Recent rumors going around have said that Mark Ruffalo's next appearance as The Hulk will be in the cosmic adventure Thor: Ragnarok - but if a new report is to be believed the God of Thunder and the Green Goliath may not be the only heroes featured in the 2017 blockbuster. Apparently Marvel Studios is looking to use the film to introduce a new female superhero: Valkyrie.
This story comes to us from Birth.Movies.Death., which says not only that their sources have confirmed the rumors of Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, but also that the comic book heroine Valkyrie will be making her live-action debut in the movie. Unfortunately, there aren't really any details about how Valkyrie will be utilized in the film, but the report says that the film is going to be Marvel Studios' darkest yet, and will have Thor and Hulk on a "cosmic road trip together."
In the comics, Valkyrie is an Asgardian warrior who is the leader of Valkyrior - a group that appears over battlefields to take the fall soldiers who are worthy up to Valhalla. Being as Asgardian, she possesses tremendous strength and durability, and is very skilled wielding a spear and a sword.
What adds an interesting wrinkle to this story is the fact that Marvel Studios has made plans to actually utilize Valkyrie before. In early 2014, concept art from Thor: The Dark World found its way online and showed different possible character designs for a live-action version of the heroine. Of course, she ultimately wasn't featured in the Alan Taylor-directed blockbuster, which does leave the door open for a possible role in Thor: Ragnarok.
If this does turn out to be true, Birth.Movies.Death. says that we can start to expect hearing about actresses going to Marvel for tests - but what makes this development interesting is the timing. According to the report, the studio is concurrently looking for an actress to play the lead in the upcoming Captain Marvel - and considering both Carol Danvers and Valkyrie are strong, tall, blonde women, there may be some confusion abound regarding the role for which the actresses are testing. It wouldn't ultimately be too shocking to see both parts get cast from the same talent pool.
What We Do In The Shadows director Taika Waititi is currently lining up to take the helm of Thor: Ragnarok, and is expected to use his comedy skills to lighten up some of the film's darker corners. With a release date not set until November 3, 2017, the project won't be going into production until next year, but we still expect to hear multiple updates about it in the coming months.
