Valkyrie’s new powers in Tessa Thompson. However, the abilities mentioned by Thompson in a recent interview have some interesting implications for what comes next.
After playing the character in two MCU movies, Thompson will be back to play the Asgardian hero at least one more time with Thor: Love and Thunder. Though the specifics of what she’ll be up to haven’t been explained, it seems that the leader of New Asgard will be one of Thor’s allies for his fight with Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). Though she was already a force to be reckoned with, comments from Thompson are indicative of her character being even more formidable than before. According to Thompson, Valkyrie’s “weird skills” include sensing when a person is close to death, the ability to take them into Valhalla (the afterlife), and resurrecting the dead.
When discussing her resurrection powers, Thompson mentioned that Valkyrie “sometimes ends up in their bodies”. This line has deep comic connections that go all the way back to the stories that made her so popular in the first place. In the 1970s Defenders comics, the modern-day incarnation of the Marvel Comics character was born when a cult member named Barbara Norriss was bonded to the soul of Valkyrie, the spirit of an ancient Asgardian warrior. Norriss’ body served as the new host for Valkyrie, who inadvertently suppressed the mortal woman’s consciousness. If Marvel is incorporating this element of Valkyrie’s character, it could open the door for her to be replaced at a later point.
How Valkyrie’s spirit took control of Norriss in Marvel Comics could be used in different ways in the MCU. If Thompson’s Valkyrie were to die in the MCU, her spirit could be used to take control of a dead person, who could become her new vessel. Such a power would enable Valkyrie to keep both herself and a human woman alive, albeit at the cost of having to share a body with someone else. If Thompson were to one day exit the MCU, this power would enable Marvel to easily replace her with a new actress and host body for Valkyrie.
Of course, Marvel replacing Thompson is a route that the studio may never take in regards to Valkyrie's future. That being said, this ability is so unique that the MCU could still find ways of utilizing it. In the comics, Valkyrie ultimately outlived Norriss but was able to maintain her iconic appearance even when bonded with new vessels. At the end of Thor: Love and Thunder (or perhaps in a different Marvel project), Valkyrie could die, get resurrected, and use magic to physically transform her new host body.
