Fly high, fly proud: Tessa Thompson IS Valkyrie

[MbJ]

Looks like it's official.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I might see the film in theaters just for her.

 

[SuperT]

She's the only reason I'm even halfway interested in this movie along with Blanchett. Good to see that we FINALLY have a woman of color superhero in the MCU.

 

[Gr0oT]

She is quite the hottie.
Is Valkyrie related to Heimdall in the MCU?
Or are "gods" just randomly black in the MCU without any biological precursor for being so?

 

[Loki882]

Yes!!

 

[Dasher10]

I'm wondering how they'll explain her backstory since they only way that this casting makes sense is if she's been reincarnated multiple times over in different bodies within both Midgard and Asgard (which has happened in the comics).

Just like The Ancient One, Marvel have again cast somebody who looks nothing like the part and wound up completely erasing that character's heritage. Valkyrie is just a bit less egregious since Selvig is also Swedish so I have less of a problem with Thompson than I did with Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One as there are absolutely no other Tibetans in the Marvel U.

I'm sure that she'll win me over since she was the best part of Creed but this is a casting choice that can only work if Marvel actually give her a substantial role and put multiple reincarnations in as part of her backstory which is actually part of the Ragnarok storyline in the Marvel U where the entire universe perishes and is reborn eternally.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

She is quite the hottie.
Is Valkyrie related to Heimdall in the MCU?
Or are "gods" just randomly black in the MCU without any biological precursor for being so?

I doubt they'll make them related. Sif and Heimdall are siblings in the comics but the MCU decided not to go this route.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Hogun was Asian after all. I mean... These are beings from another realm entirely. They shouldn't look like anything from planet Earth at all.

 

[Loki882]

Yeah Hogun is played by an Asian guy (and looks kind of Mongolian in the comics most of the time). These are fictional comic book characters LOOSELY based off of the Norse pantheon (comic Thor ain't got red hair and a beard after all). Different rules apply.

 

[Monochron]

I'm wondering how they'll explain her backstory since they only way that this casting makes sense is if she's been reincarnated multiple times over in different bodies within both Midgard and Asgard (which has happened in the comics).

Just like The Ancient One, Marvel have again cast somebody who looks nothing like the part and wound up completely erasing that character's heritage. Valkyrie is just a bit less egregious since Selvig is also Swedish so I have less of a problem with Thompson than I did with Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One as there are absolutely no other Tibetans in the Marvel U.

I'm sure that she'll win me over since she was the best part of Creed but this is a casting choice that can only work if Marvel actually give her a substantial role and put multiple reincarnations in as part of her backstory which is actually part of the Ragnarok storyline in the Marvel U where the entire universe perishes and is reborn eternally.

Asgardians in the MCU are not all white. That's all the explanation that is needed.

 

[Gr0oT]

I doubt they'll make them related. Sif and Heimdall are siblings in the comics but the MCU decided not to go this route.

It's the MCU so it's something that could make sense, since it is a different universe.

Hogun was Asian after all. I mean... These are beings from another realm entirely. They shouldn't look like anything from planet Earth at all.

But they do.
One thing I like about GRRM's ASOIAF is that he managed to include various races while having it make geographical and historical sense within the context of his created world.

Just because we live in multicultural societies now and we are used to having people from different backgrounds around us at any given time doesn't mean fictitious universe should have that as a standard without making any sense of it.

 

[The Caped Knight]

Will she have the twilight sword?

 

[psylockolussus]

Interesting!

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

People there was no explanation for Hogun or Idris so thinking this casting ruins things or requires some exposition... Sorry I don't see that as necessary. Plus above all else, the majority of the audjence in this world just don't care about it.

 

[MbJ]

Some of the concept art that was done for The Dark World. I wonder if they may reuse any of these armor designs.

 

[Loki882]

Also just a personal thing, but the possibility of her and Thor being a badass interracial couple, appeals to me on some level.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Asgardians are aliens. If you accept that they look like humans, then it doesn't matter what race they are. And there's no such thing as "making Completely Fictional Character X black" unless you believe white is automatically the default race for every fictional character in all of movies and television.

Period. End of discussion.

 

[Dasher10]

Asgardians in the MCU are not all white. That's all the explanation that is needed.

You literally read only the first line of my post.

Valkyrie is literally the reincarnation of a Norse woman from the Dark Ages who came to Vahalla to lead the righteous dead into battle with the forces of Hel but periodically dies and gets reborn in a new mortal body in Midgard before her mortal body dies and she gets reincarnated in Asgard. Her most recent mortal form was an American named Samantha Parrington.

I'd like to see a line or two where she explains the cycle of death and rebirth and how her original incarnation was named Brunnhilde just like how Thor was once a red-haired black guy with a full beard, Heimdall was once an albino, Sif was once blonde and Loki was a ginger. Just something where all this has happened before but differently and it's ultimately Odin's fault.

 

[Gr0oT]

People that make their point and then say the discussion has ended are loathsome.

 

[Abudefduf]

But they do.
One thing I like about GRRM's ASOIAF is that he managed to include various races while having it make geographical and historical sense within the context of his created world.

Just because we live in multicultural societies now and we are used to having people from different backgrounds around us at any given time doesn't mean fictitious universe should have that as a standard without making any sense of it.

If we were talking about the actual Norse Gods then I would agree with you, but since what they are is just aliens who at some point have been mistaken for gods, I'm completely fine with them being of mixed races.

Also, Tessa Thompson. You just can't say no to her.

Spoiler

The first one needs to be killed with fire, the third one is generic. The second has potential imho.
But I'm pretty sure they will not be reusing the old concepts.

 

[Loki882]

Get rid of the goofy boob plate armor (even Sif's TDW one toned it down) and the rest looks really cool. I personally like the first one, but I don't know how a mostly black costume would look on Tessa?

 

[Pink Ranger]

People that make their point and then say the discussion has ended are loathsome.

Hey, feel free to chase another race debate down the rabbithole if you want. It always ends well on the Hype, always.

 

[Abudefduf]

Well I guess the first one would be fine, with some adjustments. That stupid random cleavage, what's the point of wearing a full armor and then exposing your effing heart.

I just think the second one is more in tune with the general look of movie!Asgard.

 

[Dasher10]

Again, Valkyrie is not actually Asgardian.

 

[MbJ]

Valkyrie is literally the reincarnation of a Norse woman from the Dark Ages who came to Vahalla to lead the righteous dead into battle with the forces of Hel but periodically dies and gets reborn in a new mortal body in Midgard before her mortal body dies and she gets reincarnated in Asgard. Her most recent mortal form was an American named Samantha Parrington.

That's only really necessary if they adapt that exact backstory. Who is to say they will?

Also they could have her have been a Moor raised in Norse culture if they go that route. Despite what people sometimes think, there were black people in Europe before slavery began.