace. A number of stories would choose to focus on Glen/Glenda's gender identity, but instead Chucky decides to focus on the character's identity as a whole and their gender identity, which is a rarity in any genre, let alone the horror genre, which once reveled in the idea of cross-dressing serial killers.