We knew from the start that The Marvels would feature an epic team-up between Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau. But in the lead-up to the movie’s release, we learned another exciting character would make an appearance in the movie, Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie. First, we saw the Asgardian Bifrost appear in a teaser, and then we glimpsed Valkyrie herself. Some fans were sad that Marvel didn’t let the cameo Thor character cameo be a surprise. But although we knew Valkyrie would appear in The Marvels, we didn’t know how the character would figure into the story or what exactly she would do in the MCU movie. Happily, we now have all the answers we sought. So why is Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie in The Marvels, and what is she up to? Here’s a breakdown of Valkyrie’s cameo scene.
Valkyrie Appears in The Marvels to Help Captain Marvel Find a Home for Displaced Skrulls
The Marvels kicks off with a rough start for Carol Danvers and the crew. The villainous Kree warrior Dar-Benn is creating unstable jump points through time, space, and reality using the powers of a quantum band she acquired. But she’s not just using them as a means of transportation. No, she’s actually after resources from other planets that her homeworld of Holla is lacking, thanks to a civil war kickstarted by Captain Marvel herself. That’s a big downside for the whole universe in The Marvels, but the upside for us is that it leads to Valkyrie arriving on the scene.
Dar-Benn Steals Tarnax’s Atmosphere, Destroying the Skrulls‘ Home
Before Valkyrie’s arrival on The Marvels, we see Dar-benn target the planet of Tarnax. Currently, Tarnax houses a Skrull colony, one that we actually learned about in Secret Invasion. And here we bet you thought Secret Invasion didn’t matter in The Marvels. This colony, run by Emperor Dro’ge, is the one place the Skrulls settled if they didn’t go to Earth with Talos and the rest. Dar-Benn wants to steal Tarnax’s atmosphere for Holla, but she’s willing to help evacuate the Skrulls before she does. Or so she says, we’re not sure what would have happened because Captain Marvel, certain that the Kree are up to no good, interrupts the discussions between the Kree and Skrulls and a battle breaks out.
During this battle, it becomes clear that in addition to forming jump points and threatening the universe, Dar-Benn’s bangle has entangled Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau’s light-based powers. In the end, all three end up on Tarnax fighting to protect it, but they’re too late. Dar-Benn opens a portal with her bangle and sucks the atmosphere right out of the Skrull colony. Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau evacuate as many Skrulls as they can, but they are unable to save everyone. Still, even those who are saved have now lost the home they worked so hard to build. Enter Valkyrie into The Marvels.
Valkyrie Takes the Skrulls to New Asgard
Captain Marvel tells Dro’ge that she’s called a friend to help find the Skrulls somewhere safe to go. And, at that point in The Marvels, anyone who had seen the teaser trailer knew Valkyrie was coming. First there was Bifrost, and then there was the suit-clad King of New Asgard. Although Valkyrie doesn’t outright say that she’s taking the Skrulls to Asgard’s new Earth-side colony, we assume that’s where they’re heading. We guess we’ll need Thor 5 or a Valkyrie movie to know for sure.
Valkyrie also takes the time to give her stubborn friend a little nudge in the right direction. Valkyrie tells Captain Marvel that she’s glad she’s found a team and that she can “stand tall without standing alone.” It’s solid advice. Valkyrie also leaves on a teasing note, saying, “May our next meeting be joyful.” We certainly hope there will both be a next meeting for this duo and that it will be joyful.
So, Do Valkyrie and Captain Marvel Kiss in The Marvels?
Wouldn’t that have been nice? In the lead-up to Thor: Love and Thunder, Kevin Feige promised that the movie would explore Valkyrie’s sexuality and find her a queen, but that did not come to pass. Which, of course, came as a big disappointment. But it did keep the door open for someone to fill that role. In the past, Tessa Thompson and Brie Larson both supported the idea of a “ValCarol” relationship in interviews and at cons, much to the delight of fans. So naturally, when it was announced that Valkyrie would cameo in The Marvels, viewers wondered if there might be a romantic element to it.
And, ultimately, there wasn’t not a romantic element to it. Valkyrie and Captain Marvel didn’t share a specifically romantic kiss in The Marvels, but Valkyrie did kiss Carol on the cheek. Hey, that’s not bad for five minutes of screen time. We would say it was definitely textually flirtatious. Maybe in their next joyful meeting, ValCarol can finally become a reality. Captain Marvel is already a princess in a “marriage of convenience” (to a man too fabulous to not also be queer), and that has a fairly queer feeling to it all on its own. Also, we’re looking at you, Carol Danvers’ basketball shorts. So why not add wayward queen of New Asgard to the title pile? We’ll continue to fly the flag of this ship.
In the meanwhile, we were glad to see Tessa Thompson back as Valkyrie in The Marvels, and we hope to see her again soon.
