The future of the MCU belongs to women, according to Thor: Ragnarok‘s Tessa Thompson.
Having wowed comic book fans with her fierce portrayal of Valkyrie, arguably the breakout star of Ragnarok, the actress was in attendance at last night’s world premiere for Black Panther, the 18th installment in the MCU and the final standalone pic before Avengers: Infinity War. And she had some good news for Marvel’s leading ladies.
Per Entertainment Tonight (h/t CBM), Thomspon hinted at a possible uptick in female-fronted storylines (and spinoffs, perhaps?) in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which may, in turn, trickle down to affect the likes of Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Pom Klementieff (Mantis), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, who has already been earmarked for an MCU movie of her own.
In this film, there are all these incredible women in the form of Angela Bassett and Lupita [Nyong’o] and Danai [Gurira]. We’re going to see Brie Larson and her stand alone with Dewanda Wise, who is also here tonight, doing Captain Marvel. We’ll see what happens with [her character] Valkyrie next, but yeah, the women rule supreme; they always have. But I think we’ll see in the next phase [of Marvel films] that really translate on screen in a real way.
As for the importance of Black Panther, overall, Thompson stressed that Ryan Coogler’s buzzworthy standalone film is a landmark moment for the superhero industry.
It’s important for the culture. It’s important to me. I think it’s no mistake that folks like Snoop Dogg are here [at the premiere]. It’s important culturally to us that we get to see representation [for people of color], that we get to see ourselves reflected on screen in this way, but also it’s just primed to be a fantastic movie. It’s good for all of us and I think the fact it’s been the most pre-sold movie in Marvel history speaks to the fact that it’s not just for us, it’s for everybody.
Soon after the Dora Milaje stage their debut in Black Panther, Phase 3 will reach new heights in Avengers: Infinity War. And though Marvel is yet to detail any firm plans for the future of Valkyrie, Tessa Thompson is clearly still game for a female-led crossover.