Valkyrie charmed her audience the second she stepped foot off the Scrapper in Sakaar and teetered off the ramp in a drunken haze. Still managing to kill the remaining scavengers to secure her prey, she had no qualms selling off her homeland’s prince and heir to the Grandmaster. Reclaiming her birthright as Odin’s Handmaiden and facing Hela once again in battle, Valkyrie chose to stand beside Thor in times that defied strength and mere will to survive.
In her short time on Earth, Valkyrie secured and helped navigate the remainder of the displaced population of Asgard to the appointed plot of Tonsberg, Norway that Odin himself had bequeathed to his sons and subjects. But as Gorr focuses his attention on Thor, she will have to take up arms again in a battle that will test her strength and resolve when she goes up against the antagonist.
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Valkyrie’s role in New Asgard post-Infinity Saga
After the crushing loss and defeat that the legendary tribe of Valkyrior faced against Hela during the war to imprison Odin’s first child and daughter, the only survivor lived out the remainder of her days in a self-imposed exile on the Grandmaster’s world of Sakaar, a place designated for lost travelers and passers-through.
Having relived her moment of loss and downfall during an interaction with Loki, it becomes clear that her reason for passing the centuries in forgetfulness is a defense against the tragedy of loss and grief. Taking a stand with Thor, Valkyrie reclaimed her position as the fearsome shield-maiden and fought to preserve the Asgardian way of life long after Thanos desecrated half the universe.
After the events of Endgame, Thor rightfully started on a journey of self-healing and space exploration leaving the reins of his kingdom in the hands of his trusted aide and companion. Valkyrie now sits as the reigning king of New Asgard, ruling with a merciful hand and as a kind monarch.
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Tessa Thompson Talks About Valkyrie’s Sexuality
In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Thor: Ragnarok actress, Tessa Thompson talks about the sexual orientation of her celebrated character, Valkyrie:
“We talked about it a lot, it was big topic of conversation. Because I think rightfully there’s this real want in audiences to see characters be very clearly queer or LGBTQIA inside these spaces. And I think it’s hugely important to have representation. And also as humans I think that we are not defined by our sexuality, and by who we love. And so sometimes I think to hang a narrative completely on that is a way of actually diminishing the humanity of the character. Because you don’t allow them to be anything else.”
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She further added:
“It becomes the only storyline, particularly in a movie like this where you don’t, frankly, have a lot of room for storyline,” Thompson continued. “So there was a lot of conversation in terms of how to treat that with Valkyrie. And I feel really good, personally, about where we got to. I hope that she’s a character that fans continue to connect to, that we have a lot of time to explore her, in all of her humanity. But whether or not she finds love in this movie doesn’t mean she’s not still a fabulous queer character that is open to finding love when it makes sense.”
Thor: Love and Thunder premieres on July 8, 2022.
Source: Yahoo! Entertainment