Honestly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was getting a bit stale by 2017. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good origin story, but the "stoic hero" trope was wearing thin. Then Taika Waititi showed up and basically flipped the table. Enter Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok. She didn't just walk onto the screen; she fell off a ramp, drunk, and immediately became the coolest person in the room. Tessa Thompson played her with this specific brand of "I don't give a damn" that we hadn't really seen from a female lead in a superhero flick before. It was refreshing.
It worked.
She wasn't some polished warrior waiting for a king. She was a scavenger. A heavy drinker. A woman running away from a traumatic past that involved a literal goddess of death wiping out her entire sisterhood. When we talk about Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok, we're talking about a character who actually had stakes. Her cynicism wasn't a personality quirk; it was a survival mechanism.
The Scavenger of Sakaar
When we first meet her, she’s Scrapper 142. She lives on a trash planet. Think about that for a second. An elite warrior of Asgard, someone who used to fly on a winged horse, is now selling "contesters" to a weirdo like the Grandmaster for booze money. It’s a massive fall from grace. Waititi and Thompson worked together to make sure she didn't feel like a sidekick. She was a foil to Thor’s golden-boy energy.
The contrast is hilarious. Thor is trying to be the "mighty Avenger," and she’s just trying to find her next drink. It’s the dynamic we didn't know we needed.
Most people forget that her introduction is actually pretty dark if you look past the physical comedy. She’s isolated. She’s the last of her kind. Every other Valkyrie was slaughtered by Hela during a failed attempt to keep the death goddess imprisoned. That flashback sequence—shot with that incredible, high-contrast Phantom camera tech—is one of the most beautiful and haunting things Marvel has ever produced. It’s silent, slow-motion, and brutal. You see why she quit.
Why the Character Shift Mattered
In the comics, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde) is often depicted as a blonde, more traditional Norse figure. Casting Tessa Thompson was a deliberate move to modernize the mythos. It wasn't just about diversity, though that mattered; it was about the vibe. Thompson brought a swagger that felt grounded in a way that the previous Thor movies lacked.
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She’s basically a Han Solo figure.
She has the ship. She has the debt. She has the reluctant heart of gold. When Thor tries to do the "code of the Valkyries" speech, she shuts him down immediately. Why? Because the code failed her. Asgard failed her. It makes her eventual decision to join the "Revengers" (stupid name, but it stuck) feel earned rather than scripted.
The Chemistry Factor
You can't talk about Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok without mentioning the chemistry between Thompson and Chris Hemsworth. It wasn't romantic. Thank God for that. It was two jaded warriors finding a common ground through mutual annoyance.
Then you add Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk into the mix.
Valkyrie and Hulk being "roommates" or training partners is a genius narrative choice. It shows she’s powerful enough to hold her own against a gamma-irradiated monster. She’s not intimidated by him. In fact, she seems to prefer Hulk to Bruce Banner, which says a lot about her personality. She likes the fight. She misses the heat of battle, even if she’s spent years pretending she doesn't.
Addressing the Misconceptions
Some fans at the time were annoyed that she wasn't the "comic-accurate" version. But let’s be real: the comic version of Valkyrie for a long time was just a lady in a metal bikini. By making Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok a grizzled veteran with PTSD and a drinking problem, Marvel gave her more depth in twenty minutes than she’d had in years of print.
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Another point of contention was her sexuality. While the movie doesn't explicitly state it (a missed opportunity, honestly), Thompson has been vocal about playing her as bisexual, consistent with the character's comic roots. There was even a scene filmed where a woman walks out of Valkyrie’s bedroom, but it was cut for pacing. Even without that scene, the way she carries herself—that masculine-meets-feminine energy—made her an instant icon for a lot of people who felt left out of the MCU’s "perfect" hero mold.
The Turning Point: "I'm In"
The moment she finally agrees to help Thor and Bruce is one of the best beats in the script. It’s not a grand speech. It’s a realization that she can't run from Hela anymore. Hela represents everything she lost. To move forward, she has to go back to the place that broke her.
Seeing her step out of the ship on the Rainbow Bridge in her traditional white and gold armor? Chills.
It was a visual signal that the Scrapper was gone and the Valkyrie was back. She was reclaiming her title. The way she carves through Hela’s undead army while "Immigrant Song" blares in the background is peak cinema. It’s chaotic, colorful, and completely earned.
Beyond the Trash Planet
While we’re focusing on her debut, it’s worth noting how much Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok set the stage for her future. She went from a drunk scavenger to the King of New Asgard. That’s an insane character arc.
But it all started here.
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Without the specific tone of Ragnarok, she likely would have been a boring, one-note warrior. Instead, she became the heart of the franchise’s reinvention. She proved that you can have a female character who is messy, flawed, and even a bit unlikeable at first, and the audience will still follow her to the end of the world. Or at least to the end of Asgard.
Key Takeaways for Fans and Writers:
- Subvert Expectations: If you're writing a warrior, make them flawed. Valkyrie's drinking and cynicism made her relatable.
- Visual Storytelling: Use costume changes to signal internal shifts. Her transition from Scrapper leathers to the Valkyrie cape told the story of her redemption without a single word of dialogue.
- Dynamic Relationships: Romance isn't the only way to connect a male and female lead. The camaraderie and rivalry between Thor and Valkyrie was much more compelling than a standard love interest plot.
- Acknowledge Trauma: Don't just give a character a "sad backstory." Show how it affects their daily life. Her reluctance to return to Asgard wasn't just plot delay; it was a realistic reaction to loss.
To truly understand the impact of this character, re-watch the scene where she confronts her past in the memory forge. Notice the lighting and the way the music shifts. It’s the anchor for her entire journey.
If you're looking to track her progress through the rest of the MCU, pay close attention to how her leadership style in Love and Thunder mirrors the responsibility she shirked in Ragnarok. She went from someone who couldn't lead herself to someone responsible for an entire species. It’s a masterclass in long-term character development that started with a fall off a scrap pile.
Next time you watch the film, look for the small moments: the way she rolls her eyes at Thor’s bravado or the subtle nod she gives the Hulk. Those are the beats that make Valkyrie in Thor Ragnarok a standout in a crowded universe of capes and shields.