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Valkyrie Is the Han Solo of 'Thor: Ragnarok' and the Marvel Universe

Marvel Studios

Valkyrie, a tough-talking former warrior of Asgard, is in it for the money at the beginning of Thor: Ragnarok. And while that’s not exactly an unusual character for a science fiction and fantasy-centric movie, actress Tessa Thompson (Creed, Dear White People) compared Valkyrie to a fan-favorite swindler in a galaxy far, far away.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published Tuesday, Thompson referred to Valkyrie as “the Han Solo of the movie.”

Rolling Stone writes that, in the film, Valykrie is “a callous, self-centered survivor who doesn’t care if the good guys win,” which certainly sounds a lot like Han Solo of Star Wars. In Star Wars: A New Hope, Harrison Ford’s Han makes it clear from the beginning that he’s only helping Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) for the money and glory.

Of course, Han eventually changes his tune as he befriends the Skywalker twins, falls in love with Leia, and joins up with the Rebellion against the Empire. He eventually becomes a general; 30 years later, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) refer to Han as a “war hero” in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Han Solo never stops being a “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder,” but he is a good guy at the end of the day. Similarly, Valkyrie eventually teams up with Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to stop Hela (Cate Blanchett) in Ragnarok. Valkyrie is an unexpected hero, riding the line between good and bad but inevitably falling in with the good guys.

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Thompson is currently “rumored” as being in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, the first movie to unite the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, if Ragnarok is Valkyrie’s version of Han’s story in A New Hope, then that means she’ll slowly start to integrate herself into the crew and eventually become a vital member in Infinity War. That is, if she’s in Infinity War and actually makes it through Ragnarok.

Read Inverse’s spoiler-free review of Thor: Ragnarok.

Thor: Ragnarok premieres in theaters on November 3.

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