When Tessa Thompson took on the role of fan-favorite comic book character Valkyrie, she made sure that her queer identity was protected. While sharing a piece on Valkyrie’s bisexuality on Twitter, the actor confirmed, “Val is Bi in the comics & I was faithful to that in her depiction. But her sexuality isn’t explicitly addressed in ‘Thor: Ragnarok.'”
As Yahoo! Entertainment notes, Thompson herself is openly bisexual, and, as she asserted, it’s about time superheroes represented her community. She argued, “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.”
She clarified, however, that sexuality isn’t everything. “And also as humans I think that we are not defined by our sexuality, and by who we love,” she said. “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.”
Per Time, fans are constantly gushing over how much Valkyrie means to them and how important it was that Thompson took a stand for her, too. The actor doesn’t judge her contemporaries for staying in the closet to protect their careers, though. “I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to keep that separate from their professional life,” she said. “There’s not just a perceived risk of coming out in Hollywood. There’s a real one.”
