Marvel’s Basically Introducing Tessa Thompson’s MCU Valkyrie to its Comics

After downing an impressive amount of booze and teaming up with Thor, Loki, and the Hulk in Marvel and Taika Waititi’s triumphant Thor: Ragnarok, Valkyrie soared to new heights of comics-based character fame. Tessa Thompson, who portrayed Valkyrie in Ragnarok, was undoubtedly a huge part of the film’s success. Her version of the Valkyrie — originally based on the hero Brunnhilde — was so beloved among fans and comics creators alike that the liquor-swilling heroine is making her way from the big screen onto the pages of Marvel Comics.

Thompson’s version of Valkyrie will co-star in Marvel’s upcoming Exiles series in all her blue-tinged, lady loving, “I will beat your ass with a smile on my face” glory.

“Valkyrie’s a character who’s always appealed to me. Her iconic warrior-woman look — spear! sword! flying horse! — but also the juxtaposition of a kickass ancient fantasy hero operating in contemporary New York City. She’s a classic Marvel heroine,” series writer Saladin Ahmed said in a press release. “But the Exiles version of Valkyrie is a bit different from what we’ve seen in comics thus far. Our Valkyrie is known as the Lone Defender of Asgard, and she’s a tankard-draining, maiden-wooing, giant-slaying thunderbolt of a woman. Though she’s not technically from the Marvel Cinematic Universe reality, she’s basically the literalization of the larger-than-her-physical-frame swagger that Tessa Thompson displayed in Thor: Ragnarok, turned up to 11.”

Series editor Wil Moss added that Thompson’s version of Valkyrie was perfect for Exiles because the rest of its characters are already alternative universe versions, so the artists and creators got to combine the classic Marvel Valkyrie with Thompson’s kickass version.

Here’s a look at Exiles’s Valykrie:

Valkyrie will join up with the rest of the Exiles, alternative universe versions of Iron Lad, Wolvie, Khan, and Blink, to “save the multiverse.”

Exiles will be written by Saladin Ahmed (Black Bolt) and illustrated by Javier Rodriguez (Daredevil, The Amazing Spider-Man, Batgirl: Year One).

Exiles #1 hits shelves on April 11.