Last year, Kevin Feige had confirmed that Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie is the first LGBTQ hero in the MCU, and we're going to have her return in Taika Waititi's Thor: Love and Thunder. We don't know how her sexuality will be addressed, but Waititi himself seems to think that this is up to the actor.
Talking to EW, Waititi was asked about the movie expressing Valkyrie's sexuality, to which he replied, "I think so. The IP is not mine. But with the actors, I feel whatever makes them comfortable — whether they feel like there's a natural choice, or a natural way for that character to go — then I'm pretty supportive… If Tessa wanted to do that, I'm in."
It's worth noting that Thompson is openly bisexual, so it would make sense for her to want her character to be some kind of icon as well; seeing that so many kids look up to these MCU heroes. It's even said that the other Valkyrie that dies in front of her in Thor: Ragnarok was supposed to be her lover, but that wasn't explicitly shown in the film.
With the MCU having gone on for more than a decade, you can definitely say there's a lot of room for representation. We got that with Black Panther and Captain Marvel, and we're even getting our first openly gay character in Eternals. Let's hope Disney doesn't back out in the last minute, like how they said that Josh Gad's Lefou was gay in Beauty and the Beast.
Catch Thor: Love and Thunder when it hits theaters Nov. 5, 2021.
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