Thor: Ragnarok features the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first character from the LGBTQ+ community, it’s been revealed. Tessa Thompson – who plays the elite fighter/sarcastic alcoholic Valkyrie in the movie – took to Twitter to confirm that her character is bisexual. This makes Valkyrie the first explicitly non-heterosexual character in the movie branch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

On the television side of the fence, fans have already seen LGBTQ+ representation in the shape of Juan Pablo Raba’s Joey Gutierrez (a metal-melting Inhuman from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Carrie-Ann Moss’s Jeri Hogarth (a fierce lawyer from Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Daredevil and The Defenders) – both of whom are homosexual. But the cinematic side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a uniformly hetero place – until now.

Thompson’s Valkyrie is a highly engaging character, with one of the best developmental arcs in the Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok. She surely would have been a fan favorite regardless of her sexuality. But it’s still worth celebrating that Valkyrie is bisexual, which is bound to make her an even more popular character. Thompson broke the news on Twitter, wading into a fan discussion about the character to say, “She’s bi”:

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

To comic book readers, this is not brand new information. Valkyrie’s bisexual status has been established in the comics for years: she has had relationships with men (including Thor and Agent Venom) as well as women (notably the archaeologist Annabelle Riggs). It’s nice to know that Thompson is aware of this comic book history, and that she considers the live-action Valkyrie to share the sexuality of her comic book counterpart. Given that Thompson knows the character better than anyone, it seems fair to take this information as canon.

However, it is something of a shame that Valkyrie’s bisexuality is not made properly clear in Ragnarok. Although flashbacks show her fighting alongside manifold other female warriors, the main narrative of the film sees Valkyrie caught up in the drama of numerous men. It’s worth noting that Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner both develop chemistry with Valkyrie, who never expresses her interest in women during the film.

After getting to know this character, fans around the globe will hope that Valkyrie returns at some point in the future to grow further as a character and showcase the other sides of her personality. She’s rumored to appear in Avengers: Infinity War, so it seems likely that Valkyrie will reappear soon enough.

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Source: Tessa Thompson

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