The final trailer for The Marvels landed on Nov. 7, 2023, teasing audiences with the reality-bending antics of Captain Marvel just days ahead of the film’s premiere.
The two-minute clip sees Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers journey to an anomalous wormhole in a post-Thanos universe, and while the trailer features characters we already knew were in the cast — including Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau — there is one brief appearance that has caught some viewers by surprise.
Is Valkyrie in The Marvels?
Towards the end of the clip, after multiple fight scenes and laser shoot-outs, Valkyrie from the Thor franchise appears in conversation with Captain Marvel, assuring the fellow superhero that she “can stand tall without standing alone.” Actress Tessa Thompson reprises her role as the New Asgard sovereign, confirming months of speculation regarding the character’s rumoured appearance in The Marvels.
Thompson’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was first speculated in October, when Marvel released a TV spot which featured shots of the Bifrost frequented by Asgardian gods. Thompson previously worked with The Marvels director, Nia DaCosta, when she starred in DaCosta’s 2018 film, Little Woods.
Fans have reacted to Valkyrie’s appearance in The Marvels trailer with equal parts surprise and excitement, with one X (Twitter) user describing her cameo as a “mother convention”. Another fan simply wrote: “WE WON.”
Prior to the trailer, the Valkyrie cameo was mostly wishful thinking on the part of fans, but her first on-screen appearance with The Marvels trailer officially confirms her involvement in the film, though the extent of her role remains unclear. It marks the character’s first foray into the MCU since 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, and adds to an illustrious superhero career that included Avengers: Endgame’s war against Thanos.
Speaking of the big-headed stone-collector, Thanos’ presence is felt all throughout The Marvels’ trailer, with Captain Marvel referencing the former Big Bad and the implications of his death on the MCU. From what we know, the Captain Marvel sequel will see Danvers join forces with Rambeau (previously seen in WandaVision) and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel to face a new enemy in the form of Dar-Benn, a Kree revolutionary played by Zawe Ashton.
Alongside the Valkyrie cameo, speculation has mounted around The Marvels’ teasing of a multiversal crossover, potential inclusion of characters from X-Men, and the supposed leak of the film’s post-credit scene that blows the MCU wide open.
In any case, we’ll have to wait to see exactly what happens as Danvers dons her suit once more, with The Marvels hitting theatres on Nov. 10, 2023.