Tessa Thompson Wants Better LGBTQ+ Storylines in the MCU

Tessa Thompson wants the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be just as gay as we do!

The beloved Thor actress is busy doing press for her awards season contender Passing and was recently profiled by The Wrap. But she didn't just talk about that movie, she also opened up about the work she's doing to push queer representation forward in the MCU, arguably the most popular superhero media franchise in the world right now.

"We talk so much about representation, and obviously, in terms of the LGBTQIA+ community, there's still so much work to be done," Thompson said when asked what it was like to play bisexual heroine Valkyrie, who was confirmed as the MCU's first queer superhero. "But if you look at the comics in the canon, there are so many queer characters!"

She also emphasized that she wanted to do more of that work, but that it's hard in a Marvel movie. "It's hard because Taika (Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok) and I would've liked to go further, but in the context of the movies, there's only so much we can do," she said. "Unfortunately, there's not a lot of time invested in love stories in Marvel movies in general."

But, she does see some change on the horizon. "I think that will be a little different in the new Thor, which is exciting," she added. "And getting to play a character that historically is not written for somebody that looks like me, all of that felt exciting."

We already know that Valkyrie will be "searching for her queen" in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, but we don't yet know who that queen will be. Right now, we know that Natalie Portman will be returning as Jane Foster, and Karen Gillan's Nebula and Jamie Alexander's Sif will both be in the film, so it could be one of those characters.

There's also the rumor that Valkyrie will appear in the upcoming The Marvels film, a sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel. Fans have been shipping Valkyrie and Captain Marvel since they each appeared separately in the MCU, so that potential match has the internet on the edge of its seat.

We'll have to wait a little while to find out, as Thor: Love and Thunder is set to release July 8 of this year, and The Marvels will debut February 7, 2023.

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