In the new film, Velma Dinkley has a crush on another female character.
Velma Dinkley is living her best life in the new Scooby-Doo Halloween special. For the first time, Velma has been depicted as an LGBTQ character in the film which was released on Tuesday.
After Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! hit streaming services, clips of Velma blushing and becoming speechless when encountering a new character named Coco Diablo went viral on Twitter. In one video posted by Discussing Film, Velma can be seen stopping in her tracks when she first lays eyes on Coco.
"Amazing turtleneck! Incredible glasses! Obviously brilliant! Loves animals!" flashes across the screen as Coco stands in front of Velma, who lets out her signature "jinkies!"
Fans couldn't help but share their excitement on Twitter, with one person writing, "It's the bare minimum but it does feel good to know that it's officially out there now."
Hayley Kiyoko -- who portrayed Velma in 2009's live-action adaption Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and its 2010 sequel Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster -- tweeted: "I remember booking Velma in 2008. It was my first big role in a movie. I also remember thinking ‘I wonder if they know they hired a lesbian as Velma’ here we are, 14 years later……😂 love you all so much."
Filmmaker James Gunn -- who wrote two live action Scooby-Doo films -- shared his enthusiasm by retweeting a post from Variety which read, "Velma is officially a lesbian. Clips from the new movie 'Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!,' which show the Mystery Inc. member googly-eyed when encountering costume designer Coco Diablo, have gone viral, confirming suspicions held by the fan base for decades."
Gunn previously spoke out about his attempt to make Velma a lesbian character, tweeting in 2020: "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)."
During Pride Month that same year, SCOOB! director Tony Cervone hinted at Velma's sexual orientation alongside a picture of her and Marcie.
"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," he wrote. "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."
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