A recent tweet from actor Tessa Thompson marks an exciting announcement for LGBTQI representation in movies – particularly in the genre of superhero films.
Thompson, who plays Valkyrie in the new Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok, has confirmed via Twitter that her character is, in fact, bisexual.
The actor said on Twitter, "She’s bi. And yes, she cares very little about what men think of her. What a joy to play!" in response to a fan's tweet about Valkyrie's sexual identity in the comics.
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The confirmation came after a fan was discussing the 'sexiness' of the character, and saying he felt her sexuality had been dulled down in the new films for the "Sunday school crowd".
Another fan clapped back, explaining that Valkyrie was queer, so therefore would not care if he found her sexy or not.
In response to her confirmation, a number of queer and bisexual fans thanked Thompson for making sure that Valkyrie's bisexuality was acknowledged, saying that bi representation in film is often swept under the rug.
This confirmation marks an enormous moment for the franchise - while there's been a number of LGBTQI-identifying characters in the comics, Valkyrie will be the first queer character, and bisexual woman of colour, within the new set of Marvel films.
Thompson's announcement follows a petition for the team behind Wonder Woman, played by Israeli actor Gal Gadot, to make the character bisexual in the sequel to this year's hugely successful film, Wonder Woman.
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