“Thor: Ragnarok” is available on Blu-ray and 4K release today, and fans can feast on a slew of extras, including bonuses scenes of rancorous villainess Hela and bad-ass warrior Valkyrie, but it won’t have a key scene edited from the movie that took Valkyrie’s bisexuality from vaguely implied to clearly understood.
Less than a month before the film’s release on Nov. 3, 2017, Tessa Thompson — the actress who plays Valkyrie — took to Twitter to confirm that the Asgardian warrior was indeed bisexual as she is portrayed in the comics.
She’s bi. And yes, she cares very little about what men think of her. What a joy to play! https://t.co/d0LZKTHCfL
— Tessa Thompson (@TessaThompson_x) October 21, 2017
Thompson even told Rolling Stone she wanted to make Valkyrie bisexual, based on the warrior’s relationship with anthropologist Annabelle Riggs.
“There’s this great illustration of them in a kiss,” Thompson told the magazine.
ALSO READ: Creator of queer romance ‘Bingo Love’ has new project
Thompson also said she convinced director Taika Waititi to shoot a scene of a woman leaving the hard-drinking warrior’s bedroom. The scene, however, was eventually cut from the theatrical version.
“Thor: Ragnarok” features Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the Asgardian god of thunder who must join forces with his duplicitous adopted brother, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, Thompson’s Valkyrie, and rage-monster Hulk, again brought to life by Mark Ruffalo, to battle the goddess of death, Hela. But first, the trio must escape the eccentric dictator, Grandmaster, played with quirky brilliance by Jeff Goldblum. The film made $853.6 million worldwide, making it one of Marvel Studios’ most successful films.
Despite Valkyrie’s cut scene, the extras included in the Blu-ray and 4K do spotlight the strength and skills of Valkyrie and Hela and Thompson and Cate Blanchett, the actresses who play the fierce and powerful women.
“Hela vs Valkyrie” showcases the training the women had to endure to bring their characters to life.
“I would say that she fights like a boy except that diminishes the fact that she just fights like a really, really strong woman,” Thompson said in the bonus footage. “We talk too much in Hollywood about representation of women. We need really strong stand up parts for women, but we also need women that are in conflict and are not so great. We need representation all across the board.”
ALSO READ: Dorothy Arzner — pioneering lesbian director — honored
The Hela video explains the presence and ruthlessness of the goddess.
“I’ve had incredible fun playing with her because I think her capabilities are so surprising and so unusual. She’s not simply sinister,” Blanchett said. “Some of the happiest times have been beating people up.”
Here are other bonuses on the Blu-ray and 4K release:
- Director’s introduction
- Deleted/Extended scenes
- Gag reel
- “Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown”
- 8-bit scenes
- Director’s commentary
- Part three of the mockumentary “Team Thor,” retitled “Team Darryl” and featuring an eccentric new roommate
The Blu-ray release of “Thor: Ragnarok” features bonus footage that spotlights Valkyrie, left, and Hela. Photos from Disney; illustration by Q Voice News.
