Valkyrie
When she first appears onscreen in Thor: Ragnarok, she appears to be a scavenger on the planet Sakaar, who captures Thor immediately after he crash lands. When she drags him to the Grandmaster, who runs the place, she’s referred to as Scrapper 142 – a worker, making her living on Sakaar by retrieving valuable items from a giant trash pile that constitutes the lost and discarded belongings of the galaxy.
But, soon enough, we learn that she’s Valkyrie – and we learn this because Thor cannot escape Sakaar and save the universe without her help. Valkyrie is a fellow Asgardian and former member of the Valyrior – the warrior force sworn to protect the throne of Asgard. Her unit was decimated by Hela, Goddess of Death, in their last battle, and she’s been drowning her sorrows on Sakaar ever since.
She’s initially reluctant to join Thor in his quest to escape Sakaar and save Asgard from Hela, due to her past trauma. But, Valkyrie’s depiction here is not one of a typical cinematic ‘damaged heroine.’ Valkyrie does not need to be reminded of her worth, nor persuaded of her value – she knows exactly who she is, and what her options are, and she makes her decisions based on thought processes in which she doesn’t need to include others.
Instead, she’s drawn out of her choice of ‘retirement’ by the challenge of facing Hela once more. There are no simpering hysterics here, nor are there any shrinking violet histrionics. Valkyrie does not need to be saved, and she does not need to be a romantic interest for anybody.
She quietly and steadily relives her previous battle with Hela, and the sensation of losing her fellow warriors – and then she takes a deep breath, puts on her iconic armour and literally faces her greatest fear without once breaking her stride.
