Velma Dinkley being a lesbian, became canon last month with the release of the new animated film Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! In that film, which Audie Harrison directed, Velma was played by Kate Micucci and developed a crush on Halloween costume designer Coco Diablo (Myrna Velasco). A couple of days ago, one of the actors who’ve played Velma over the years, Linda Cardellini, responded.
Cardellini played Velma in 2002’s Scooby-Doo and its 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Both films were penned by James Gunn, back when he was writing scripts without directing them. In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly about the third and final season of Dead to Me, Cardellini voiced her support for the revelation.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
One of the instances it’s been hinted at was during Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. There’s one, some may call random, scene where the titular duo encounters Mystery Inc. in what ends up being a dream. After correcting Daphne (Carmen Llywelyn) that they’re looking for “hitchhiking ghouls,” not girls, Velma (Jane Silvia) says, “I wish they were hitchhiking girls. Sexy hitchhiking girls.”
“Velma has been around since 1969; I just went trick or treating with my daughter and there were a lot of Velmas out there, so I love that she still has this place in culture that is sort of always active for decades. And I love — you know, I think it’s been hinted at so many times, and I think it’s great that it’s finally out there.”
RELATED: Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! Trailer Has the Gang Gearing Up for Halloween
Cardellini’s Work With the Franchise, Past and Future
Studio Distribution Services
Years later, in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Velma (Mindy Cohn) started the show dating Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) but later developed a close friendship with Marcie “Hot Dog Water” Fleach (Cardellini). For those that watched that show and thought their relationship was a little eyebrow-raising, there’s a reason for that.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tony Cervone (@tonycervone)
In 2020, ten years after the show first aired, co-creator Tony Cervone posted a photo to Instagram of Marcie and Velma in front of a rainbow background and above “PRIDE” in capitalized white letters. In the caption, Cervone heavily implied that their relationship would have been made more explicit if not for censors.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Tony Cervone (@tonycervone)
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
In a since-deleted tweet, Gunn also revealed that Velma was gay in his initial Scooby-Doo script:
“Marcie and Velma - Mystery Incorporated. I obviously don’t represent every version of Velma Dinkley, but I am one of the key people that represents this one. 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. There’s no new news here,” wrote Cervone
When asked if she would be open to reprising her role as Velma, Cardellini responded with an “Oh God, yeah!” before adding, “I’m probably too old.” Perhaps, but it could still happen, especially in these days of legacy sequels where studios are coming out with new installments to franchises decades after they made the last entry.
