When we return to New Asgard in Thor: Love and Thunder, a lot of familiar faces will have changed a great deal since we last saw them. The God of Thunder has ditched the dad bod, Miek now has an actual (female) body, and Valkyrie...well, she's a King now.
It's widely believed that we'll meet King Valkyrie's Queen in the movie, and while the Mighty Thor, Sif, and Captain Marvel are among the rumoured candidates, exactly what sort of King is the Asgardian? That was a point addressed by Tessa Thompson during a recent interview with Total Film that saw her also explain that specific choice of title for the formidable warrior.
"I think she's very egalitarian," the actor says. "She's a kind king. I know there's been some confusion on the internet in terms of the gendering with her being king. The truth is, that's the job that Thor was going to do, and then he just gave her the job, and we just didn't bother to change the title, because the title is 'king', and she's like, 'Well, I can be king.'"
As for how Valkyrie adapts to her newfound role, Thompson explained, "She likes it. She feels slightly less enchanted with the bureaucratic elements of New Asgard. It's really been put on the map by the events that have happened in past movies, so it's also become this sort of tourist destination. I think she feels entirely proud."
"Last time around, you met her, she was quite despondent, and missing her sisters, and not dealing with her trauma, maybe, in the healthiest of ways," she continued. "You meet her with a new sort of lease on life, in a position of leadership, representing her people. She loves her people, and loves being able to lead for them. But I think she feels a lack of purpose."
"I think the time when she feels most of use is really in community - it's been, historically, in battle, with her tribe," Thompson concludes. "And so I think in some ways, now having this new sort of problem to deal with, with her old friend Thor, it's exactly what she needs."
It certainly sounds like an exciting next step for Valkyrie, and based on the actor's comments here, director Taika Waititi has found the right balance between exploring her role as a King and showing what makes the hero such a badass fighter. Marvel Studios has definitely embraced diversity in Phase 4, but mostly on a surface level, so it will be interesting seeing how that's handled too.
A new trailer for the movie was released very early this morning, and you can check that out here.
Thor: Love and Thunder is set to be released in theaters on July 8, 2022.