Thor Director Taika Waititi Weighs in on Valkyrie's Sexuality in Love and Thunder

Taika Waititi is an incredibly busy man! The Thor: Ragnarok director won his first Oscar this week for writing Jojo Rabbit, and he'll soon be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to helm Thor: Love and Thunder. When the film was announced last year, it was revealed that King Valkyrie, the character played by Tessa Thompson, would likely become the MCU's first openly LGBTQ hero. The character is a confirmed bisexual, but the films have yet to address her sexuality onscreen. In a recent interview with Variety, Waititi weighed in on the character's sexuality in the upcoming film after being asked, "Would you like for Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie to be explicitly queer in this next movie?"

"I think so. The IP is not mine. But with the actors, I feel whatever makes them comfortable — whether they feel like there's a natural choice, or a natural way for that character to go — then I'm pretty supportive. If Tessa wanted to do that, I'm in," Waititi explained.

After a scene was ultimately cut from Thor: Ragnarok that was supposed to hint at Valkyrie's bisexuality, Thompson was outspoken about her character's representation onscreen.

"In the canon, [Valkyrie] is bisexual. You see her with women and men, so that was my intention in playing her," Thompson revealed last year. "Obviously, at the forefront of most of these stories is not typically their romantic life. They have big stakes, like saving the world, so that tends to sort of trump."

"Captain Marvel just broke the ceiling off and dissipated myths about what women can do in these spaces and society," Thompson added. "So it feels like we are really entering a new phase of Marvel. So this night is about celebrating more than just this film... [Stan Lee's] vision is the idea: what makes you different is actually your superpower. And when we're living inside of a robust time to be able to say to people that they can love who they want to love, they can be who they want to be. It's perfect to include those narratives inside of this world."

In addition to Thompson, Thor: Love and Thunder will also see the return of Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster.

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1st, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in the Fall, The Eternals on November 6th, WandaVision in December, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.