Tessa Thompson teases Valkyrie as Marvel's first LGBTQ hero

Tessa Thompson has teased fans by hinting Valkyrie will be Marvel Studios' first LGBTQ hero.

The actress' character first appeared in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, and also starred in Avengers: Endgame, in which Chris Hemsworth's Thor anointed her as his planet Asgard's new ruler, but her sexuality was not addressed.

However, on a Comic-Con panel in San Diego on Saturday (20Jul19), she hinted that Valkyrie will be bisexual or lesbian in the new film - as she is in the comic books.

"As new king (of Asgard), she needs to find her queen," she said. "That will be the first order of business."

In an interview with iO9, Marvel Studio boss Kevin Feige confirmed that Valkyrie's sexuality will also be a big plot point in Thor 4.

"The answer is yes," he said when asked about whether the character would be gay or bisexual. "How that impacts the story remains to be seen with that level of representation you'll see across our films, not in just Thor 4."

Thompson previously told Rolling Stone magazine that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi pitched her character as bisexual in that film, but she didn't get any love scenes in the movie.

Waititi is returning to direct the next instalment, and it seems he is determined to make sure Valkyrie's sexuality is made explicit in the follow-up.