Velma depicted as queer in new ‘Scooby Doo’ animation
For the first time ever in a Scooby Doo film, the character of Velma has been depicted as queer. Velma’s sexuality has long been a subject of speculation, and now it has been confirmed in part of the Trick or Treat Scooby Doo, where she swoons over the costume designer Coco Diablo.
James Gunn directed both of the live-action Scooby Doo movies, and he claimed that they hinted at Velma’s sexuality. The Mystery Incorporated series also suggested as much. However, this is the first time that no question remains about Velma’s character. Gunn tried to make Velma gay in the live-action movies (she’s played by Linda Cardellini), but the studio making the film decided to remove those scenes from the final cut.
Gunn said in 2020: “In 2001, Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script. But the studio just kept watering it down and watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) and finally having a boyfriend (the sequel).”
Tony Cervone, the supervising producer of the Mystery Incorporated series, confirmed that Velma is gay. He said: “I’ve said this before, but Velma in Mystery Incorporated is not bi. She’s gay. We always planned on Velma acting a little off and out of character when she was dating Shaggy because that relationship was wrong for her, and she had unspoken difficulty with the why.”
He added: “There are hints about the why in that episode with the mermaid, and if you follow the entire Marcie arc, it seems as clear as we could make it 10 years ago. I don’t think Marcie and Velma had time to act on their feelings during the main timeline, but post reset, they are a couple. You can not like it, but this was our intention.”
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