Thor: Love and Thunder has the opportunity to make a queer relationship central to its main plot, and perhaps cause a paradigm shift in Hollywood movies at the same time. Valkyrie is canonically bisexual in the comics, and the upcoming 4th installment in the Thor saga promises to give this aspect of her character time in the spotlight, as well as seeing the return of Jane Foster. The big question is whether Valkyrie's bisexuality will be a core part of the story.

In a trope as old as stories themselves, many movies have plots centered on a main character's love interest. Spider-Man stories simply wouldn’t be the same without Peter Parker’s relationship with Mary-Jane Watson (alternatively Gwen Stacey or Michelle Jones Watson, depending what part of the multiverse you’re in). But LGBTQ+ audiences have been given strikingly few movies in which they can see characters like themselves take these roles. The Star Wars sequel trilogy had ample opportunity to go in this direction with Finn and Poe relationship, but writers were seemingly so averse to the idea that they chose to shower the two with female love interests instead. Following the groundwork set by Thor: Ragnarok and Eternals, Love and Thunder is in the perfect position to go against the trend of sidelining queer characters and push LGBTQ+ representation fully into the limelight.

Related: Why Valkyrie Isn’t Becoming Mighty Thor In The MCU

As an important figure in the pantheon of Thor characters, Valkyrie is a major character in Love and Thunder. Tessa Thompson has said in interviews that as the new King of Asgard, Valkyrie is sure to be looking for a queen, and her upcoming role may give the MCU its first LGBTQ+ romance story. This can take an important step towards making future movies more inclusive in all corners of Hollywood, but this relies on Valkyrie's romance being so well woven into the story that it cannot be simply edited out.

Valkyrie adopting a fighting stance, from Thor Ragnarok

Representation which can be cut without affecting the central plot is weak representation. Unfortunately, this is the norm for queer audiences, with LGBTQ+ characters often included in a way that can be easily overlooked or even completely removed. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker gave representation in the form of one kiss between two side characters, which was edited out for some releases. Loki's bisexuality had its only confirmation as a few lines of dialogue. Ragnarok was criticized for removing a scene which would have "confirmed" Valkyrie as bisexual but, as a single shot of a woman leaving Valkyrie's apartment, this would barely have been representation at all.

Eternals was praised for including Phastos in a gay marriage with a loving husband, but this was still an aside to the main story. Notably, Haaz Sleiman who played Phastos' husband Ben, was born in the UAE and raised in Lebanon, two of the countries which released an edited version of the movie which essentially cut out their relationship. By contrast, Sersi's straight relationships are key to the movie's story and cannot be removed. That said, Eternals made a big step in LGBTQ+ representation — It showed that a Hollywood movie can be a success even when some governments will inevitably ban its release altogether for including a gay relationship. After growing to a point where it can't easily fail, the MCU has had freedom to take risks for some time now. Love and Thunder is perfectly placed to take advantage of this fact, giving audiences mainstream superhero movie with a queer relationship as a main focus.

Introduced in Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie is a much-loved figure in the MCU overall. It's clear that she'll feature prominently in future Thor movies, though few specifics have been released so far. Tessa Thompson is quite outspoken about her character's bisexuality, and she's clearly eager to give Valkyrie the LGBTQ+ story she deserves. Considering Waititi's openness to the idea, it's looking likely that the Love in Thor: Love and Thunder will be Valkyrie's half of the story.

Next: Thor: Love & Thunder Going Too Far Is Exactly What The MCU Needs

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