One of the classic characters from Marvel Comics, inspired by Norse mythology, will finally make her debut on the big screen in Thor: Ragnarok. But Valkyrie underwent through some significant changes on her journey to the MCU.
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Actor Tessa Thompson spoke with Collider about her portrayal of the character and the differences Valkyrie has from the Marvel comics. She addressed how her different costumes both pay homage to the source material and push Valkyrie forward..
“In the beginning, when Valkyrie’s on Sakaar, [she’s] closer to the Valkyrie that fans might know from the comics,” said Thompson. “Then [she changes to a] sort of a classic battle look that is closer to what she would have worn when she was with the other Valkyrie. The designs are incredible. They’re so detailed.”
Thompson spoke about the British-like accent that Asgardians have in other Thor movies and the resistance she was met with in trying to create her own.
“That was a big conversation actually because we were of two minds. When I met Taika and he heard me as Valkyrie, he wanted ‘me’ to play the part,” Thompson said. “But then you watch the Thor movies, there’s this Asgardian thing that I could not get out of my head. Then you read the source material and anytime Valkyrie speaks it’s in those cool italics — so I’m like, ‘She has an accent!’ And Taika’s like, ‘It doesn’t matter. They won’t care.’ Even Tony [Anthony] Hopkins, who I worked with recently on the show Westworld, was like ‘Oh darling, it doesn’t matter, they’ll be eating popcorn.’ That’s literally what he said to me!”
Despite Waititi’s and Hopkins’ insistence to use her own voice, Thompson preferred to create a dialect in line with what was already established on the screen.
“But I’m a nerd and I go back to the source material and I’m like, ‘I have to speak in italics.’ I don’t know how else to approach the part,” Thompson said. “So we [settled] on something that felt like it honors Asgard.”
We’ve caught glimpses of Thompson’s accent, but we’ll finally get to hear it in its full Asgardian glory when Thor: Ragnarok premieres in theaters on November 3.
