Let’s Talk About The Valkyrie Romance Issue

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Thor Love and Thunder Jane Foster and Valkyrie in a
Image via Marvel Studios

CAUTION: The second half of this article contains SPOILERS for upcoming MCU projects.

Valkyrie And The Broken Promise

Is Valkyrie’s romance officially off the table or simply pushed back to another day?

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It’s now been a full week since Thor: Love and Thunder released in theaters. And LGBTQ fans’ reaction to the film has been mixed. Some have praised the movie for its inclusion of not one but two LGBTQ characters in Thor’s close circle. But, some have been disappointed at unfulfilled promises and one character’s lack of a romance.

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Back in 2019, Marvel Studios dropped by San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H and rocked a panel with several reveals. This included the fact that Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would play Blade in an upcoming film reboot, Multiverse of Madness (which premiered earlier this year) would be a “scary movie,” WandaVision would be a show centered on Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, and more.

While announcing Thor: Love and Thunder, actress Tessa Thompson promised that her bisexual character Valkyrie would be looking for her queen.

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“As new king, she needs to find her queen,” Thompson specifically told Hall H. “That will be her first order of business. She has some ideas. Keep you posted.”

Fast forward to last weekend, that promise was, unfortunately, unfulfilled. In the film, Valkyrie’s sexually was acknowledged. She expressed interest in both men and women and talked about a past relationship that ended tragically. But, the character did not get a romantic storyline. And again, some fans were not happy at the lack of a Valkyrie romance.

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Though, some were happy with the acknowledgment of Valkyrie’s sexuality. And many loved a certain hand kiss.

But an earlier on-set leak from an upcoming Marvel film may have more information about Valkyrie and her future journey in the MCU.

Related: Taika Waititi Warned After Pictured Making Out With Rita Ora & Tessa Thompson

Valkyrie’s Possible Future

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CAUTION: The rest of this article contains on-set leaks and potential SPOILERS for upcoming Marvel projects. If you wish to go into these films SPOILER FREE, turn back now. But if you’re the type of Marvel fan and Hollywood production fan that likes to know behind-the-scenes info, you’ve come to the right place.

Back in 2019, Kevin Feige confirmed that Valkyrie’s sexual orientation would be explored and depicted. And he said that would have impact over several films.

“The answer is yes,” Feige told i09. “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.”

While Tessa Thompson initially promised for her character to find her queen in Thor 4, many film promises get lost in the production process. But perhaps that one promise didn’t get thrown out but rather pushed back.

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Image via Instagram @zenobia_shroff

Back in January of this year, Zenobia Shroff, who plays Kamala Khan’s mother named Muneeba Khan in Ms. Marvel and The Marvels, posted a cast and crew photo on Instagram. The photo, which has now been deleted, shows several people holding cups in celebration inside a dressing room. On the top right of the photo, we see a line of headshots. As The Direct pointed out, those pictures reveal some of the cast for The Marvels including Brie Larson, Teyonah Paris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-Joon, Lashana Lynch, and… Tessa Thompson.

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The imagination spirals from there. Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie is in The Marvels. And while the appearance may be a simple cameo, having Thompson’s headshot in the middle of the line does give some idea of it being an extended appearance.

This also brings back memories of the ongoing ship between Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel and Thompson’s Valkyrie. Even Larson herself has expressed interest in seeing the ship sail. Or as she once tweeted, “never stop loving this ship.”

More Possibilities

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So, will Valkyrie find her queen in The Marvels? Perhaps Thor: Love and Thunder had too much going on story wise, as some critics have complained, and Valkyrie’s romance was moved over to The Marvels?

But how would Valkyrie get in the story? The last we saw the character, she was healing from a battle wound while leading New Asgard on Earth. But thanks to the reveal that her pegasus can create portals to travel space, we can see her joining the cosmic film.

Valkyrie Horse
Image via Marvel Studios

So far, very little is known about the 2023 film’s plot. What we know is from the after-credits scenes in the last episode of Disney+’s Ms. Marvel and WandaVision. Kamala Khan has switched places with Brie Larson to a mysterious location. Meanwhile, Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau has been called to join Nick Fury at his SWORD space station.

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In addition, director Nia Dacosta shared in an interview with Variety that some of the film will tackle “pain and trauma.”

“I can say it’s a very different beast,” she said. “But I am obsessed with how we all deal with our pain and trauma, and there’s some of that in the story.”

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This makes sense for Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Valkyrie. Danvers and Rambeau will be mourning the loss of Maria Rambeau (Carol’s friend and Monica’s mother). The film may even confirm the suspicion that Carol and Maria were a couple. Mourning loss of a friend and lover would then mirror the story that Valkyrie went through in Thor: Love and Thunder.

So, will Valkyrie and Captain Marvel bond over their shared loss? And will it result in a love story? For now, we can only speculate. But what’s for sure is that Tessa Thompson IS in The Marvels. And that keeps us queer MCU fans excited for the possibilities.

Source: i09, Variety, The Direct,

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