Has Marvel Found Their Valkyrie In Actress Tessa Thompson?


Actress Tessa Thompson (Dear White People and Creed) has been at the center of rumors as of late. Deadline announced earlier this week that actress Natalie Portman will not be returning to the Thor franchise, but Tessa Thompson will be a new addition to the cast of Thor: Ragnarok.

the valkyrie, valkyrie, tessa thompson, of the, in the, thor Brunnhilde
[Image via Marvel/Disney]
Thompson is listed as a “love interest” and a “sort of superhero” by Deadline, but in the article it is never made clear whether Thompson is a replacement for Natalie Portman’s character Jane or a brand new character. But now the Latino Review reports not only will Tessa Thompson have a significant role in the third Thor film as the Valkyrie, but her role will span multiple Marvel films, including Infinity War.

Comics Alliance also puts into perspective the possible connection between Tessa Thompson and Cate Blanchett‘s characters. It was announced in January that Cate Blanchett is cast as the newest Thor villain, but the character name had not been revealed. Slash Film seems to think Cate Blanchett is Hela, who faces off with the Valkyrie from the Ragnarok saga.

“The final showdown with Hela (Cate Blanchett) will feature an army of the dead commanded by the villainess doing battle with good Valkyries (including Tessa Thopmson) from Valhalla and the souls of the righteous fallen, including Heimdall.”

Hela could be a stand-in for the character of Death who is close to Thanos in the comics and is heavily involved in the Infinity War.

According to Norse-Mythology.org, the Valkyries play an important role in Norse Mythology.

“A valkyrie is a female helping spirit of the god Odin. The modern image of the Valkyries as elegant, noble maidens bearing dead heroes to Valhalla is largely accurate. However, older Norse sources, focus on their love affairs with human men and their assisting Odin in transporting his favorites among those slain in battle to Valhalla, where they will fight by his side during Ragnarok.”

The Valkyries aren’t always the beautiful maidens you see in Norse mythology. In Germanic folklore, they are seen as spirits of chaos and death. They are equivalent to the Greek mythological goddesses the Furies.

Odin, Thor, and many others play a major role in Norse mythology and in the comics, so now seems like a good time for the Valkyrie to make her debut.

[Image via Marvel Comics]
[Image via Marvel Comics]
In Marvel Comics, the Valkyrie is known as Brunnhilde. What is known is that the Valkyrie is considered one of the oldest living Asgardians. Marvel gives a brief description of her legacy on their site.

“Brunnhilde was selected by Odin, monarch of the gods of the other-dimensional realm of Asgard, to lead the Valkyrie, the choosers of the Slain, a group of warrior goddesses who would appear over the battlefields of mortal worshippers of the Asgardian gods and choose which of the fallen were worthy to be taken to Valhalla, the land of the honored dead in the dimension of Asgard. Brunnhilde served Asgard capably in this capacity for centuries.”

Brunnhilde had to give up her duties due to a pact Odin made with the world leaders of Earth. The pact is to cease all interactions with Earth. For Brunnhilde and her Valkyrie, that meant they could only choose from among the dead of Asgard. Since most Asgardians live between 1000-5000 years, this left Brunhilde bitter and bored with little to do.

During the Asgardian revolt, Brunnhilde is killed. Her death is predicted as one of the Ragnarok prophecies that kicks off the Asgardian Apocalypse. However, in one of the Marvel reboots series, Brunnhilde is resurrected following Thor’s resurrection of the Asgardians.

Looking forward to seeing Tessa Thompson in action? Thor: Ragnarok releases in the Summer of 2017.

[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]

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