Tessa Thompson has been playing Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok and the actress would love to continue portraying the King of the New Asgard even in a potential spinoff featuring her as the main star.
Will there be a Valkyrie spinoff starring Tessa Thompson?
While it’s unclear whether Marvel Studios has plans for a Valkyrie spinoff, Thompson has said that she would be up for such a project.
During a recent sit-down interview with Extra ahead of last week’s theatrical release of Thor: Love and Thunder, Thompson was asked if Valkyrie is getting her own spinoff.
“I don’t know,” Thompson answered. “I love playing the character so any chance I get to play her in any form, I’m happy to.”
If Marvel ordered a Valkyrie spinoff, then she would be the second character from the Thor film series to get a spinoff. A spinoff series about Loki premiered on Disney+ in June 2021. That show has been renewed for a second season.
What will the Valkyrie spinoff be about?
Though Marvel has yet to announce a Valkyrie spinoff, fans would probably like to see the potential spinoff to explore the character’s sexuality ― a topic that hasn’t been completely fleshed out in the MCU.
Is Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie LGBT?
A few days before her MCU debut appearance in 2017, Thompson took to Twitter to confirm that her version of Valkyrie, much like the character in recent comics, is bisexual. “She’s bi. And yes, she cares very little about what men think of her. What a joy to play!’ she tweeted at the time.
But a scene explicitly confirming Valkyrie’s bisexuality in Thor: Ragnarok was cut out of the film to make way for “essential exposition.” “There were things that we talked about that we allowed to exist in the characterization, but maybe not be explicit in the film,” the actress told Rolling Stone in the same year.
Director Taika Waititi appeared to have talked about that scene in a recent interview with iNews. The New Zealand filmmaker revealed that the scene in question shows a woman leaving Valkyrie’s apartment in a nod to her sexuality.
Explaining why the scene ended up on the cutting room floor, Waititi said, “We tested that scene and people were just so confused. I think we were just being so subtle about it that most audiences were like, ‘Who was that? Was that a flatmate?’ People didn’t connect the dots – or not enough did. So it was more confusing for audiences. We should have just had her come out and kiss her and then leave.”
Did Thor: Love and Thunder explore Valkyrie’s sexuality?
Back at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, Thompson suggested that Thor: Love and Thunder would see Valkyrie “find[ing] her queen.” “As new king, she needs to find her queen,” she told fans at the convention. “That will be her first order of business. She has some ideas. Keep you posted.”
Unfortunately for fans, Valkyrie didn’t find her queen in the movie, which only featured a couple of short references to the character’s sexuality. One was a brief flirtatious moment where Valkyrie kisses the hand of one of Zeus’ (Russell Crowe) handmaidens, and the other came in a conversation with Korg (Waititi).
Speculating on Jane (Natalie Portman) and Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) reconciliation, Korg recalled that Valkyrie’s girlfriend “died in battle” with the remaining Valkyries confirming that Thompson’s character kept romance at arm’s length since then, preferring casual assignations.
Though the movie only confirmed Valkyrie’s sexuality in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, it’s something that Waititi is happy with.
“I think what is good about it is that we don’t mention it. There is no scene which you expect from all [MCU] movies or shows at the moment: I have to have this monologue about how it’s OK to be gay!” the director said. “All they do [in Thor: Love and Thunder] is just talk about their relationships that happen to be gay.”
Though Thor: Love and Thunder ended with Valkyrie not finding her queen, Thompson said in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment that she hopes Valkyrie will remain a character that “fans continue to connect to.” While the character didn’t find love in the film, the actress said that Valkyrie is “still a fabulous queer character that is open to finding love when it makes sense.”
Is Tessa Thompson LGBT?
Thompson came out as bisexual in a 2018 interview with Net-a-Porter. “I’m attracted to men and also to women,” she said at the time.