Days before the theatrical release of The Marvels, Marvel Studios revealed a massive cameo: Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) would be appearing in the sequel to Captain Marvel. Now, the studio has released a deleted scene that would have made her cameo even better.
In The Marvels, Carol (Brie Larson) calls Valkyrie and asks her to take a group of Skrull refugees back to New Asgard on Earth. Valkyrie uses the Bifrost to get to Carol’s ship, and then gives her a little pep talk: “You can stand tall,” she says, “without standing alone.” After a quick peck on the cheek, Valkyrie goes back home.
Valkyrie’s a fantastic character, and fans have long shipped her and Carol, so the cameo (and the kiss!) is a welcome treat. However, like much of the movie, it feels rushed and shoehorned in. Wouldn’t it have been nice if Valkyrie could stick around for a scene or two, being her awesome self and interacting with Monica (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala (Iman Vellani) more? Maybe spend a little more time hashing out whatever history she has with Carol? Alas, Valkyrie came and went all too quickly.
If this deleted scene had remained in the movie, though, we would have gotten a little more Valkyrie.
In the scene, Kamala finds herself in Carol’s ship thanks to the entanglement of their powers. After admiring Carol’s helmet, Kamala answers an incoming call, which turns out to be Valkyrie.
After Kamala introduces herself as Ms. Marvel, Valkyrie thinks she’s married to Carol. “She got married again?” Valkyrie says indignantly. “No invite, again?” Kamala stammers her way through an explanation of her name before her powers become entangled with Carol’s again, and Carol switches places with her.
Would including this scene in the movie have improved Valkyrie’s later scene on the ship? I think it would have. Valkyrie balking at what she thinks is Carol’s marriage would have fleshed out their relationship a little. Even the affectionate “Oh captain, my captain!” is a nice touch. It would have made Carol’s relationship with Valkyrie feel more real and lived-in.
Of course, the cameo would have spoiled the surprise gag on Aladna, in which Monica and Kamala find out that Carol has a political marriage with Prince Yan (Park Seo-joon). That moment is pretty priceless!
Ah well. At least we get a little more Valkyrie in The Marvels‘ bonus features! She’s not just the king of New Asgard, she’s the ruler of my heart.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
