Velma Finally Comes Out in “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!”

After decades of speculation, lesbian icon Velma Dinkley (Kate Micucci) has finally come out. The beloved Scooby-Doo character is canonically queer in the new HBO Max movie “Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!,” which sees our nerdy heroine fall head over heels for villainous leader of the costumed crime syndicate Coco Diablo (Myrna Velasco). A clip of Velma swooning over Coco hit Twitter and quickly went viral as fans celebrated the character’s long overdue (and long assumed) queerness. A later clip shows Velma talking to Daphne (Grey DeLisle), who notes, “I didn’t know convicted felons were your type.” Velma tries to play it casual, but quickly panics, saying “Oh, who am I kidding? I’m crushing big-time, Daphne! What do I do? What do I say?!”

Of course, we’ve all known that Velma was gay long before it became canon. The character, who first appeared in the CBS animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! in 1969 has long pinged our collective gaydar, much like fellow cartoon queers Peppermint Patty and Marcy in the Peanuts comic strip. While we’ve all known deep in our hearts that Velma was gay, the subtext has struggled to become text … but not for lack of trying.

Director James Gunn (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy films) wrote Velma as queer in his script for 2002’s live-action Scooby-Doo, which saw the character played by Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me). But Velma’s sexuality was ultimately toned down and excised from the script. When asked about the character’s queerness in 2020, Gunn tweeted, “I tried! In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. 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).”

Tony Cervone, supervising producer on 2010’s Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series and director of Scoob!, confirmed Velma’s queerness via Instagram, writing “We made our intentions as clear as we could ten years ago, … Most of our fans got it. To those that didn’t, I suggest you look closer.”

Velma will be getting her own adult animation series, which will be produced by Mindy Kaling, who will also be voicing the character. Kaling hasn’t revealed yet whether or not her Velma will be queer, but she tweeted support for the new movie.

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! is now available to purchase and stream on VOD, and hits HBO Max on October 16. Welcome to the club, Velma. Your toaster is in the mail.

(featured image: Warner Bros. Animation)

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