Thor Star Reveals the Blessing and the Curse of Being in the MCU [Exclusive]

Tessa Thompson has built up quite a resume over the years, initially earning recognition in films like Tyler Perry‘s For Colored Girls, Justin Simien‘s Dear White People, and Ava DuVernay‘s Selma before becoming a franchise icon in the Creed series and an Emmy nominee for Sylvie’s Love. One of her biggest ventures, however, has been joining the MCU. Debuting as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok, she’s since become tied to the comic book character, appearing in four films in total, the animated anthology series What If…?, and the recent Marvel Zombies. As is the case for just about any star, it’s been a life-changing ride aboard the superhero franchise train, though not always in the way she’s expected.

In an interview with Perri Nemiroff on Collider Ladies Night for her new adaptation Hedda, Thompson opened up about appearing in the MCU and what it has meant for her career. There’s a mixed perception among stars about joining such an omnipresent blockbuster franchise. On the one hand, few cinematic events can rival the superhero series at its absolute heights, as Thompson experienced in the Infinity Saga’s grand finale, Avengers: Endgame. For everyone who has embraced and enjoyed taking part in the big screen spectacle, however, there have been detractors in the industry who see it as a lesser art form for one reason or another. There’s also a lingering perception that the goal of doing an MCU film or other blockbuster IP is more to open doorways to other projects, which Thompson pushed back against.

“I think a common misconception, a little bit, is there’s this idea that people talk about a lot in Hollywood, like, ‘One for you and one for them,’” she said. “And typically, I think something like Marvel gets bracketed in this space of ‘one for them,’ and I didn’t have that relationship to it when I joined it.” Rather, she hit on how the franchise provides an opportunity to work with some of the best directors, like, in her case, Taika Waititi, and how the actual moviemaking experience isn’t just some mechanical process, but can instead feel more spirited with the right people involved:

“I felt really excited. Taika [Waititi] was an indie filmmaker that I really loved and respected, and really liked his films. We really approached making [my] first Thor with that kind of indie spirit. For me, obviously, the scale was different than making independent films, but the energy of making it felt very scrappy, I guess, in a way that was really refreshing. But that is not true of all of the films necessarily. So, I think that’s something that I kind of came into the MCU thinking, ‘Oh, well, that’s what the experience of making these films is like,’ and that isn’t always the case.”

Thompson Believes the MCU Changed the Perception of Her as an Actor

Further addressing the “One for me, one for them” perception, Thompson also countered the idea that big franchises pave the way for stars and directors to take on the projects they really desire. While she admitted that’s not necessarily untrue in some regards, she’s also personally experienced how taking on such a role can change the perception of an actor within the industry. It’s not something she’s had to worry about too much, as she’s enjoyed roles in smaller projects like Passing, Annihilation, and Sorry to Bother You since becoming a more mainstream name, but she admitted that it requires a bit of relationship building and a reliable team to live in both the blockbuster and indie world at times.

“But I think another thing is there’s this idea, sometimes, that if you do, and call it the MCU or Marvel by another name, but if you make big franchise movies, there’s this idea that then you can get smaller, independent, interesting stories greenlit much easier. I suppose maybe there’s some level of validity to that, but I’m not sure that that’s entirely true. I think, also, maintaining the interest and availability to do much smaller projects after you’ve entered these bigger spaces is something that requires work, and also community support around you. Because obviously I’m me, I’m here, but there’s a whole organism and team and people behind me that also make it possible for me to do what I do. I think you have to be on the same page about the kind of career that you want to pave, and I think sometimes when you enter some of these bigger franchise spaces, there’s also maybe a kind of filmmaker that sees you differently now, a kind of auteur that maybe doesn’t imagine…

The moment Thompson most felt that divide between the indie and franchise space was when the time came for her to join Sorry to Bother You. Directed by the multi-hyphenate Boots Riley in his feature debut, it paired her up with LaKeith Stanfield and featured a killer supporting cast, including Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Kate Berlant, Steven Yeun, Danny Glover, and more. While Riley had no qualms initially offering her a part among that group before she was brought into the MCU, that all changed after she became Valkyrie. It caught her by surprise because of her belief coming in that the franchise would only make her more in-demand than ever.

“Like, for example, you would think that it’d be easier to make interesting indie movies, but Boots Riley offered me a role in his film Sorry to Bother You, and then by the time he went to make it, I had made a Marvel movie, and he told me that I couldn’t be in Sorry to Bother You anymore because I was too visible, and I had to fight him. I said, ‘No, sir. I have the email of you offering me this movie. Please.’ And I auditioned for him. I said, ‘Let me prove to you. I promise you I can still do this.’ And so I got on a Zoom with him and LaKeith Stanfield, and we had a chemistry test, and he said, ‘Fine, you can be in the movie.’ But because I had made a Marvel movie, he didn’t think that I could enter that indie space. So, that’s something that I never imagined.”

Thompson isn’t quite at the level of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, or even her co-star Chris Hemsworth, who are all practically synonymous with the MCU, but the franchise still created the impression of her as someone inseparable from the superhero she played. Whether fair or unfair, it’s an issue that she believes actors don’t quite understand the implications of when they sign up, even if she’s personally gotten to enjoy a wide range of filmmaking experiences. “I think you’re sort of seen in a particular way,” she added. “So, that’s something that I hadn’t imagined would be the case, but it was. But I just feel really lucky that I’ve gotten to exist in all of these different spaces. It’s such a dream. It really is.”

Thompson Will Soon Join Forces With Another MCU Star

Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson seated next to each other on a porch in His & HersImage via Netflix

Though she wasn’t confirmed with a chair, Thompson may yet reprise her role as Valkyrie in the MCU’s next big crossover event, Avengers: Doomsday, next year. Her next big role, however, will be back on the small screen in the limited series detective novel adaptation His & Hers, in which she’ll star with another Marvel favorite in Jon Bernthal alongside Pablo Schreiber, Crystal Fox, Sunita Mani, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Marin Ireland, Poppy Liu, and more. Written by the trio of William Oldroyd, Dee Johnson, and Bill Dubuque and based on Alice Feeley‘s book, it casts Thompson as a reclusive news anchor who finds new life when a murder case opens in her hometown. She quickly pounces on the opportunity and investigates, though her involvement catches the attention of detective Jack Harper (Bernthal), who finds her at the center of his own investigation.

His & Hers is set to premiere on Netflix on January 8, 2026.

For now, Thompson has returned to the screen in Nia DaCosta‘s new adaptation of Hedda Gabler, simply titled Hedda, nowin theaters and available to stream on Prime Video. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Thompson’s upcoming projects. Watch her full episode of Collider Ladies Night below.

Release Date

November 3, 2017

Runtime

131 minutes

Writers

Christopher L. Yost, Craig Kyle, Eric Pearson

Producers

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Thomas M. Hammel, Victoria Alonso

Prequel(s)

Thor: The Dark World

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe