i've been meaning to make this post for a while now, but it's time for me to present my absolute favorite headcanon, one that i hold very near and dear to my heart, one that i had the joy of bringing up to the creator (yes, i am that kind of fan. to be fair, though, i don't think i was 100% in control of myself, i was so excited).
case: pickles the drummer is a transgender man.
this headcanon is quite prevalent, because there's plenty of evidence and circumstantial details that support it, as well as, for some reason, a trans-heavy fanbase in 2025. this blog post will outline the canon evidence, what brendon small said to me when i met him in 2024, as well as some additional pertinent headcanons of mine.
canon evidence
below is a list of what i consider evidence supporting this headcanon - since some of these can be explained as coincidental or circumstantial, i've ordered the evidence in what i consider to be strongest-to-weakest in terms of support.
- he is shown naked twice, with no penis:
- he goes home to pee instead of using public restrooms: "i got to go home. 'cuz i gotta use the bathroom, and i'm not--i don't like to use the public bathroom, i like my own bathroom. yeah, i got to go into a helicopter and hold it until i get home. 'cause i don't want to use your dirty regular bathrooms, 'cause it's gross. it's gross, and then-- because that's how you-- that's how people get lyme disease..."(dvd extra: endof lif dairy)
- in dethfam, pickles uses his inhaler and complains about his family with the rest of the band in the mens' room, but doesn't actually use the restroom.
- his name - some argue that this is his birth name, but why would they name their other son something so normal? plenty of trans men have goofy or unusual names that they've chosen for themselves.
- he is intentionally vague about his past.
- the relationship with his family, as well as the way his mother treats him.
- he is the shortest member of the band, and has a notably smaller stature in comparison to the rest of dethklok. i put this last because human beings come in all shapes and sizes, and his stature isn't something i would normally consider evidence. but it's on the mtl wiki, so i'm including it.
meeting brendon small
in april of 2024, my husband and i had the great privilege of meeting brendon small and gene hoglan during the meet and greet before the albuquerque show.
for the show, i commissioned my talented friend ronnie (who i HIGHLY recommend commissioning, btw!!) to design these adorable t-shirts, which my husband and i both wore to the show:
we actually ended up being dead last in line, which i think allowed us to have an extra second or two with them. both of them were immensely kind and so, so patient with each and every fan - if i remember correctly, the meet and greet went over the allotted time, because they stopped to listen to what every single fan had to tell them, which i think is really sweet of them.
i was so anxious by the time it was our turn. i gave gene the pickles-themed bracelet i made for him, and my husband gave brendon the mtl bracelet he made for him (complete with tiny whale!). we'd debated beforehand asking brendon any number of questions, but in the moment i was so nervous, and i didn't want to be 'that fan' (lol).
my husband asked brendon if he intended to make pickles trans, based on the shot in rehabklok where pickles has no penis. brendon said the animators were very intentional in their designs. each character was drawn in the nude (which means nathan explosion's canonical penis is out there, somewhere!) and pickles was the only member of dethklok created without a penis.
i was so excited to hear that my favorite character, a guy i relate to in so many ways, was designed without a penis (just like me) that i pointed to my shirt with pickles and the trans flag, and said, "he's trans to me now, i'm claiming him!". brendon smiled and said, "as you should!"
i asked what pickles' full name was, and brendon said that he's asked pickles but he won't tell him, which was a goofy and satisfying way to keep that bit of mystery (and respect pickles' privacy, of course).
i left that meet and greet feeling like i was floating. i immediately messaged my discord friends and tweeted about it, which ended up making an appearance on the mtl wiki.
brendon's genuine support means the world to me - even writing this now and remembering that day fills my heart with such joy. i am really lucky to have met him and let him know how much pickles means to me. my love for this show and this character have led to me making incredible friends, improved my creative skills by providing me the inspiration for fanfics and doodles, and leading to a greater understanding of where i am and who i am in this world. i know it sounds dramatic, but metalocalypse changed my life for the better, and gave me supportive, kind, and very funny friends.
a few months later, during pride month, i drew the above art of pickles wrapped in the trans flag, marching at pride, which brendon graced with a like on twitter:
additional headcanons
these are my personal headcanons pertaining to pickles' transness. nothing below has been confirmed/denied/discussed with the creators, this is purely for fun, and what i believe aligns with pickles character narrative.
- he knew he was trans from a very young age, and his mother would criticize him for being too masculine as a child.
- his early drinking habit was spurred on by seth as well as a form of escape from intense dysphoria.
- he started diy hrt in secret as a teenager after running away from home. years of being on/off t, fluctuating dosage, and being too drunk to inject/missing injections and then accidentally double-dosing, fucked up his hormones and made him start losing his hair very rapidly.
- he's called "pickles" because of a running joke within snakes n' barrels, in reference to his bottom growth. lots of jabs about "jerkin' his gherkin" amongst the guys.
- he initially found comfort in the glam rock aesthetic because he could look feminine and still be respected as a man, in the early days of his transition.
- he got top surgery as soon as he could afford it, scraping together as much money as he could in the early days of snakes n' barrels. he had a revision done much later, in the mordhaus hospital.
- he's got a wild collection of strap-ons and stp's, including some custom, one-of-a-kind, and very brutal options.
- he got a hysterectomy right before dethklok blew up.
- he overcompensates for feeling insecure about being trans with copious amounts of misogyny and homophobia.
- he helped nathan write "blood ocean" based on a history of heavy, dysphoria-inducing periods.
- the rest of dethklok have seen him naked (as band members do) and know something is different about him, but they don't really care and have never asked him about it. because wondering about another dude's body is super gay.