Tessa Thompson Says 'Women Rule Supreme' In Marvel's Phase Four

The women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will steer the ship in the series' phase four, according to Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson.

Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the Valkyrie-playing Marvel maven made it clear that the future of the MCU looks female — and she couldn't be happier about it. 

"I think what we're seeing, regardless of a Lady Liberator or an A-Force movie or a female ensemble Marvel movie, is that in phase four, women rule supreme," Thompson said. "We're seeing a Black Widow movie in the works, which I hear about and is so exciting. Captain Marvel with Brie Larson and DeWanda Wise. So, we're seeing that women are at the forefront of these stories and, of course, with Black Panther, those incredible warrior women in that film."

This is not to mention the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp, the first of the MCU movies to include a female hero's name in the title. Beyond that, the offerings from the studio following 2019's Avengers 4 are completely unknown — to us, at least. For whatever it's worth, Thompson seems convinced that the next phase of the MCU will see the series' women ascendant. But could an A-Force movie really be on the way, as she insinuates? Nothing's been officially announced, but it seems likelier than not. 

This may all be Thompson's wishful thinking, but she might be onto something, too. Thompson has already demonstrated her outspokenness creatively when it comes to the finer points of the MCU, pushing against studio resistance to make her Thor: Ragnarok character explicitly queer and spearheading calls for an all-female superhero team-up movie. While she's not the one making decisions down at Marvel Studios when it comes to future movies, she's certainly doing what she can to influence things. 

Of course, Thompson specifically sees a bright future for her well-received character, hopefully outside of the Thor franchise. During the interview, she spitballed a few ideas about where she'd like to see Valkyrie go next.

"I think it'd be fun to see her on Earth," Thompson said. "I think it'd be fun to see her in more unexpected team-ups, because she has such a sort of brash, particular personality. So it'd be funny to see her in the MCU, seeing who she gets along with, who she doesn't get along with. I think the possibilities are wide open."

Her choice for a team-up, if she got to make the pick? That'd be one of the new kids, Black Panther's Okoye (played by Danai Gurira), whom Thompson says she'd "bow down" to. She also wouldn't turn up the chance to fight back-to-back with Black Widow, and considering that movie is finally in development, she just might get her chance. 

As for the current state of the MCU, Black Panther is still in theaters now, with Avengers: Infinity War to follow on May 4.