Over the weekend, Thor: Ragnarok actress Tessa Thompson tweeted that her character, Valkyrie, is bisexual. This marks the first openly bi character in a Marvel film to date. Tessa tweeted this in response to a thread about the differences between comic book Valkyrie and Thor: Ragnarok Valkyrie.
She’s bi. And yes, she cares very little about what men think of her. What a joy to play! https://t.co/d0LZKTHCfL
— Tessa Thompson (@TessaThompson_x) October 21, 2017
The tweet that started this thread said that Marvel made their cinematic version of Valkyrie a “sexless tomboy.” Another Twitter user came to Tessa’s defense, saying that since Valkyrie was a lesbian, she wouldn’t care about such careless words.
First of all, on what planet is Tessa Thompson “sexless tomboy?”
Tessa is an incredibly gorgeous woman with an impeccable sense of style. She has stunned red carpets all season, especially at the 2017 Emmy Awards:
Comics vs. Thor: Ragnarok
And what about her character Valkyrie? In the comics, Valkyrie’s original name was Brunnhilde. She was appointed by Odin to carry men’s souls to Valhalla after they perished. Brunnhilde was technically human, but when Odin made her his Valkyrie she became enchanted with supernaturally long life.
For a time, Valkyrie was in love with Thor’s son Siegfried. Both of them were stripped of their powers by Odin and they fell in love. When Odin restored their powers, he wiped their memories so they had no memory of their relationship.
In the all-female comic book Fearless Defenders, Valkyrie came to Earth to team-up with Misty Knight and Dr. Annabelle Riggs. Valkyrie and Annabelle shared a kiss in the issue and Valkyrie saved her life.
This is just a snapshot of who Valkyrie is in the comics. In Thor: Ragnarok, she will have her own backstory, personality, and history. From what it looks like in the trailers, Valkyrie will not be a servant of Odin, but of the Grandmaster. She will be involved in capturing Thor and taking him to the gladiator ring to fight the Hulk. She will still be bisexual, as Tessa confirmed, which is a step forward for LGBT representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Thor: Ragnarok opens in theaters November 3, 2017.
