Marvel Studios’ had recently released 32 character posters for the movie, Avengers: Endgame and this had revealed that the Asgardian warrior, Valkyrie had survived the snap in Infinity War. She has been confirmed to also make her return in the last Phase 3 movie.
She had been a fan-favourite character and was played by the actress, Tessa Thompson in the movie, Thor: Ragnarok. Valkyrie had been introduced as the sole survivor of a warrior group which was annihilated while they battled Hela.
After having served as a scavenger for the Grandmaster on Sakaar, she had befriended Thor and the Hulk and also helped them escape the planet and defeat Hela.
Though we had not seen any of it in Infinity War, the character posters have confirmed that Valkyrie was not dusted by Thanos or killed by the Black Order. With a lot of the MCU’s original stars set to leave the franchise after Avengers: Endgame, Valkyrie might be the only choice to fill a Thor-sized void.
After her introduction in the movie, Ragnarok, Valkyrie was established as Thor’s equal, and she is capable of feats of extraordinary strength, and the character is also a pilot and an experienced combatant.
After she had learned of her Asgardian past, Thor had said that he grew up idolising the Valkyrie after he had heard tales of their heroism and bravery as a boy. Having been embraced by audiences, Valkyrie had made an appearance on merchandising and had become a very a popular character in fan art and also, cosplay.
While the Ragnarok director, TaikaWaititi and Chris Hemsworth have expressed their interest in coming back to the MCU, even after Hemsworth’s contractual obligations come to an end with Endgame, Valkyrie might be Marvel studio’s best choice to maintain a strong Asgardian. A much more prominent role for Valkyrie would also line-up with a few previous claims about the future of the MCU after The Infinity Saga.
Much before the premiere of the movie, Captain Marvel, Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios President and Thompson had said that the future of the MCU would be continued by female superheroes.
These comments and statements have been supported by the actress, Evangeline Lilly who plays Wasp in the MCU. While Marvel Studios’ plans after Avengers: Endgame have not yet been officially confirmed apart from Spider-Man: Far From Home, the plans for a Black Widow stand-alone origin movie and prominent female roles in the movie, The Eternals indicate that the MCU’s future will be female-driven.
Valkyrie is not the only strong female character that has been introduced by the Thor trilogy. The very first movie had debuted Jaimie Alexander’s character, Lady Sif and Natalie Portman’s character, Jane Foster. Sif is known to be a warrior and Thor’s loyal comrade, and in the comic books, Jane has taken on the Thor mantle.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, DanaiGurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau and Bradley Cooper, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Josh Brolin. The film arrives April 26.
