Who is Valkyrie and where does she debut?
She is the last survivor of the Valkyries, an elite order of Asgardian women warriors. When we meet her in Thor: Ragnarok, though, she has buried that past on the junk planet Sakaar. She drinks a lot, works as a scrapper who sells fighters to the Grandmaster, and wants nothing to do with Asgard or its princes. On Sakaar she goes by Scrapper 142, and nobody there cares who she used to be. What matters is that Thor finds someone who has already lost everything he is about to lose.
Valkyrie's titles in order
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017, film, essential)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019, film, essential)
- What If...? (2021, animated series, optional)
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022, film, optional)
- The Marvels (2023, film, recommended)
- Marvel Zombies (2025, animated series, optional)
The two animated series are alternate-universe stories, so treat them as side trips. They do not change what happens to the Valkyrie of the main films.
Her biggest turning points
Ragnarok is about her choosing to fight again. She goes from someone who sold Thor out for money to someone who stands with him against Hela, and the reason is personal: she has history with that enemy. Endgame picks her up years later in New Asgard, the refugee town in Norway where the survivors settle, and it closes with a quiet but important shift in who leads them. Love and Thunder then shows what that job looks like on an ordinary day, which is less glamorous than it sounds. Her short scene in The Marvels is mostly a friendly crossover, but it confirms where she stands in the wider universe.
Friends and allies
Thor is her closest partner, more like a sparring buddy than a romance. Korg, the soft-spoken rock warrior, becomes part of her New Asgard circle. On Sakaar she clashes and then teams up with Hulk, and the two of them drinking and fighting together is one of Ragnarok's best running jokes. Doctor Strange is linked to her more loosely through the shared Avengers events, rather than any direct partnership.
Tessa Thompson and the role
Tessa Thompson gives Valkyrie a swagger that can flip into grief in a single look. She plays her as someone who would rather crack a joke than admit she is hurting, which fits the comedy of the later Thor films while keeping the character from becoming a sidekick. Outside the MCU she is known for Creed, where she plays Bianca, for Westworld, and for the dark comedy Sorry to Bother You. She also starred in the drama Passing.
How to watch her story
Watch Thor: Ragnarok first, then Avengers: Endgame. Those two give you her full arc from exile to leadership. After that, add The Marvels for a short, fun cameo-style scene, then Love and Thunder if you want more time in New Asgard. What If...? and Marvel Zombies come last and are purely optional, since they show other versions of the MCU. For more Asgard faces, browse our MCU characters directory.