And just like that, Velma is now officially part of the LGBTQIA+ community, free to be who she truly is and love who she loves.
When it comes to LGBTQIA+ representation in media, animated cartoons have served as a safe space for queer characters and their stories to be told. In particular, the past couple of years has seen classic animated children’s cartoons introduce LGBTQIA+ characters, proving that there’s always room for inclusivity in family-friendly shows. This year, another classic cartoon has revealed that one of its characters is part of the community, and it’s none other than the bespectacled sleuth Velma from Scooby-Doo.
BE WHO YOU ARE
On October 4, a new Scooby-Doo animated movie called Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! was made available for digital purchase. The moment it was released, fans immediately noticed how the movie finally confirmed Velma’s true identity. In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, it shows the gang meeting with Coco Diablo (voiced by Myrna Velasco), a costume designer with a criminal past. But when Velma (voiced by Kate Micucci) sees her, she gets love-struck and develops feelings for her. The rest of the movie, which centers on Mystery Inc. facing off against a series of ghosts, ghouls, and other evil-doers on Halloween, sees Velma trying to make her moves on Coco.
OMG LESBIAN VELMA FINALLY CANON CANON IN THE MOVIES LETS GOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/0ilx2uid1q
— Trin 🎃 (@MythicalLlamaXO) October 3, 2022
For the longest time, fans of the decades-old series have speculated that Velma is lesbian. While Daphne has Fred, Velma rarely had a male love interest. Or at least, she never had one that lasted long. And while some of the speculations were driven by fan theories, some who have officially worked on the IP have said that they see Velma as part of the community. James Gunn, who directed the two fan-favorite live-action Scooby-Doo movies from the early 2000s, wrote in a now-deleted tweet that he wrote Velma as a lesbian. “In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” Gunn wrote. “But the studio just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).”
Meanwhile, Tony Cervone, who served as supervising producer on the Mystery Incorporated series, talked about Velma’s identity. “I’ve said this before, but Velma in ‘Mystery Incorporated’ is not bi. She’s gay,” he wrote in an Instagram post for Pride Month 2020. “We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character when she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her and she had unspoken difficulty with the why.”
ANOTHER ANIMATED ICON
ruh roh pic.twitter.com/932Wsqp4Vd
— 🎃 pumpca 🎃 (@nescartridges) October 4, 2022
Still, Velma has never been explicitly portrayed as lesbian or had a female love interest on-screen, until now. This honestly serves as a great milestone now that the higher-ups are comfortable with Velma being who she is after decades of hiding it. What makes it even better is that the film sees Daphne encouraging Velma to pursue the relationship. In one scene, Velma confides to Daphne about her feelings about Coco. “I’m crushing big time Daphne! What do I do? What do I say?” In another, Daphne pushes Velma to talk to Coco and gives her advice when she realizes that small talk isn’t Velma’s specialty. We love a supportive ally.
daphne an honest ally pic.twitter.com/Ldi9Dq1q0P
— Sylvester 🐟 VELMA IS GAY (@vester_insanity) October 4, 2022
Now that lesbian Velma is officially canon, we have more LGBTQIA+ representation in media. More importantly, we are slowly moving towards a society that finds it normal to have these kinds of characters in all forms of media, including those aimed toward younger audiences. Currently, there’s an animated series centered on Velma set to release in 2023. So, that may explore more of her character. Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is currently available to purchase digitally. It will arrive on HBO Max this October 15.
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