After years of online speculation that the character Velma Dinkley is a lesbian, the show has confirmed her identity in a new clip that went viral on Twitter on Oct. 4. Although the studio did not release the scene that confirms Velma is smitten with a character named Coco Diablo, fans of the series have reshared the clip all over social media. The scene shows Velma meeting the new character and when she meets Coco, Velma immediately fumbles her words and her glasses become fogged up while she blushes bright red.
https://twitter.com/scoobyhistory/status/1577287683079954432
Many people on Twitter are going wild over the news and are excited to see this representation in the iconic cartoon series. One user wrote, “I can’t stop watching it; it’s so good!”, while another chimed in, “I mean, we all knew it. If we had representation on anybody in Scooby Doo it would be Velma.” And since the Halloween holiday is upon us, some are already predicting new costumes inspired by the new character! One fan said, “I wanna be coco Diablo for Halloween!”
Although many are seeing this as brand new information, Scooby-Doo writer, James Gunn, actually confirmed that she was a lesbian via Twitter in 2020. “In 2001 Velma was explicitly gay in my initial script,” he wrote. “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).”
And in June 2020, Tony Cervone, who was the supervising producer on the Mystery Incorporated series also confirmed Velma’s LGBT identity via Instagram. He captioned a photo of Velma, “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.” But since the new clip from the new HBO Max movie, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, was released on Oct. 4, online fans are taking this as official confirmation.
The new movie is set to release on HBO Max on Oct. 16, but is already available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime as of Oct. 4. Warner Bros. Entertainment released the official trailer for the film on Aug. 22 via YouTube, but did not include Velma’s coming out moment in the teaser. It will also be released on DVD on Oct. 18, according to Deadline.