Last month, the new animated film “Trick Or Treat Scooby-Doo!” confirmed what “Scooby-Doo” fans had a hunch about all along. Yup, Velma’s a lesbian, to the surprise of no one. Still, it’s nice to have some verification about it after over a half-century of “Scooby-Doo” content. And Linda Cardellini, who played the character in the live-action movies from the 2000s, couldn’t be more thrilled about the news.
Collider reports (via EW) that while promoting the third and final season of the Netflix series “Dead To Me,” Cardellini praised the decision to confirm Velma’s sexuality. “Velma has been around since 1969,” said Cardellini, “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.” Cardellini played Velma in 2002’s “Scooby-Doo” and its 2004 sequel, “Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed.” Neither film was a huge commercial or critical success, but they’ve developed a cult following over the years.
But what some people may not remember is that James Gunn penned both of those movies, and he’s very open about his original intention to confirm Velma’s lesbianism in the 2002 film. But, unfortunately, Warner Bros. edited out any reference to it in the final product. Couple that with Velma having a boyfriend in “Monsters Unleashed,” and the studio foiled Gunn’s plans for the character. Now, twenty years later, the truth about Velma comes out.
In “Trick Or Treat Scooby-Doo!,” the Mystery Inc. gang sees their business dry up after they capture costume designer Coco Diablo, the woman responsible for making all the monster outfits from their solved capers over the years. But when spooky doppelgängers of the sleuthing teens appear, the gang needs Diablo’s help to solve the case. Along the way, Velma falls in love with Diablo, and the story makes that 100% clear. The animated film is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
But what about another live-action “Scooby-Doo” film? “Oh God, yeah!” Cardellini said, but followed up with, “I’m probably too old.” Plus, it’s been eighteen years since the last live-action film, so it may be time to cull a new version of Mystery Inc. Still, rumblings about a third film in the series surfaced as recently as this past July, with star Matthew Lillard and Gunn entertaining the idea. Maybe a new sequel with the Mystery Inc. gang now all adults? But Gunn will likely be too busy as the new DC Studios co-head to really consider that idea.
There’s other Velma content on the way, though. HBO Max has a self-titled adult animated series about the character on the way, with Mindy Kaling voicing Velma. That show doesn’t premiere until next year, though, so until then, “Trick Or Treet Scooby-Doo!” will have to suffice.
