Scooby-Doo devotees, are you ready for some adorable information? It’s 2022, more than 50 years after the show’s inception, and Velma Dinkley has come out as a lesbian. The group’s charmingly geeky minds may now come out from behind the curtain and receive the ovation they deserve. In a touching moment from the upcoming animated feature Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Velma is rendered speechless by the news.
Recently, a clip from the upcoming Halloween special Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! was leaked, in which Velma (voiced by Kate Micucci) confronts Coco Diablo (voiced by Myrna Velasco), the famed costume designer responsible for the masks of several of the villains the gang has uncovered. Velma, who usually maintains her normal level head in stressful situations, appears to be suffering from a case of lesbian panic in this footage. Dinkley’s list of good traits, which includes “clearly clever” and “loves animals!”, gives us a glimpse inside her methodical mind. You can see that Velma has already started packing the kitties and comfortable turtlenecks for their move. Fans of the Scooby gang, rejoice: Velma has come out as a lesbian. Since then, the video has gone viral on Twitter, validating the concerns of a devoted following.
Variety reports that the writer and director of the cult hit live-action flicks, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), and the supervising producer of the Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated series, Tony Cervone, both confirmed the claims. Even though Daphne and Fred have been flirting since the late ’60s, the producers were never permitted to make Velma’s sexuality public. In his live-action flicks, Gunn cast Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me) as the gang’s bespectacled brain and reportedly tweeted that he had tried to make Velma’s orientation as a lesbian canon.
The filmmaker came out and said, “Velma was openly homosexual in my first script in 2001, but the studio simply kept watering it down and wetting it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the published version), and eventually having a partner (the sequel).” Instead, we got Freddie Prinze Jr. in the role of Fred, who declared in an innocent tone that he would be gazing upon Daphne’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) nude body. No one seemed really outraged, and the language wasn’t toned down. On the other hand, Cervone made it quite clear on his Instagram during Pride of 2020 that Velma’s orientation wasn’t confusing in Mystery Incorporated, writing: “As I’ve stated previously, Velma from “Mystery, Inc.” is not bisexual. To put it bluntly, she’s homosexual. We expected Velma to act a little strange and out of character when she was seeing Shaggy, as the relationship was not a good fit for her and she was having trouble understanding why. This is as plain as we could make it 10 years ago, and there are hints about the why in that episode with the mermaid if you follow the full Marcie arc. Marcie and Velma may not have had the opportunity to act on their affections during the main timeline, but they are now engaged to be married. Not everyone has to agree with us, but this was our goal.”
Marcie Fleach, also known as “Hot Dog Water,” is a fictional character portrayed by Cardellini. A sexual connection between Velma and her old rival-turned-friend Marcie was cut short. Now, though, in Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Velma is free to be herself. Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, and Matthew Lillard, who is known for playing Shaggy in Gunn’s live-action movies, lend their voices to the Christmas special. Audie Harrison, who also directs, wrote the script along with Laura Pollack and Daniel McClellan.
On October 4, the digital version of Trick or Treat, Scooby-Doo! will be released, and on October 14, the broadcast debut will air on Cartoon Network.