Valkyrie Will Be the MCU’s First LGBTQ Hero in Thor: Love and Thunder

Marvel Studios’ San Diego Comic-Con panel had no shortage of surprising announcements, including the official announcement of Thor: Love and Thunder. Franchise stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, and director Taika Waititi all arrived at SDCC to break the news — and Thompson dropped a pretty major tease in the process. As Thompson revealed, her character Valkyrie’s arc in the film will involve her seeking out a Queen to rule alongside her in New Asgard.

That’s right, this officially makes Valkyrie the first LGBTQ superhero within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige later confirmed as much to io9.

“The answer is yes,” Feige explained. “How that impacts the story remains to be seen with that level of representation you’ll see across our films, not in just Thor 4“.

For a lot of Valkyrie fans, this announcement is sort of a long time coming, as many have clamored for Thompson’s iteration of the character to be canonically bisexual. While a scene ultimately cut from Thor: Ragnarok was supposed to hint at as much, Thompson was outspoken about her character’s sexuality being represented onscreen.

“In the canon, [Valkyrie] is bisexual. You see her with women and men, so that was my intention in playing her,” Thompson revealed earlier this 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.”

Are you excited to see Valkyrie be canonically bisexual in Thor: Love and Thunder? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall of 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, What If…? In Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021.