When Marvel cast Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, the company veered away from the typical blonde, blue-eyed Brunnhilde version of the character. Instead, the franchise placed the Afro-Latina actress as the sole survivor of the elite group of female warriors sworn to the throne and starting life over on the planet of Sakaar. Thompson gave us plenty of reasons to celebrate, and now the character she brought to life will be included in Marvel’s new Exiles comic book series. The character will look like her, act like her, and also be queer. (Her character in the movie was bisexual, though it wasn’t explicitly stated.)
“Though she’s not technically from the Marvel Cinematic Universe reality, she’s basically the literalization of the larger-than-her-physical-frame swagger that Tessa Thompson displayed in Thor: Ragnarok, turned up to 11,” Exiles writer Saladin Ahmed said, according to CBR. “Valkyrie’s a character who’s always appealed to me. Her iconic warrior-woman look – spear! sword! flying horse! – but also the juxtaposition of a kickass ancient fantasy hero operating in contemporary New York City.”
This comic version of Thompson Valkyrie – designed by Javier Rodriguez – will fight crime along with Blink, Wolvie, Khan, and Iron Lad. The first issue of Exiles is slated for an April 11 release.